Attempt #120 - Maddi B's [Shueyville, IA]

Venue Outside

 

The Venue 

1202 Curtis Brg Rd NE,
Shueyville, IA 52338(319) 848-4040

 

Maddi B’s is located in the heart of Shueyville, and is only a carry out restaurant. Chad, the current owner has operated it since the pandemic in February of 2020. The location serves sandwiches, salads, pizzas, as well as some desserts.  Carry out pizza is a very common thing, but they will bake it upon request.  Since our order was during a heat advisory, I had them not cook our pizzas, and instead brought them home to be baked. By the way, their editable cookie dough is pretty delicious, especially paired with some ice cream.

Venue Inside

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://www.maddibs.com/menu

Participants: 8 (11 children)

Pizza Ordered:  4

Venue Inside

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Large (16”), Medium (14”), Small (12”)

Pieces Cut: Rectangular (by request)

 

1.    The Heater – Arrabbiata, sausage, red onion, marinated red pepper, pepperoni, jalapeño, mozzarella cheese blend, buffalo drizzle (Large, $22).

Cheese, Large, $17

2.    Philly – Bianco, grilled steak, portobello mushroom, red onion, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese blend, provolone cheese, pecorino romano (Large, $22).

3.    County Rocket – Bianco, spinach, mushroom, red onion, tomato, mozzarella cheese blend, arugula, pecorino romano, mike’s hot honey (Large, $21).

4.    Cheese – (Large, $17).

Country Rocket, Large, $21

 

 

Verdict

Sauce: The pizzas were not very saucy, and I think could have used a bit more on some of the pies. 

Cheese:  The cheese was bubbled as it cooked, and it as on the lighter side of placement.

Crust: The crust bready and rich.

The Heater, Large, $22

Toppings: The toppings were fresh, but some, like the Country Rocket, could have used more hot honey.  I was secretly rooting for that one, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of flavor as compared to the Lincoln Winebar’s arugula pizza.

 

Final thoughts:  The pizza was bready, and had a lot of flavors. The Heater had the most flavor, with its sweet buffalo sauce, paired with the flavorful spicy topping made this one the winner.  The pizza itself wasn’t terribly spicy, but it did have a little kick.

Philly, Large, $22

 

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

Overall 7.43

Cheese 7.43

Topping 8.00

Sauce 7.43

Crust 8.14

Venue N/A

Favorite: The Heater

Attempt #119 - Herb N' Lou's Pizza [West Branch IA]

 The Venue 

105 N Downey St,
West Branch, IA 52358
(319) 643-7373

 

Venue Outside

West Branch, Iowa is singularly famous for being the birthplace of the 31^st President, Herbert Hoover in 1874; which contains the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum and National Historic Site. The restraint is named after him and his wife, Lou Henry. The restraint has table and booth seating. For those walking in for the first time, it is important to stand in line immediately to place and pay for your order THEN find a seat.  They provide a ticket stub and will call your number. Our group arrived at 6:30 on a Friday evening; which is likely the worst possible time; however, as a result, we waited 2 and a half hours for our order. Our group was disappointed in the slow service.

 

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524401383020243&set=a.2389895317751434&type=3

Participants: 5 (3 children)

Pizza Ordered:  3

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Large (14”), Medium (12”), Small (10”), Mini (6”)

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Menu

 

1.    Evan O’Neil Special – Garlic butter sauce with mozzarella and cheddar cheese (Large, $19.25).

 (Medium, $21.49).

 

2.    Lite Lou – Mushroom, onion, green pepper, and black olive (Large, $19.25).

 

3.    Chicken Bacon Ranch – Homemade ranch sauce, garlic chicken, bacon, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, topped with homemade ranch (Large, $19.25).

 

 

Verdict

Lite Lou [Veggie], 14" Large, $19.25

Sauce: This was a hard one top judge, as the Chicken Bacon Ranch had ranch dressing, the Evan had no sauce and the Lite Lou had a small amount of marinara sauce.  From what I did taste, I wasn’t too impressed as it tasted like it was out of a can.  The ranch was homemade in house, which was worthy of a higher vote in my opinion.

Cheese:  The cheese was thick, and paired with the crust, it made the pizza go a lot farther than we thought it would just by looking at it.

Crust: The crust was of average to thick; although it tasted a bit manufactured.

Toppings: The toppings were plentiful and had a well-balanced placement on the pies.  On the veggie the topping continually slid off.

