Attempt #127 - Checkers Tavern (Cedar Rapids, IA)

 

The Venue 

3120 6th St SW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
(319) 364-9927

Oven

 

Checkers is a popular tavern that caters to the Hawkeye Downs racing community on the south west side of Cedar Rapids.  It has been in the same location for over 30 years.  Loyal customers keeps this establishment going, they have Karaoke, Trivia, and other events to keep the fun rolling.  

Menu

They have plenty of table seating, as well as bar seating.  Hawkeye games usually have some sort of Beer special.  The brew is affordable, with only $3 for a PBR, $2 for a pop.  The pizza oven was hauled from Georgia, and is in frequent use. 

 

Jeff D'Cooks Coronary Concoction, 12 Inch, $17.71

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158712425164663&set=p.10158712425164663

Participants: 9 (8 children)

Da Bomb, 12 Inch, $18.53

Pizza Ordered:  7

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 12’ Small Only

Pieces Cut: Normally Triangular, but in our case, they did squares

 

Jeff D’Cooks Coronary Concoction – Pepperoni, Sausage, Italian Sausage, Beef, Ham, and more cheese, $17.71

Premier – Pepperoni, Pepperoni, Pepperoni, and Cheese, Cheese, Cheese, $15.51

Chili Dog, 12 Inch, $16.25

Cheese – Cheese, $9.97

Bacon Cheeseburger – Beed, Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Pickle Slices, $15.51

Da Bomb – Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Italian Sausage, Beef, Ham, Green Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Black Olives, Diced Jalapenos, $18.53

Chili Dog – Checkers Chili, ½ Lb Hot Dog, Cheddar Cheese, & Onions, $16.25

Bad Andy – Canadian Bacon, Half Pineapple, Other Half Sauerkraut, $15.76

 

Cheese, 12 Inch, $9.97

 

Verdict

Sauce: Made from scratch by the kitchen staff daily, the sauce is the thing they are most proud of, I’d say.

Cheese: The cheese was average, nothing amazing, but nothing short of expectations.

Crust: The crust was a typical tavern – thin style.  Not my personal favorite, but I get it.  If there was something to build upon, I’d love to see them do a thick crust.

Toppings: The spicy Italian sausage was perfect, not the mild hearted!  Overall, for a bar, I was very impressed by the ingredients.

Bad Andy, 12 Inch, $15.76

 

Final thoughts:  Da Bomb was the crowd favorite, delivering a tasty spicy ending to our 7 pizza attempt!  It is their best seller, behind the

 

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

Overall 7.33

Cheese 7.33

Topping 8.33

Sauce 7.17

Bacon Cheeseburger, 12 Inch, $15.51

Crust 7.33

Venue 8.00

Favorite: Da Bomb!

Premier, 12 Inch, $15.51

Attempt #126 - Frank's Pizza [Silvis, IL]

Venue Outside

 The Venue 

711 1st Ave

Silvis, IL 61282
(309) 755-0625

 

Frank's Pizza opened in 1955 and has been serving up pizzas to many satisfied customers.  The restaurant serves Quad Cities style pizza (similar to that of Harris Pizza).  This type of pizza is served in long strips, with generous cheese, and toppings.  The crust should be crisp yet chewy.  The restaurant had a bar, several tables from the 50’s, and cinderblock walls.  Kid friendly, pay at the bar.

 

Venue Inside

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMngCKACfYsAKaJA-mTMXd3PRnAEtlODmQKv3HK=s680-w680-h510-rw

Participants: 3 (1 children)

Pizza Ordered:  1

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 12’ Small, 16’ Large / Ordered the 16’ Pepperoni.

Pieces Cut: Strips

 

Large Pepperoni

 

 

Verdict

Sauce: The sauce had a strong tomato taste that was a bit overwhelming. For those who like tomato, it’s a dream come true.

Cheese: Lots of cheese made this pie greasy, but delicious.

Crust: The crust was amazing.  Light, yet tasty.  Crispy, yet chewy.  This one really grew on me.

