Attempt #52 - Mesa's Pizza

Menu

The Venue

114 E. Washington St.

Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 351-6372

What to order?

Nested in Iowa City's pedestrian mall near the University of Iowa campus, Mesa's has a representation for serving unique and sometimes bizarre-but good, pizza. As you might expect from a college town, the inside of the joint is rather basic, with a long stretch of tables against on side of the wall. Customized monster-like artwork covers the inside all four walls, with the far back section is where you order by pointing at each pizza and asking “What's that?”. The prices were cheap, and it was awesome that they commonly serve by the slice. Their procedure involves reheating the pizza in the oven for a minute after you choose what you want, so its hot when you get it. The menu items are simple, pizza, pop, along with a little salad. You can check out their website menu at http://www.mesapizzaia.com/menu.html.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Our group consisted of six participants, so we ordered 14 pieces of pizza. Since they serve by the slice as well as by the pie, we capitalized on the wide variety that Mesa offered. The only have New York style of crust, but if you order a whole pizza, you can choose a size to meet your needs (12” Medium, 16” Large, and 20” Extra Large).

Cost $3.75 per slice

The Verdict

The best I can say about this pizza was the variety! It overwhelmed me. Half of the time I had no clue what I was eating since we shared each piece. I did not care for the re-heating each slice, as it made the crust thick like a shell and a little harder to chew. The toppings were interesting, but still good. The pizza size was great. I found the sauce to be lacking enough flavor on most of the pizzas. It seemed to be on the very light side. Each of the six participants voted for a different pizza as their favorite. Therefore, the winners were:

Southwest Steak and Guacamole

Kielbasa

Mac & Cheese

Spinach Feta Pesto

BBQ Steak

Bacon Garlic Mashed Potato

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 7.25

Cheese 7.67

Sauce 6.83

Topping 8.92

Crust 6.67

Venue 6.67

Favorite None-we tied with one vote for each

Attempt #51 - Lincoln Winebar

Menu

The Venue

125 1st St. W

Mt. Vernon, IA 52314

(319) 895-9463

Opened in 2007 the winebar was expanded in early 2012 to include a beautiful wood fired pizza oven from Naples, Italy. The expansion tripled the seating area and allowed for the addition of a small stage for live music. Owner Matt Steigerwald once ran the locally famous Lincoln Cafe, decided to sell the business to long-time employee Jesse Sauerbrei back on September 1^st, 2014. The venue has a very clean and trendy feel with a focus on three things: wine, pizza, and live music. As far as the pizza goes, these gusy are doing it right, with an authentic Italian brick oven roaring proudly behind their counter. The chief prepares the pies so everyone can see. Seating is limited, so if you have a party larger than four, its best of come early. You can check out their website at http://foodisimportant.com/.

Venue - Inside  (Oven), "Food is Important"

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Our group consisted of six participants, so we ordered four pizzas. They only serve them with one thin crust, and in one personal size that could feed 1-2 people. They have five pizzas that are always on the menu, with four specialty pizzas offered on the Tuesday that we participated.

Chicken, Sausage, and Chili Pepper - Nightly Special ($16).

Four Cheese – Nightly Special; Mozzarella, Feta, Buffalo Blu, and Parmesan Cheeses ($16).

Smoked Margherita – Smoked mozzarella, san marzano tomato, and fresh basil ($15).

Chicken, Sausage, and Chili Pepper Special, $16

Greens – Pistachio pesto, greens, and parmigiano reggiano ($16).

The Verdict

The pizza kept warm uncut, which allowed us to cut them as we saw fit. None of the pies was burnt which was a bonus considering their thin crust. The toppings were of very high quality, with unique and distinguished flavors bursting in each bite. Even over a glass of water, it will make you feel gourmet. They slices passed the bent test, meaning the crust was not soggy. The cheese on the smoked margherita could have used a little more. Overall, the delicious spice of the Chicken, Sausage, and Chili Pepper Special won me over, with the saltiness of the four cheese right behind it. Chicken, Sausage, and Chili Pepper Special ended up receiving the most votes (3). The only downside of this pizza is the price $15 is a lot for a personal pizza, but if you great pizza you have to pay for it. Personally, I enjoy the thick Chicago style pizza, but as far as thin crust goes, this may be the best I've ever had! If you are in the area, I would highly recommend to make the trip over to the winebar (Note: they are closed on Sunday and Mondays).

