Attempt #59 - P.H.A.T. Daddy's Restaurant & Catering

Venue

The Venue

728 47^th Ave.

Amana, IA 52203

(319) 622-3001

The Amana location of P.H.A.T. Daddy's opened up in April of 2015 and has maintained a steady flow of business. The tourist town of Amana draws in a large number of visitors, especially on the weekends. Therefore, we found their prices to be a bit higher for the amount of pizza that we received. The eating areas consisted of being seated indoors at a table, or seating outside (as weather permits). Luckily for us, the weather was nice that day. The staff was friendly, and brought out each pizza to us as it was finished cooking. The turnaround was super fast, about 7 minutes per pizza!

You can check out the website menu at http://www.phat-daddys.com/menu/or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhatDaddys.

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

We had five participants so we ordered four 12” pizzas. They only offer one crust at 12”.

Margherita – Roasted Garlic, Five cheese blend, Mozzarella, Roma Tomato, sweet Basil Chiffonade, $12.00

Cubano – Dijon Mustard, Pulled Pork, Ham, Mozzarella, Swiss Cheese; topped with Pickles , $15.00

Bacon Mac N' Cheese – Dash of Alfredo sauce, Mozzarella, our house Mac N' Cheese, Cheddar, Smoked Bacon, $14.00

Chicken Alfredo – Alfredo sauce, Mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan, Roasted Chicken Breast, Spinach, $14.00

*Garden Goat Cheese Pizza – Bonus pizza served to us from another party $15.00

The Verdict

The pieces were rectangular-shaped and they came out warm. The toppings were fresh and unique. The crust was not crispy as I expected, but was instead more chewy. We noticed that on all of the pizza's the center pieces were soggy, as they were merely served on a large dinner plate. One participant commented on the inconstant flavor of the Dijon on the Cubano, and the saltiness of the cheese on the Margherita. All of our participants voted for the Bacon Mac N' Cheese as the supreme winner of this attempt. The rich flavor of the bacon alongside the cheddar was simply amazing. Salty and Savory! Yummy! The next time you find yourself in Amana, try these guys out!

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 8.30

Cheese 8.60

Sauce 7.40

Topping 8.80

Crust 7.40

Venue 9.30

Favorite Bacon Mac N' Cheese

Chicken Alfredo, $14

Cubano, $15

Garden Goat Cheese, $15

Margherita, $12

Bacon Mac N' Cheese, $14

Attempt #58 - Vineria Wine Shop

Menu

The Venue

264 Blairs Ferry Rd NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 373-6141

Many in Cedar Rapids have known about this little wine shop for years, but from my experience, not many have ventured inside. The owner of 13 years, Jose Miguel Reyes, gutted one of the rooms six months ago and added in a wine bar serving personal pizzas. Check their Facebook website because on certain nights the pizza is $3 off before 6pm (Wednesday was for sure at the time of writing this post). The shop was clean, with new furniture on the lounge area. While waiting, you can tour the wine racks in the connecting room and view the selection of imported beers, cheeses, and meats. The lounge/bar area often hosts events such as movie screenings and wine tastings apart from its normal everyday operations. Our experience with the staff was that they very nice, and accommodating. I called ahead and made sure they would have room for a ten person group.

You can check out the website at http://www.vineriawineshop.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Vineria-Wine-Shop-95012545884/.

The Pizza

Diavola ($14)

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

We had eight participants so we ordered five 12” pizzas. They only offer one crust at 12”.