Evan O'Neil Special, 14" Large, $19.25

 

Final thoughts:  The long waiting for the pizza was draining on the team, as we were running out of patience.  The pizza was decent, but nothing to write home about.  The crust tasted a bit cheap and processed; although the toppings were plentiful.  The veggie lacked flavor, although the Chicken Bacon Ranch was very flavorful. This spot is a local’s favorite in the area.  However, I’d rather order from another place. 

 

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

Overall 7.00

Cheese 7.80

Topping 8.00

Sauce 7.20

Crust 7.40

Venue 7.00

Chicken Bacon Ranch, 14" Large, $19.25

Favorite: Chicken Bacon Ranch

Attempt #118 - Chad's [Cedar Falls, IA]

Venue Outside

 

The Venue 
909 W 23rd St,
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
(319) 242-2263

 

Chad’s is the Home of the Cedar Valley's favorite Pizza & Broasted chicken! 2021 Best of the Fest.  This place looks like a well establish hole-in-the-wall bar/restaurant right across from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).  

Venue Inside

This is the perfect place to find some of the best za in the city!  There was bar, chair, and booth seating available; however, a pool table was in the middle of the room, so there wasn’t a ton of room.  I could imagine you may want reservations during the school year to get a table.

 

 

The Pizza

Menu

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://chadspizza.com/.../2022/08/CF-2022_Menu_PROOF3.pdf

Participants: 4 (5 children)

Pizza Ordered:  4

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Jumbo (16”), Large (14”), Medium (12”), Small (9”), Mini (7”)

Pieces Cut: Rectangular

Half and Half to try more varieties

 

1.    Street Taco (half) – Taco sauce , shredded steak, onions, mozzarella, cedar, cilantro, side of limes (Medium, $21.49).

 (Medium, $21.49).

 

2.    Chili Taco (second half) – Chad’s original taco pizza smothered in our homemade chili (Medium, $21.49).

 

Street Taco/Chili Taco, Medium, $21.49

3.    German (half) – We’ve made a believer out of every person who said they didn’t like sauerkraut after they’ve tried a slice of Heaven. This pizza features our signature sausage, pepperoni, onions, and sauerkraut (Medium, $21.49).

 

4.    Brat (second half) – The only thing that could make this one better would be enjoying it at your favorite ballpark.  Topped with mustard, drizzle, hearty slices of bratwurst, and loads of sauerkraut (Medium, $21.49).

 

5.    Pepperoni - Classic Pepperoni on a pizza (Small, $9.99).

 

6.    Fish and Chips – Tater sauce, codfish, mozzarella, fries (Small, $14.49).

 

 

Verdict

Brat/German, Medium, $21.49

Sauce: Sweet marinara sauce, and the taco sauce was pretty mild.  The fish & chips sauce was thick and it made it quite filling.

Cheese:  The cheese was thick, and paired with the crust, it made the pizza go a lot farther than we thought it would just by looking at it.

Crust: The crust was of medium thickness; although certain pizzas had thicker crusts (the Fish and Chips was thick, whereas the small pepperoni was medium/avg).

Toppings: The toppings were great in general.  Some of them needed more flavor (such as the Chili from the Chili Taco).

Fish and Chips, Small, $14.49

 

Final thoughts:  I was very surprised at this college pizza joint. They had like 50+ specialty pizzas with the most variety I’ve EVER seen on a menu!  Although the cooking time was a bit long, the pizzas were pipping hot when they came out. By far this beats out Mesa and the Wedge in Iowa City.  The toppings were of much higher quality and the pizzas were all tasty.   In fact, I would say this is my favorite pizza joint to date, so if you are in town it’s worth the wait!

Pepperoni, Small, $9.99

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

Overall 9.00
Cheese 8.63
Topping 9.00
Sauce 8.25
Crust 8.25
Venue 9.00

Favorite: Brat

Attempt #117 - The Pines Pizza & Pub

 

Menu

The Venue 

4100 River Ridge Dr NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(317) 200-5350

 

The Pines Pizza & Pub is revamped Vitos and 42^nd with a new owner. High and low top table seating as well as a full bar.  Numerous Tvs are positioned around the dining area, so the restaurant which provides a sports bar feel, but more of a white-collar vibe.