Toppings: Lots of pepperoni under the cheese.  Very tasty! 

 

Final thoughts:  For those who like QC pizza, and need a place to dine in, go to Frank’s!  In the future, I’d love to see how this compares to Harris.   

More Slices

Slice

 

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

Overall 8.33

Cheese 7.00

Topping 7.33

Sauce 6.67

Crust 9.00

Venue 8.00

Favorite: Pepperoni

Attempt #125 - Big Wheel Pizza [Coggon, IA]

 

The Venue 

Catering Service
Coggon, IA 52218
(319) 551-8718

 

Big Wheel Pizza is the only exclusive pizza catering service around the corridor.  Whatever party you are throwing they would be glad to serve.  Pizzas include unique massive sizes of 2-foot, 3-foot, and even 4-foot pies!  During the pandemic, their business soared with outdoor events were deemed permissible.  From servicing Ragbrai, to providing free pizza to those in nursing homes during the 2018 Derecho, they have grown year over year.  

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=888495239950561&set=p.888495239950561  

Participants: 21 (9 children)

Pizza Ordered:  1

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 2’ (Feeds up to 20), 3’ (Feeds 30-40), 4’ (Feeds 50-60). Ordered the 2’.

Pieces Cut: Rectangular

 

 

 

Verdict

Sauce: The sauce was fairly light on all the pieces.  I would prefer more sauce on some areas.  The ranch dressing was great (hidden valley).

Cheese: The cheese was on thick and heavy which was great.  The downside was that once it got cold, it hardened and was a bit rubbery.

Crust: The crust had a homemade texture to it, which one can easily smell the bread yeast upon cooking it up.  It held up, and was cooked consistently well.  It did past the bend test despite it being 24”, which is quite a feat! 

Toppings: The toppings were placed consistently.  Nothing too outstanding with most of them…prepared well in advance. 

 

Final thoughts:  The crew was outstanding, and provided prompt, fresh pizza!  The Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza was the far winner, with its unique blend of flavors, and delicious ranch dressing.  The Pig out was overly salty due to all of the pork.    Overall, if you have a big party, I would recommend them for their value and prompt timing.  As one participant stated, “its good pizza, but not great pizza”.

 

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

Overall 6.70

Cheese 6.00

Topping 7.30

Sauce 7.20

Crust 7.40

Venue N/A

Favorite: Chicken Bacon Ranch

Attempt #124 - Scout's Honor [Iowa City, IA]

Menu

 

The Venue 

219 Iowa Ave,
Iowa City, IA 52240
(319) 259-7455

 

Established in the heart of downtown Iowa City, this restaurant/bar offers pizza among other dine-in foods to enjoy while watching the game.  They have booth, table, and bar seating, as well as a dance floor.

 

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin/Average

Greek Life 14 Inch $22

Menu:  https://www.scoutshonoriowacity.com/order#menu?location=scouts-honor

Participants: 9 (6 children)

Pizza Ordered:  8

Sizes Offered/Ordered: L (14”), S (10”)

Pieces Cut: Triangular

 

1.    Peperoni (Large, $19).

2.    Peperoni (Small, $14).

3.    The Combine –

Pepperoni 14 Inch $19

White sauce, Canadian bacon, bacon, sweet corn, mozzarella, hot honey. (Large, Detroit, $22). (Ordered twice)!

4.    Greek Life – Tzatziki, grilled chicken, tomato, cucumber, onion, mozzarella. (Large, Chicago, $22).

5.    The Kenny - Red sauce, Italian sausage, onion, roasted garlic, mozzarella. (Large, $22).

6.    Taco - Seasoned ground beef, refried bean and queso base, mozzarella, onion, lettuce, tomato, taco chips, sour cream, taco sauce. (Large, $22).

