Attempt #86 - Big Grove (Solan, IA)

Venue Outside

The Venue
101 W Main St,
Solon, IA 52333

(319) 624-2337

Big Grove is an up and coming brewery in the eastern Iowa area. Two locations exist, one in Solan, Iowa and the other in Iowa City, Iowa. Only the one in Solan has pizzas. The retaruant has a bar area, plenty of booth and table seating indoors, and an out door patio for additional seating. Free sample are suggested, as beer goes along well with pizza.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Menu: http://biggrovebrewery.com/menus-solon/

Beer

Participants: 8 (plus 9 children, 2 infants)

Pizza Ordered: 10 (all menu pizzas)

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Standard 12” pan
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Thin Crust

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Pizza Margherita - San Marzano Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Olive Oil, Sea Salt ($12)

White Sausage - Crème Fraiche, House Made Fennel Pork Sausage, Fresh Mozzarella, Red Onion, Scallion, Marinated Tomato, Fennel Pollen ($14)

Traditional Sausage - House Made Fennel Pork Sausage, San Marzano Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella ($13)

Salumi - Pepperoni Style Sausage, San Marzano Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella ($13)

Menu

Heirloom Tomato And Smoked Burrata - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, Fleur De Sel ($15)

Roasted Mushroom - Rotating Selection Of Locally Grown Mushrooms, Garlic Confit, Fontina Cheese, Arugula ($14)

The Verdict

Sauce: Good flavor and well placed.

Cheese: Average per the style they were serving.

Crust: The edges were great, but every pizza was soagy in the middle. This was the major downside commonly stated among participants.

Toppings: High quality with a great balance of flavors.

Final Comments/Considerations: I loved the flavors of the mushroom and the white sausage pizzas. They truly were unique and worthy of a order. The Salumi was also great, but predictable (who doesn't love meat, right?). The margherita and sausage were average, and the heirloom/burrata made the pizza soaking with juices. If you are going to try, I strongly suggest the White Sausage, Roasted Mushroom, or Salumi.

Kids Pizzas - 2 Cheese and a Salumi

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 7.50

Cheese 7.88

Sauce 6.75

Topping 7.88

Crust 6.00

Venue 8.81

Favorite: White Sausage

Heirloom Tomato And Smoked Burrata($15)

Roasted Mushroom ($13)

Pizza Margherita ($12)

Salumi ($13)

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White Sausage ($14)

Slices

Traditional Sausage ($13)

Attempt #85 - Mirabito's Italian Restaurant

Venue Outside

The Venue
40 Sugar Creek Ln,

North Liberty, IA 52317

(319) 459-1342

Back in 2011, I had a groupon for a Sushi place nearby. Being that it was closed up, I quickly choose Mirabito's for a meal that night. Since I saw they served pizza, it was been on my mind to take the group down to give it a try. The restaurant serves pasta, some traditional Italian dishes, and pizza. The cannolis and lemon cake were amazing!

Venue Inside

As far as seating goes, there is tables with chairs. Although this place isn't very big, they can pack the house if needed. They do not take reservations, although they will do your best to accommodate your party needs.

Even with pizza, they serve you warm bread, with olive oil, pepper/salt, and cheese. Although typical of Italian restaurants, this act of hospitality was a refreshing delight!

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Standard

Menu: https://www.mirabitos.com/eat/

Participants: 7 (plus 4 children)

Pizza Ordered: 5 (all menu pizzas)

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Standard 12” pan
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Crust

Pieces Cut: Rectangular

Menu

Verrazano - Spicy sausage, cappicola, cherry peppers, caramelized onion and roasted garlic ($15)

Brooklyn's Best - Pepperoni, cappicola, prosciutto and Italian sausage ($16)

Ortaggio - Portobello muschroom, artichoke hearts, spinach, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion and roasted garlic ($16)

Clubland - Alfredo sauce, diced chicken, prosciutto, sliced tomato and red onion ($16)Pepperoni - ($12)

The Verdict

Sauce: Good flavor.

Cheese: Fresh, they also came around a .

Bread with the meal

Crust: The buttery crust was great, and not too thin. The spicy (Verrazano) had soggy middle pieces, but otherwise it was a hit.

Toppings: High quality. These toppings made the day. Traditional American meets Italian flavors! This is where the spicy (Verranzano) and Meat Lovers (Brooklyn's Best) really shined!

Ortaggio, $16 (Veggie)

Brooklyn's Best, $16

Clubland, $16

Final Comments/Considerations: I was most surprised and how filling the pizzas were. I was expecting more of a thin crust and leaving me 8 pieces in, and still feeling hungry. If you haven't tried out Mirabito's, I strongly recommend it.