Four Cheese Special, $16

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 9.33

Cheese 9.33

Sauce 8.67

Topping 9.58

Crust 8.83

Venue 8.42

Favorite Chicken, Sausage, and Chili Pepper

Smoked Margherita, $15

Slices

Greens, $

Attempt #50 - Domino's Pizza

Pizza Snapshot Dominos

The Venue

1396 7^th Ave

Marion, IA 52302

(319) 377-0030

As I'm sure most of you are shock by reading this. Yup. Dominos. For our 50^th attempt, we ordered from Dominos. That was due to my mistake that the Lincoln Winebar is not open on Mondays. Because of this reason, that will occur sometime in July. Since it was last minute, we had it off site-meaning no Venue rating for this attempt.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Philly Cheese Steak, Large 14", Hand Tossed Crust, $17.99

Our group consisted of six participants, so we ordered 4 pizzas. Ours came in medium and large sizes, with the spread of hand tossed, thin, and pan crusts.

Philly Cheese Steak - Philly Steak, Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Onions, Shredded Provolone Cheese, American Cheese (Large, 14”, Hand Tossed crust, $17.99).

Fiery Hawaiian - Robust Inspired Tomato Sauce, Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Pineapple, Roasted Red Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Shredded Provolone Cheese, Shredded Parmesan, Hot Sauce (Medium, 12”, Thin crust, $9.99).

2x Classic Pepperoni - Sliced pepperoni, fresh marinara, basil, and a blend of cheeses ($9.95).

Pepperoni and Sausage - (Medium, 12”, Pan crust, $6.99).

Pepperoni and Red Pepper - (Medium, 12”, Hand Tossed crust, $5.95).

Fiery Hawaiian, Medium 12", Thin Crust, $9.99

The Verdict

The pizza kept warm on the ride home, and smelled great. Each pie was cut in triangle except for the thin crust Fiery Hawaiian-that was cut into small rectangles. The pizza itself wasn't the best; but it wasn't bad either. Over half of the group voted that the Philly Cheese Steak was their favorite...it had a good blend of meat and white cheese sauce which made an exceptionally delicious taste in your mouth after each bite. Personally, I enjoyed the Pan style pizza because it reminded me of Tomaso's Detroit crust except it didn't have very much caramelized cheese alongside the rim of the crust.

Pepperoni and Red Peppers, Medium 12", Hand Tossed Crust, $5.99

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 6.42

Cheese 6.67

Sauce 6.17

Topping 6.33

Crust 6.67

Venue N/A

Favorite Philly Cheese Steak

Pepperoni and Sausage, Medium 12", Pan Crust, $6.99

Attempt #49 - Granite City

Menu

The Venue

4755 1^st Ave. SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

(319) 395-7500

Most of you aren't surprised by Granite City, they are in most large cities across the country. With their consistent push as a micro brew, they serve up some tasty food as well-the London Broil being one of my personal favorites. The restaurant is divided into three main parts, the bar area, the large brewing vessels, and the main restaurant area. There are options for booths as well as tables holding up to 30 (call in advance). For many, the flat bread pizza is a typical thing to order for lunch or dinner, costing between $10-$12 and it just about right for one person. The corporate menu can be found here: http://www.gcfb.net/menu

The Pizza

Margherita, $10.95

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Our group consisted of seven participants, so we ordered 7 pizzas. They can come in one size (triangular-shaped) , with only one styles of crust (cracker thin).

Maple Pepper Bacon and Tomato - Maple pepper bacon, tomatoes, basil, and a blend of cheeses on a garlic aioli brushed crust ($11.95).

BBQ Chicken - BBQ chicken with cilantro, red onions, and a blend of cheeses ($10.95).

2x Classic Pepperoni - Sliced pepperoni, fresh marinara, basil, and a blend of cheeses ($9.95).

Margherita - Sliced tomatoes, fresh marinara and a blend of cheeses. Topped with balsamic glaze, and fresh basil ($10.95).

Buffalo Chicken - Buffalo-tossed chicken, cheese, celery and scallions. Drizzled with bleu cheese dressing ($11.95).

Prosciutto Olive, $11.95

Prosciutto Olive - Prosciutto ham, green olives, a blend of cheeses and fresh basil on a garlic aioli brushed crust ($11.95).