7.    Scout’s Staple – Red sauce, Italian sausage, pepperoni, onion, green pepper. (Large, $22).

 

 

Verdict

Scout's Staple 14 Inch $22

Sauce: The red sauce was decent, but nothing outstanding.  On the Combine, it might have been the best white sauced pizza that I’ve ever had.

Cheese: A little light on the cheese, paired with a lot of the other places.

Crust: The crust was floppy and a bit thin per my tastes. 

Toppings: The toppings were burnt on some of the pizzas, however, they are plentiful.    

 

Final thoughts:  The place has a great bar atmosphere, paired with a college town, makes for a great time watching the game.  The pizza isn’t very filling to plan on eating quite a few slices before heading home.  I loved the Combine, its unique taste complement made it a distinct winner for this attempt.  The Bacon/Ham paired with honey, make it just worth a try. 

Taco 14 Inch, $24

 

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

Overall 7.75

Cheese 7.63

Topping 8.00

Sauce 8.00

Crust 6.75

Venue 7.50

Favorite: The Combine

The Combine 14 Inch $22

The Kenny, 14 Inch $22

Venue Inside

Venue Outside

Updating Ratings - Leaderboard

Restaurant	Overall	Cheese	Toppings	Sauce	Crust	Venue
Ruby's Pizzeria	9.5	9.75	9.5	9.38	9.5	9.88
Lincoln Winebar	9.33	9.33	9.58	8.67	8.83	8.42
Tomaso's Pizza World (Center Point Rd Cedar Rapids)	9.25	9.5	9.63	8.75	9.75	6.5
Tomaso's Pizza World (Marion, Iowa)	9.17	9.67	9	8.33	9.33	0
Emil's Hideaway	9.1	8.8	9.2	8.8	9	9.4
Kalona Brewing Company	9	9.2	9.8	9	8.2	9
Chad's [Cedar Falls, IA]	9	8.75	9.5	7.25	9.5	7.5
Basta Pizzeria Ristorante	8.94	8.63	9	8.25	8.25	9
Bushwood Sports Bar & Grill	8.86	9.5	8.5	9.36	9	4.29
A & A Pagliai's Pizza	8.86	7.86	8.57	8.14	8.71	9.29
Bop's Pizza	8.83	9.22	9.06	8.22	9.06	7.11
Red Vespa Pizzeria	8.8	8.2	9.6	8	6.6	9.2
Tomaso's Pizza (1st Ave, Cedar Rapids, IA)	8.75	8.88	8.25	8	8.25	8.88
Sykora Bakery	8.73	8.91	8.91	8.09	9.09	9.55
Fong's Pizza	8.68	8	9.18	8	6.91	7.73
Pizza World	8.67	8.53	9.4	8.13	8.87	9.13
Pearl Street Pizzeria & Pub (10462 Olio Rd Fishers, IN 46040)	8.67	8.67	9.33	9	9.67	8.67
Red's Alehouse	8.57	8.57	9.14	7.71	7.29	8.14
Zoey's Pizzeria	8.5	10	8	9	4	0
Zaydo's Pizza	8.5	9.17	8.5	7.5	8.92	9.33
Vineria Wine Shop	8.5	9.63	9	8.63	8.38	9.13
Mirabito's Italian Restaurant	8.5	7.79	9.79	8	8.71	8.86