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

Cheese 7.79

Sauce 8.00

Topping 9.79

Crust 8.71

Venue 8.86

Favorite: Brooklyn's Best (similar to a Meat Lovers)

Verrazano, $16 (Spicy)

Pepperoni, $12

Slices

Attempt #84 - Geyer's Oven

Entrance

The Venue
1259 Rohret Rd SW,

Oxford, Iowa 52322

(319) 828-4257

There are two Pizza farms in the eastern Iowa area that I am aware of. Stone wall (which we attempted back in Pizza Attempt #76 [September 2017]), and Geyer's Oven. From our knowledge, Geyers is the more popular, and closer to Iowa City, location. The Menu varies and during the summer months, one can find updates on their Facebook page.

All you can eat, however, you will need to wait in line. They usually run until 7:30 PM. $12 per adult, kids under 6 are free.

Long Lines

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Menu: https://www.facebook.com/Geyers-Oven-282157461899595/

Participants: 4 (plus 2 children)

Pizza Ordered: All

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Standard personal pan
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Thin Crust

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Pepperoni/Cheese
BBQ Beef & Caramelized Onion

Meat Lovers – Sausage, Bacon, Pepperoni

Menu

Ham, Black Beans, Spinach, Balsamic Glaze & 3 Cheese Blend

Sriracha Chicken with Pickled Red Onion

Southwestern – Black beans, green onions, cheddar, cilantro, taco sauce

Mean Green – With Spinach, green onion, garlic oil, 3 cheese blend

The Verdict

Sauce: Average.

Cheese: The cheese curd one (Ham) was awesome with the cheese.

Crust: A lot of burnt pieces, so I was disappointed. Most likely this was due to them being in a rush on openning night.

Toppings: A lot of interesting topping selections, which made their pizzas unique. Some were a little over the top (veggie with no dairy), but it was decent to try and appetizing.

Pizza Chief

Final Comments/Considerations: Personally,I preferred Stone Wall's pizza farm to Geyer's. Less crowd, more pizza, and more traditional toppings. Overall we felt it was a little overrated, but it was a nice property, with a cool garden fir the kids to play in.

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

Cheese 7.75

Sauce 6.75

Topping 7.00

Crust 7.25

Slices

Venue 9.50

Favorite: Undecided

Attempt #83 - Rusciano’s Authentic Taste of Napli

Venue

The Venue

710 Pacha Parkway Suite 5
North Liberty, Iowa 52317
(319) 665-2761

A popular place in North Liberty, this pizza joint has the locals talking. Napoli style pizza is one with strict requirements. San Marzano tomateos must be used, along with no machine or roller pins for the dough. In addition, the flour has to be the type used in bread making. Ruscainos fits the bill. The strip mall restaurant suits the Iowa City/North Liberty metro area vibe well. Lots of table and booth seating is available, along with an open concept for the kitchen/dining area.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Menu: https://www.facebook.com/Ruscianos/app/1637598386514901/?ref=page_internal

Participants: 8 (plus 4 children)

Pizza Ordered: 9

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Standard personal pan
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Thin Crust

Pieces Cut: Cut it yourself

San Marinara - San Marzano tomato, fresh garlic, oregano, basil, Italian EVOO, $15

Margheritta - San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, basil, italian EVOO, parmigiano D.O.P., $13

Salsiccia - San Marzano tomato, sausage, fior di latte, basil, Italian EVOO, pecorino D.O.P., $14

Menus

2x Salumi - San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, prosciutto di Parma, hot calabrese, genoa salami, basil, italian EVOO, pecorino D.O.P., $15

2x Pesto - Cherry tomato, fior di latte, prosciutto di Parma, parmigiano D.O.P., basil pesto, Italian EVOO, $15

Calabrese - San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, Calabrian chili pepper, hot calabrese salami, basil, Italian EVOO, parmigiano D.O.P., $15

Nutella Pizza

The Verdict

Sauce: Loved the sauce, it was fresh and it hit the money.

Cheese: The cheese was higher quality, however, it did cool quickly, which is a slight downside.

Crust: The crust has a 48 hour preparation, so it has almost a sourdough taste. DELICIOUS! BUT, due to the toppings it gets soggy in the middle if you cut the pizza.

Toppings: The toppings were great-high quality, unique, and appetizing.

Oven

Final Comments/Considerations: We loved the pizza, the pesto having the prosciutto was amazing! The sourdough tasting chewy crust was also awesome! The sogginess of the pies was the only downside. If you don't cut them, this gets around this slight issue. About one pizza per adult served them just right. Check them out if you are in the area

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.Overall 8.00

Cheese 9.13

Sauce 8.25

Topping 8.50

Crust 6.25

Venue 8.06

Favorite: Salumi

Calabrese, $15

Margheritta, $13

Pesto, $15

San Marinara, $15

Salsiccia?

Salsiccia, $14

Salumi, $15

Nutella Pizza

Slices

Attempt #82 - Paul Revere's Pizza

Venue

The Venue

47 Kirkwood Ct SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
(319) 399-1500

Venue Inside

This restaurant is a popular spot among those on the Westdale side of Cedar Rapids. Several from Kirkwood Community College stop in the enjoy the pizza. The restaurant itself does not have much seating, so this attempt was taken into a home. The staff at Paul Revere's were friendly and offered to make us pizzas from their Chicago style stuffed lunch menu pizzas. Additionally, specialties like the meatball and their own cooked beef brisket are off-menu items that have to be requested. The also do ribs, pasta, sandwiches, and salads. So pretty much anything you could possibly want!