The Verdict

The pizzas came out on individual trays with rectangle cut pieces. The cracker thin was a favorite of some in our group, it maintained a snap. Each of the pizzas had a nice sharp cracker crust. The toppings were consequently light (not allowing the crust to be soggy). The Margherita tasted very much like a veggie pizza, rather than a cheese pizza. The favorite was the BBQ Chicken, with a tastey BBQ blended sauce, giving it orange in color. A close second was the buffalo chicken with a creamy white sauce with bleu cheese. Honestly, I wouldn't come here for just the pizza, I would come for the beer,pizza, and to socialize in an after-work classy kind of manner.

Buffalo Chicken, $11.95

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 7.71

Cheese 7.29

Sauce 7.00

Topping 7.71

Crust 7.71

Venue 8.00

Favorite Buffalo Chicken

BBQ Chicken, $10.95

Maple Pepper Bacon and Tomato, $11.95

Classic Pepperoni, $9.95

Attempt #48 - Mellow Mushroom

Venue Inside

The Venue

1451 Coral Ridge Mall #700.

Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 625-2031

Mellow Mushroom is located in the Coralridge Mall where Bennigans used to be located. It is a Pizza chain based in the South (Atlanta, Georgia) and I believe this is the first location in Iowa. It opened up earlier this year.  The restaurant is groovy, with a large silver cow rotating around the center pole, lots of legacy video game references posted on the wall. You get a funky/stoner feeling being in there. It's as if the guys from the movie Grandma's Boy made a pizza place. That's what this place would be. There is plenty of room in the restaurant, with lots of table and large booth setting. There corporate menu can be found here:  http://mellowmushroom.com/corpmenu

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average

Our group consisted of five participants, so we ordered three pizzas. They can come in three sizes (10" = Small, 14" Medium, 16" Large), with only one styles of crust.
Mighty Meat - Red sauce base with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham and Applewood smoked bacon (14" Medium, $19.99).

Funky Q Chicken - BBQ Chicken, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, caramelized onions, and Applewood smoked bacon. Finished with a BBQ sauce swirl (10" Small, $12.99).

Philosopher's Pie - Pesto Olive oil and garlic base, all natural grilled steak, Portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, Provolone, feta and mozzarella cheeses (10" Small, $13.99).

Mighty Meaty, Medium 14", $19.99

Funky Q Chicken, Small 10", $12.99

The Verdict

The pizza came out in circular-shaped pizzas with rectangle pieces for the smalls and triangular pieces for the Mighty Meaty Medium pizza. The crust racked up a 9.9, one of our highest. It was not soggy, nor cracker thin.  It was baked at a good consistency from the center to the edges. The pizzas themselves were not greasy, which was a big plus. Compared to our last attempt at Old Chicago, most of us preferred this place since it wasn't a bready. After eating the pizza, you didn't feel sick from the bread and grease like some did from Old Chicago. It was very well balanced. The sauce was a little disappointing since it was on the light side, however that is probably what made the crust so good (since it couldn't get soggy). The votes were split between the Mighty Meaty and the Philosopher's Pie as the favorite (I oddly voted for the Funky Q Chicken). If you are around the Coralville Mall sometime, you should totally check this new (chain) out.

Philosopher's Pie, Small 10", $13.99

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

Cheese            8.10

Sauce               7.40

Topping           8.70

Crust                9.90

Venue              8.20

 

Attempt #47 - Old Chicago

Venue Outside

The Venue

77  2nd St.

Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 248-1220

Old Chicago has been around in various cities across the country for many years. Growing up in Rockford IL., I recall many times meeting up with old friends from High School there once it opened up around 2002. The Coralville, Iowa location isn't much different from the Rockford IL. location. The same decor, the same basic menu of foods loaded with calories and almost too many beers to count. I don't recall seeing a pool table at the Coralville location one (although we didn't go into the bar area, just walked by quickly). The location is actually quite a bit larger though, with additional rooms being added on to support a larger dinner/game crowd. The wait staff was very helpful and friendly - a good sign for being in a busy college town. The pizza didn't take too long to cook either. One cool thing about Old Chicago is that you can literally Google their menu straight from your web browser (no pesky .PDF file to scan through): Menu

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  Yes

Crust Thickness:  Thick and Thin (Average) 

Our group consisted of 5 participants, so we ordered three pizzas. They can come in three sizes (8" = Small, 12" Medium, 14" Large), with two styles of crust, Chicago Thick and Taven Thin (it is more like an average thickness).