Mellow Mushroom	8.5	8.1	8.7	7.4	9.9	8.2
Bo Mac's	8.5	8.44	8.89	7.33	7.89	8
Stone Wall Brick Oven Pizza	8.45	7.36	8.27	7.36	8.18	9.45
Bulicek's Deli & Brew	8.44	7.78	8.44	7.56	8.67	7.33
Marquee Pizzeria	8.44	8.57	9.14	8	7.86	9.71
Chicago Pizza Tours	8.44	8.75	9.25	8.38	6.63	8.75
Baroncini Ristorante Italiano (Iowa City, IA)	8.43	8	8.57	7.14	7.86	8.86
Zio Johno's Spaghetti House	8.32	7.86	9.18	7.73	8.5	8.82
Forbidden Planet: Pizzeria & Video Arcade	8.31	8.5	8.38	7.63	7.25	8.25
Urban Pie	8.31	7.55	8.36	7.45	8.73	8.64
Za's Pizza	8.3	8.5	8.8	7.8	8.4	8.9
P.H.A.T. Daddy's	8.3	8.3	8.8	7.4	7.4	9.3
Happy Joe's	8.3	7	9.2	6	8.2	6.4
Roscoe's Pizza	8.28	7.33	8.11	7.56	9.56	7.22
The Quarter Barrel	8.25	6.92	8.29	7	7.79	9.17
Dublin City	8.25	9.3	8.9	7.3	7.2	8.8
Monica's	8.21	8.57	8.43	8.29	8.29	8.71
The Airliner	8.17	8.92	8.83	8.67	8.17	5.5
The Pines Pizza and Pub	8.14	8.86	8.71	7.86	7.71	8.86
Cranky Hank's	8.14	8.29	7.71	6.71	8.86	9
Casey's (7th Ave)	8.11	8.11	8	7.78	7.89	0
Lucky Penny	8.1	7.7	8.25	7.3	7.75	9
Zeppelin's Pizzeria	8.08	7.67	8	8.33	6.17	8.33
Aroma Artison Pizza	8.08	8.08	8.58	7.67	8.42	0
Brickside Cafe’	8.06	7.89	6.56	6.67	9	7.83
Backpocket Brewery	8.06	7.44	8.44	6.33	8.56	8.78
The Mill	8	8.43	7.29	7.29	6.86	8.86
Rusciano's Authentic Taste of Napoli	8	9.13	8.5	8.25	6.25	8.06
Riley's Café	8	8.2	8.6	6.2	7	0
Pizza Plus [North Liberty, IA]	8	7.38	7.75	7.75	7.88	6
Parlor City Pub and Eatery	8	7.67	9.33	6.44	8.56	8.44
Papa Murphy's (7th Ave., Marion, Iowa)	8	8.25	6.5	8.25	7.75	0
Paul Revere's Pizza	7.96	7.43	8.25	8	8.57	0
Old Chicago	7.9	8.4	8.6	7.4	8.4	8.5
Cappy's Pizzeria	7.88	7.5	7.25	8.75	8.75	8.38
Via Sofia's Italian Kitchen	7.81	8	7.88	7.75	7.25	8.75
Barbeaux	7.8	8.2	8	8.2	6	7.1
Pizza U Design	7.79	6.57	8.29	6.29	7.29	8.57
The Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company	7.78	7.83	7.92	7.33	8.33	7.67
Need Pizza	7.75	7.63	7.38	7.38	7.63	8.44
Michello's Pizzeria	7.75	7.58	9	6.25	5.5	0
Gino's East (Dubuque, IA)	7.75	7.5	8.75	7.75	7.5	9
Geyer's Oven	7.75	7.75	7	6.75	7.25	9.5
Bob's Your Uncle	7.75	8.75	9.25	7	7.75	8
Wig And Pen	7.73	8.91	7.45	7.27	8.09	8.36
Pizza Ranch (Marion, IA)	7.71	7.71	7.29	7.57	7.57	8.43
Granite City	7.71	7.29	7.71	7	7.71	8
Cedar Ridge	7.71	7.29	7.71	7.71	6.57	8.86
Beta's	7.71	7.86	8.14	5.14	8	8.29
Marco's Pizza	7.67	7.33	8.33	7.22	8	0
Hospoda	7.6	9	8.2	7.8	7.4	8.8