The Pizza

Chicago Style: Yes (by special request)

Crust Thickness: Thick -to- Average

Menu: http://paulreverespizza.com/menu/

Participants: 13 (plus 10 children)

Pizza Ordered: 7

Sizes Offered/Ordered: XL (14”), Terminator was 22”, Deep Dish was 14”
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Average Crust (Chicago Style Stuffed by special request)

Pizza Bags

Pieces Cut: Triangle-Shaped

Deluxe – Sausage, pepperoni, beef, mushroom, onion, green peppers, extra cheese, XL 16” crust

Mexicali – Taco bean sauce, sausage, beef, onion (usually include jalapenos), XL 16” crust

Spicy BBQ Brisket – BBQ/Sriracha mix, homemade smoked BBQ brisket, jalapenos, mozzarella & pepper jack, XL 16” crust

Meatball – Pasta sauce, garlic seasoning, meatball, Italian sausage, onion, mild Giardiniera, XL 16” crust

2x Chicago Stuffed Pepperoni & Sausage – Pepperoni, Italian sausage, mozzarella, pepper jack, 14” crust

The Verdict

Pizza Spread

Sauce: The sauce had good consistency and taste. I felt the stuffed pizzas certainly beat out Sam's pizza (who's sauce was too sweet).

Cheese: Loved the pepper jack blended into the Chicago style pizza's!

Crust: The crust edges on all the pizzas was perfect, chewy and bready. Just the way I like it.

Toppings: The toppings varied from pizza. I felt like the classics were a hit, as well as the Mexicalli. The meatball wasn't a favorite of mine, and the brisket was a bit sweet.

Final Comments/Considerations: With seven pizza's, its hard to write an overall review. The cost was within normal budget. The most surprising thing to me is that the Chicago stuffed pizza's weren't on their normal menu. By FAR, this was the favorite among those in the group. The sauce and cheese was right on, and the pizza held up with being set to the bend test. This is something they should strongly consider. Some of the specialty flavors were unique to some of our participants, however, others really enjoyed the variation. The Deluxe was a requested pizza which was one that was not finished for instance; whereas the Mexicali, terminator, and stuff pizzas were nearly gone. If you have a big group, I recommend a terminator or (if you can get a Chicago stuff pizza request in) a Chicago stuff pizza.

BBQ Brisket, 16 Inch XL

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 7.96

Cheese 7.43

Sauce 8.00

Topping 8.25

Crust 8.57

Venue N/A

Favorite: Chicago Style Pepperoni & Sausage

Mexicali, 16 Inch XL

Deluxe, 16 Inch XL

Specialty Meatball, 16 Inch XL

Terminator, Pepperoni Cheese 22 Inch

Chicago Style II, Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, 14 Inch

Attempt #81 - Zaydo's Pizza

Venue Order Counter

The Venue

3981 Center Point Rd NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(319) 200-4488

Menu

This restaurant is located inside Burgerfein. It is a primarly burger joint with a separate add-on room for wood fired pizza. The room has about 9 4 person tables with 3 large TV's hanging up. There is a Order and pickup counter present to place your order. No booth seating, only tables. The drinks and bathrooms are located on the Burgerfein section of the restaurant. The staff was helpful and honest. One thing stood out, was there was no mention of tips, nor a tip on the receipt. Maybe they are mimicking Europe's style?

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Menu: https://www.facebook.com/pg/zaydoCR/menu/?ref=page_internal

Participants: 6 (plus 1 child)

Pizza Ordered: 6

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Small (11”)
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Thin Crust

Pieces Cut: Triangle-Shaped

Pepperoni $7.99

Gyro $10.99

Chicken Bacon Ranch $8.99

Taco $10.99

Hawaiian $9.99

Pesto $10.99

Chicken Alfredo $10.99

Buffalo Chicken $8.99

The Verdict

Sauce: The sauce had good consistency.

Cheese: Average.

Crust: The rim was chewy and the pizza was not bone crispy dry that you'd expect from stone fired pizza places. Great sunrise. This exceeded my expectations!

Toppings: The toppings quantity was average.

Final Comments/Considerations: For me, I preferred the slightly spicy pepperoni. The gyro didn't have enough meat on it, I wasn't a fan of the cream sauce pizzas. The buffalo chicken had a nice spicy zip to it! Overall this place impressed me, its reasonably priced and quick turnaround. I would give it a try.

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

Cheese 9.17

Sauce 7.65

Topping 8.50

Crust 8.492

Venue 9.33

Favorite: Chicken Bacon Ranch

Buffalo Chicken $8.99

Chicken Alfredo $10.99

Chicken Bacon Ranch $8.99

Pesto $10.99

Taco $10.99

Hawaiian $9.99

Pepperoni $7.99

Gyro $10.99

Slices