 

The Pizza

A1 | Taco ($27)

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://order2.silverwarepos.com/app/flanoson42nd#!/menu

Participants: 7 (5 children)

Pizza Ordered:  4

Sizes Offered/Ordered: One size

Pieces Cut: Rectangular by request

Half and Half to try more varieties

 

1.    Taco (half) – Your favorite taco pizza.  In-house sauce topped with tomatoes, lettuce, chips, and cheddar. No beans ($26).

Sausage/Pepperoni | Pepperoni

A1 Bacon Cheeseburger (second half) – Yeah, we said A1steak sauce! Coupled with our pizza sauce, bacon, beef, onions, and our signature cheese. Add jalapenos to give it that extra kick! ($24).

 

2.    Supreme (half) – Sausage, pepperoni, onion, mushroom, black olives, green pepper, and sauerkraut ($24).

Meat Lovers (second half) - Sausage, bacon, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and ground beef. Because why not have one when you can have ‘em all? ($24)

 

3.    Crab Rangoon (half) – Your favorite takeout appetizer on a pizza. Imitation crab, cream cheese, & pizza cheese topped with our sweet chili sauce ($24).

Reuben | Crab Rangoon ($25)

Reuben (second half) – Classic Reuben sandwich on a pizza ($24).

 

4.    Sausage & Pepperoni (half) and Pepperoni (second half).

 

 

Verdict

Sauce: The sauce had good consistency with the appropriate pizza.  The crab/taco were light on sauce, where as your traditional pizzas were a lot heavier.   

Slices

Cheese:  The cheese was way better on our fourth pizza, with a lot more to chew through.  It was excellent!

Crust: The crust was on the thinner side, but no cracker thin. Did a good job not burning it; however, it a little soggy on a few pizzas.

Toppings: Heavy on the toppings, which wasn’t a bad thing.

 

Final thoughts:  The Crab Rangoon was the crowd (and personal) favourate due to its richness of cheese and tangy sauce.  The Supreme was also a lot better than the meat pizza due to its robustness of flavorful toppings.  The top seller is the Taco, which wasn’t quite a good as Happy Joes. With Fongs now closed in Cedar Rapids, this is one of the few places you can go to get a decent Crab Rangoon pizza.   

 

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

Overall 8.14

Cheese 8.86

Topping 8.71

Sauce 7.86

Crust 7.71

Venue 8.86

Favorite: Crab Rangoon

Attempt #116 - Barrel House (Marion, IA)

Menu

 

The Venue 

295 Tower Terrace Rd
Marion, IA 52302
(317) 377-5792

 

Barrel House is a franchising chain based out of Davenport, Iowa.  They serve mainly the midwestern part of the United States and are growing closer to the coasts.  The restaurant boasts that it is an upscale place to eat, drink, socialize, and be merry.  Inside, it has bar seating, booth seating and indoor and outdoor tables. This location in Marion even had a robot server, which can deliver food to a table and sing happy birthday. The Gazette published a story about the Barrel house’s newest member of its team, the robot, a few months back. It was brought on to fill staffing demand due to labor shortages.

BBQ Pulled Pork with Bacon

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://order.barrelhousepub.com/barrel-house-marion/menu

Participants: 5 (7 children)

Pizza Ordered:  3

Sizes Offered/Ordered: one size

Pieces Cut: Rectangular

 

1.    BBQ Pulled Pork with Bacon

2.    Double Cheese, Half Pepperoni

3.    Sausage, Black Olive, Mushroom, Green Onion

 

The Verdict

Sauce: Sauce sweet and flavorful. The red sauce was great on both the pep and the sausage pizzas. The BBQ sauce on the pulled pork was great as well.  Of the components of the pizza, the sauce stood out most to me.

Sausage, Black Olive, Mushroom, Green Onion

Cheese:  The extra cheese on the pepperoni was awesome.  I still felt they were a little light on the cheese though.

Crust: Average crust the leaned on the thicker side. 

Toppings: Tasty toppings, lots of flavor.

 

Final thoughts:  Because the place is a chain, and it didn’t have any gourmet pizza offerings, I had low hopes. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the pizza was.  The sauce was sweet and very tasty.  The BBQ pork flavor combinations was simply awesome, even some of our picky eaters (the kids) dug in!   

 

Double Cheese Half Pepperoni

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

Overall 7.25

Cheese 6.60

Topping 8.50

Sauce 7.50

Crust 7.50

Venue 7.25

Favorite: BBQ Pulled Pork with Bacon

Slices