Margherita – Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, $11.00

Diavola – Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, Spicy Sausage, $14.00

Capricciosa - Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Mushrooms, Laquercia, Prosciutto, Artichoke Hearts, $16.00

The Spanish - Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, Spanish Chorizo, Butternut Squash, $16.00

Three Meats - Tomato Sauce, Prosciutto, Sweet Italian Sausage, Tuscan Salami, $19.00

Three Meat ($19)

The Verdict

Capricciosa ($16)

The pieces were triangular-shaped and they came out warm. We were delighted by the freshness and high quality of the toppings. The dough and sauce in made in house, and the stone oven gave the crust a thickness so it did not become soggy. One participant commented on the positive difference that real mozzarella cheese made. One way to tell is that it comes in a chunk, not shredded, which is why the pizza was uneven. I enjoyed the sauce, but I would have enjoyed a little bit more of it. On the plus side, the Spanish chorizo was a delicious meat that is not too commonplace around Iowa! If you enjoy a glass of import or domestic wine and love pizza, then Vineria's is your place to be!

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 8.50

Cheese 9.63

Margherita ($11)

Sauce 8.63

Topping 9.00

Crust 8.36

Venue 9.13

Favorite The Spanish

The Spanish ($16)

Slice from Pizza (Marg.)

Attempt #57 - Jersey's (Downtown)

Venue

Menu

The Venue

200 1^st Ave NE,

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 826-1015

Once known as the Chop house, Jersey's bought the downtown restaurant back after the great flood of 2008. From that point on, it changed from being primarily a restaurant to being primarily a bar. The awesome part is, that the restaurant section is separate from the bar, so you can have a quiet dinner in a well furnished room. On Monday's all pizzas are 50% (below I've listed the full price), which is a GREAT deal! Apart from that, the wait staff was very nice, and accommodating.

Fire Eater – Sausage, pepperoni, jalapenos,
roaster red peppers, and green peppers,
Large 16”, Pan Crust, $20.99

You can check out their website at http://www.jerseyscr.com/menu.html or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JerseysCRDowntown.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

We had twelve participants so we ordered six large 16” pizzas.. They offered 12” and 16” in thin and pan crust. We went with two thin and the rest in pan.

Fire Eater – Sausage, pepperoni, jalapenos, roaster red peppers, and green peppers, Large 16”, Pan Crust, $20.99

Combo – Pepperoni, sausage, beef, Canadian bacon, green pepper, onions, mushrooms, black olives, green olives, and cheese, Large 16”, Thin Crust, $20.99

Meat – Pepperoni, sausage, beef, Canadian bacon and cheese, Large 16”, Pan Crust, $21.99

Garlic Jalapeno –
Garlic, ranch, jalapenos, grilled chicken,
and pineapple chunks,
Large 16”, Pan Crust, $20.99

Pepperoni – Large, Thin Crust, $13.99

Taco – Hamburger, blended cheese, lettuce, tomato, and refried beans, Large 16”, Pan Crust, $20.99

Garlic Jalapeno – Garlic, ranch, jalapenos, grilled chicken, and pineapple chunks, Large 16”, Pan Crust, $20.99

The Verdict

I am a Chicago style fan. I am shocked to say this but the thin was WAY better than the pan style crusts. The bready taste of the thicker pizzas was off, and many perfected the better tasting thin crusts. This was a strange turn of events for me, since I would have lost money on that bet :). The sauce, and toppings were average-overall the pizza itself did not stand out among many of the other places we've tried. The lack of flavors failed to come out with most of us, and the pizza was a bit greasy alongside the thicker crusts. Perhaps it was the standard offerings that we've had well over 50 times, or the fact that I'm betting most of the ingredients was straight from the can/freezer with little prep work. Nothing surprising for those who work at a bar, serving pizza (as I was in my younger years).

Meat – Pepperoni, sausage, beef,
Canadian bacon and cheese,
Large 16”, Pan Crust, $21.99

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 7.05

Cheese 6.70

Sauce 6.00

Topping 7.70

Crust 5.40

Venue 9.00

Favorite Fire Eater/Combo/Garlic Chicken

Taco – Hamburger, blended cheese,
 lettuce, tomato, and refried beans,
Large 16”, Pan Crust, $20.99

Slices

Attempt #56 - Sam's Pizza (Iowa City)

Venue

The Venue

441 S. Gilbert St.

Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 337-8200

Terry French bought Sam's Pizza back in 1991. From what I understand, it was at one time possibly connected with the Sam's Pizza in Cedar Rapids (unconfirmed). If so, this explains why they may have a Chicago Style offering, and even its taste reminded me so much of Sam's in CR.