Meat Me  - Loaded with Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, andouille sausage, pepperoni, green olive garnish, and fresh basil (14" Large, Chicago Thick, $24.95).

Pepperoni - Pepperoni (12" Medium, Chicago Thick, $16.05).

Pepperoni, Medium, 12", Chicago Thick Crust, $16.05

Royal Margherita - Pesto sauce, tomato bruschetta, roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella and basil olive oil. Finished with fresh basil (14" Large, Tavern Thin, $20.95).

Meat Me, Large 14", Chicago Thick Crust, $23.50

The Verdict

The pizza came out in circular-shaped pizzas with rectangle pieces for the Margretta and triangular pieces for the Meat and Pepperoni pizzas. The sauce was light on the pizza-it was good, but the pizza seemed to be a little dry and greasy.  The crust wasn't soggy, but instead was a firm bready texture.  Nor was it burn or over done.  The cheese was spread across the pizza well, without any saggy parts. The toppings were what you would expect for a $20 pizza from a chain-good but not plentiful. The Royal Margherita tasted much like bruschetta instead of pizza, so be warned, if you don't care for Basil, I would suggest skipping it altogether. For me the flavor of the sausage didn't seem quite right on the Meat Me (it tasted a bit sweat), so I opted to go with the Pepperoni. The flavor of the Pepperoni and cheese seemed to be much more complementary. Old Chicago serves up good average pizza. Overall the Pepperoni won the votes as the favorite in our participant pool. Currently, our average is a 7.75 so Old Chicago is clearly on the top half of our list for places to try.  A weeknight may be best as it can get quite busy on the weekend, especially  if a Iowa game is going on in town.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.90

Royal Margherita, Large 14", Taven Thin Crust, $20.95

Cheese            8.40

Sauce               7.40

Topping           8.60

Crust                8.40

Venue              8.50

Attempt #46 - Emil's Hideaway

Outside from a side street view

The Venue

222 Glenbrook Dr. SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

(319) 743-3123

Emil's Hideaway is tucked away off of 1st Ave. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Personally, I have lived here eight years and never knew the building existed (although it wasn't always Emil's during that timeframe). It is behind the Taco Johns, and an apartment building so parking is a mess. The original entrance of the building is now the kitchen's back door in the front of the restaurant, and the side door is the main entrance. It gives you the 'hideaway' feeling somewhat like a mobster. The inside of the restaurant/bar is very classy with red walls, high top tables, salt water fish in a large tank, and several rows of tables for the restaurant section. The bar area has a pool table, and several spots for seating, with high dollar liqueur on display for the patrons. You can check out their pizza section of the menu on-line at this location:  http://www.emilshideaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2014-02-11-at-3.44.06-PM.png

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thin

Our group consisted of a mere five participants, so we ordered four (12") pizzas (their only size).

Shrimp Rangoon - Shrimp, green onion, yellow onion, fried wonton bits, sweet Asian sauce with a seasoned cream cheese base (12", $13.95).

Cheesesteak -Ribeye, onions, peppers, cheese sauce (12", $13.95).

Thai Chicken - Chicken, onion, green pepper, carrot, Sirracha, fresh pineapple, peanuts, cilantro, peanut sauce (12", $12.95).

Combo - Pepperoni, Italian sausage, onion, black olives, green pepper, mushrooms, pizza sauce (12", $12.95).

 

Cheesesteak, 12", $13.95

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces.

The toppings were well spread out. 

The crust was firm, and crisp not soggy (except for the Combo in the middle). One participant noted "Perfect thickness of crust with a great toast like crunch.

The Shrimp Rangoon was the favorite, scoring 2 out of five votes. The uniqueness of that pizza set it apart, plus the shrimp and wonton/cream cheese base was awesome! Personally, I found myself fond of the yummy cheesesteak due to its overloading sensation of cheese, ribeye, and onions. 

If you are in the mood for a hunt to find a good pizza place you'll want to try out Emil's.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            9.10

Combo, 12", $12.95

Cheese            8.80

Sauce               8.80

Topping           9.20

Crust                9.00

Venue              9.40

Slices-Combo, Shrimp Rangoon, Thai Chicken

Shrimp Rangoon, 12", $13.95

Thai Chicken, 12", $12.95