Papa Juan's Stefanos	7.56	8	8.11	7.22	6	8.67
Your Pie (Marion, IA)	7.5	6.8	8.5	6.6	6.9	7.55
Syndicate	7.5	6.33	7.83	7.17	8	9
Sip 'N Stir	7.5	6.44	7.67	6.56	7.33	6.78
Big Grove Brewery (Solan, IA)	7.5	7.88	7.88	6.75	6	8.81
Sam's Pizza	7.46	9.08	7.33	6.67	7.92	3.67
Maddi B's [Shueyville, IA]	7.43	7.43	8	7.43	8.14	9
Sweet Basil's Pizza Pie	7.42	8.5	8.17	7	7	0
Vesta	7.4	7.6	7.8	7.2	8	8.8
Blaze Pizza	7.33	8	8.17	7.67	6.67	8
The Pizza Place	7.3	8.2	8.2	6	5.6	7.6
The Wedge – Riverside Dr	7.29	7.07	8	6.5	6.79	0
Mesa's Pizza	7.25	7.67	8.92	6.83	6.67	6.67
Cibo Fusion	7.25	7	8.13	6.75	6.69	8.75
Barrel House	7.25	6.5	8.5	7.5	7.25	8.25
Algers Pizza Palace	7.25	7.25	7.5	6.25	7.75	10
General Store Pub	7.21	6	7.57	6.57	6.57	8.86
Red's Public House	7.2	7.8	7.6	7.2	4.6	7.2
Aroma (New Bo)	7.2	6.8	8	7.4	8.4	6.6
Union Station	7.17	7.67	7.83	7.67	7.17	5.5
Chrome Horse	7.14	6.57	7.43	7.43	5.71	7.71
Jersey's (Downtown)	7.05	6.7	7.7	6	5.4	9
Herb ‘N Lou’s [West Branch, IA]	7	7.8	8	7.2	7.4	7
Miguel's	6.93	7.17	7.5	6.67	6.17	6.17
Godfather's Pizza	6.93	6.71	7.71	7.14	6	7.86
The Longbranch	6.92	6.67	7	6.5	6.58	7
Papa Murphy's (Boyson Road, Cedar Rapids)	6.88	6.75	6.63	6.63	7.63	0
Marcus Theatre Cedar Rapids Cinema Zaffiro's Express	6.88	6.63	7.25	7.38	6.88	6.88
Vito's on 42nd	6.85	6.3	7.3	3.1	7.3	7.9
Bobbers Grill	6.83	7.83	6.33	6.5	5.17	9
Xavier's Cocktail Lounge	6.78	7.21	6.75	7.1	5.8	0
Maggie's Farm, Wood-Fired Pizza	6.75	6.5	7.38	6.13	6.13	4.88
Leonardo's Pizza	6.71	6.14	7.29	6.14	4.43	0
Costco	6.5	7.5	6	7.25	6.75	4.75
Domino's	6.42	5.67	6.33	6.17	6.67	0
Sam's Pizza (Iowa City)	6.4	6	6.8	7.8	5.8	6.8
Planet X	6.33	6.78	5.44	6.44	7	7.89
Little Ceasar's (124 Collins Rd NE Cedar Rapids, IA)	6.18	6.55	6.18	6.82	6.91	0
The Flamingo	6.08	6.5	6.17	7.33	6.17	9.33
Montana's Family Restaurant (Central City, IA)	6.06	6.25	6.75	5.63	5.63	5.88
Spare Time	5.86	4.71	7	3.86	6.29	9.14
Red Robin [Cedar Rapids, IA]	5.8	5.2	5.6	4.2	6	6.4
Pizza Hut (7th Ave Marion)	5.73	4.91	5.73	6.27	6.36	0
Market Grille (Kids Pizza)	5.6	8	6.4	6	6	7.6
Leo's Pizzeria Pastaria	5.6	7.8	5.6	6	6.4	0
Sam's Club (Blairs Ferry Road, Cedar Rapids, IA)	5.5	5.5	5.83	4.5	3.67	5.67
Hunt Brothers Pizza	5.44	5.67	5.89	5.11	6.33	0
Hy-Vee (Edgewood Road, Cedar Rapids)	5.2	4.8	5.6	4.4	1.8	0
Falbo Bros. Pizzeria – S. Gilbert St.	5	5.13	4.5	4.13	3.25	0