Menu

The venue itself contains a full service bar, a large aquarium, an ATM machine, along with an old arcade game, about 12 booths and 4-8 tables, and a pool table in the back. For the Tuesdays night we attended it was pretty empty, even with all 1 topping thin crust pizzas were 50% off. I felt that the venue itself need remodeling – the fish aquarium had scraps all over it, the tables were worn down. Aside from those details the service took a long time to place our order and once that occurred we had to wait even longer for our food (this could have been possibly because they had poor planning and started the Chicago style pizza after the thin crusts were finished and brought out to us).

You can check out their website at http://www.samspizzaic.com/ or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/samspizzaic/

Large Chicago Style Sam's Special
(Sausage, Mushroom, Onion, Pepperoni) $22.99

The Pizza

Chicago Style: Yes

Crust Thickness: Thin & Thick

We had five participants so we ordered three pizzas, which only came in one personal size. They offered 9”, 12”, 14”, and 16” for thin crust, and Small, Medium, and Large for “Chicago Stuffed” pizza. We went with two thin and one “Chicago Stuffed”.

Sam's Special – Sausage, mushroom, onion, and pepperoni (we substituted this instead of Green Peppers), Large, Chicago Style, $22.99

Pepperoni – Large, Thin Crust, $13.99

Sausage & Mushroom – Large, Thin Crust, $16.74

The Verdict

Large Thin Pepperoni 16" Pizza $13.99

The Chicago Stuffed pizza was heavy, bready, and its sauce was quite sweet. It was not as heavy on the cheese as other Chicago style pizzas have been in the past, which made it seem a little dry. The crust was thick and bready, but a little burnt on the bottom; in fact, I couldn't even cut mine with my knife without jamming it in very hard. The thin sausage and mushroom was about what you would expect from a typical pizza place, nothing that stood out,except the excess of fennel in the sausage. The thin pepperoni was terrible-it was soggy, and the crust almost seemed under-cooked. The cheese slid right off of it. Drunk-man pizza, no doubt.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 6.40

Cheese 6.00

Sauce 7.80

Topping 6.80

Crust 5.80

Venue 6.80

Favorite Sam's Special

Large Thin Sausage, Mushroom 16" Pizza $16.74

Re-Attempt #39 - Ruby's Pizzeria

This was a special re-attempt at Ruby's. As prior, the pizza was very, very good. It is still on it's game as being one of Cedar Rapid's best pizza restaurants! No ratings were taken for this attempt, however, pictures were shot. We had 10 participants for this event.

Attempt #55 - Red Vespa Pizzeria

The Venue

208 E Main St.

Solon, IA 52333

(319) 624-2080

South of Cedar Rapids is a small city which has lately contained an influx of wealthy people who work in the metro Iowa City area. The Red Vespa is no small Iowan town pizza joint, it is a classy place with a large bar and liquor selection as well as containing classy, Neapolitan Wood-fired pizzas. Booths, tables, and bar seating exist, with authentic hard wood floor, and an Italian brick oven tops it off as a great place for pizza. The service was excellent; the waitstaff was very accommodating and friendly.

You can check out their website at www.theredvespa.com, or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RedVespaSolon/

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

We had five participants so we ordered six pizzas, which only came in one personal size. They did not offer any different size, or crust. In fact, they only offer gourmet options-to order our pepperoni, we had to order the sausage and substitute the sausage for pepperoni. The Red Vespa has daily pizza specials, each with a unique topping which is not on the menu. The pieces were cut into quarters, since they are meant to serve 1-2 people each.

Mediterranean – House-made Pesto Cream Sauce, House-made Mozzarella, Prosciutto Di Parama (Crudo), Arugula, Sweet Grape Tomatoes, and Shaved Parmesan, $15

Bee String, $13

Sweet Corn – Sweet Corn, Creme Fraiche, Garlic Olive Oil, Prosciutto Di Parma, Sicilian Oregano, and Fresh Mozzarella, $14

Bee Sting – Spicy Soppressata, Calabrian Chilies, Honey, Chili Oil, $13

Rugula – Arugula, Prosciutto Di Parma, shaved Pecorino, $13

Pork Love – Prosciutto Di Parma, Soppressata, and Fennel Sausage, $14

Pepperoni – $13

The Verdict

The pizza was thin, with a slightly beady rim to it. Sadly, the excess of wonderful toppings made each pizza soggy in the middle (which explains the poor crust rating). The topping selection was amazing (see the menu for details), with unique twists and combinations of flavors. Speaking on that note, the Bee Sting was rated as the groups favorite pizza, mildly spicy chilis paired with sweet honey and spicy soppressata! What a awesome tasting pizza. The Sweet Corn came in second, and was very noteworthy (I almost couldn't decide!). The sauce was good, but a bit on the light side. The cheeses were great, however, I felt that their oil may have been the main concern of the crust's sogginess. Nevertheless, if you are in the mood for a unique pizza, take a drive and give them a try.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 8.80

Cheese 8.20

Sauce 9.60

Topping 8.00

Crust 6.60

Venue 9.20

Favorite Bee Sting

Rugula, $13

Mediterranean, $15

Sweet Corn, $14

Slices

Pork Love, $14

Pepperoni, $13

Attempt #54 - Need Pizza

Menu

The Venue

207 2^nd Ave SE #200

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 362-6333

Need pizza is a new restaurant which opened up recently in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It is located at the heart of downtown located near the intersection of 2^nd Street and 2^nd Avenue. The restaurant had two ping pong tables, along with TVs, Lego's for the kids, and a black chalkboard for guests to write on behind one row of tables. The bar area had old refrigerators which had taps mounted on the doors, serving a wide variety of beer. During lunch, they do serve pizza by the slice, if you in the area.

You can check out their website at http://www.needcr.com/.

Pizza Fries

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

We had nine participants so we ordered four pizzas (3 large and 1 medium). The style is “New Haven”, which draws on the east coast for inspiration. The size comes in small, medium, and large. They did not offer any gourmet pre-configured pizza options; however, they did have a special of the day (Buffalo Chicken, only available in the medium size).

Buffalo Chicken Special, Medium

BBQ Chicken, Onion, Roasted Red Peppers, Large

Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatball, Bacon, Large

BBQ Chicken, Onion, Roasted Red Peppers, Large

Pepperoni, Large

The Verdict

The pizza was very good, chewy, large triangular slices (often the pizza didn't fit on my plate). The crust wasn't too thick, and the toppings were set on about right. Surprisingly, the meat pizza (Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatball, and Bacon was the crowd favorite earning five votes. The sauce was a little on the light side. For me, I prefer my pizza crust to have a little bit more bready thickness, but many don't. Although we loved Ruby's as our favorite place after 54 Pizza Attempts (located right around the corner from this place) , I can see a possibility where Need Pizza exists and Ruby's does not just by the fact that Need Pizza has such a unique offering (Ruby's is a lot like Tomaso's [another local favorite]). Stop on by if you want a slice of New Haven style pizza! Its probably the closest thing Cedar Rapids has to a New York Style pizza.

Buffalo Chicken Special, Medium

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 7.75

Cheese 7.63

Sauce 7.38

Topping 7.38

Crust 7.63

Venue 8.44

Favorite Pepperoni, Sausage, Bacon, Meatball

Pepperoni, Large

Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatball, Bacon, Large

Slices