Attempt #18 - Chrome Horse

The Venue

1202 3rd Street Southeast

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 365-1234

Inside the bar

This business was started by four local businessmen that shared a vision to create a motorcycle themed bar that everyone can enjoy in Cedar Rapids.  Known for their lively bands, and extensive grub, you’ll find more than the typical fried bar food at this joint.  The wall is decorated with antique motorcycles, and the bar itself is an ice bar, designed by Jimmy Stumpff.   The deal every week night is $10 for a two-topping medium 12” pizza.  Specialty pizzas are listed at full price.   Take a look at their pizza menu here, http://www.chromehorsesaloon.net/menu/NewPizza.html.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thin

Large 16" Route 66 Pizza

Large 16" BLT Pizza

Our group consisted of 7 participants; so we ordered two large specialty pizzas, and one two-topping medium pizza.  Each of these large pizzas cost roughly $19 a piece.  They come in small (8”), medium (12”), and large (16”). 

BLT Pizza – Combination of bacon, lettuce, tomato and shredded mozzarella cheese, topped with mayo (Large, $18.25).

Route 66 Pizza - Sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, crushed red pepper, jalapenos, onions, shredded Parmesan and cheddar hack cheeses (Large, $18.25).

Pepperoni and Black Olives Pizza - (Medium, $10.00).

The Verdict

The pizza was squared, with a restaurant feel.  The ingredients were excellent, and the cheese and sauce was well balanced.  The crust was incredibly thin…neither a firm cracker crust, but a bit more pliable.  That was our most disappointing feature.    The BLT was a unique favorite, and our group was tied between it and the Route 66 as the favorite pizza.  If you like spice, I highly recommend the Route 66, with its red pepper, jalapenos, and sausage – you can’t go wrong!  The BLT has a nice mild flavor with real mayo drizzled on top.  I liked how underneath the lettuce was a normal pizza with bacon baked into the cheese.  So if you are in the mood for a cool themed bar with some decent food head on over to the Chrome Horse.

Closeup of a Route 66 Slice

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall = 7.14
Cheese = 6.57
Toppings = 7.43
Sauce = 7.43
Crust = 5.71

Venue = 7.71

Medium 12" Pizza

Attempt #17 - Vito's on 42nd

The Venue

4100 River Ridge Dr NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 393-8727

A slice of the Grilled Chicken Pizza

This well established restaurant across from the Twin Pines golf course is well known for their Monday and Wednesday night half price pizza specials.  Every pie on the menu is half off.  In addition to pizza, they serve a number of pasta dishes along with fajitas and sandwiches.  If you are interested in knowing more, take a look at their dinner menu at:  http://www.vitoson42nd.com/menu.html.

The Neapolitan Pizza

The restaurant itself looks like a cool place to hang out.  It has a bar, with an upstairs loft with a few tables, a downstairs area underneath the loft, and the majority of the restaurant is on the main level.  Plenty of outdoor seating is available on the cement patio and on the deck, looking across the street to the golf course.  The restaurant has a “sports bar” feel to it with a touch of business class.  An interesting find indeed!

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average

Our group consisted of 11 participants; so we ordered five large pizzas.  Each of these pizzas cost roughly $23 a piece, and around $12 on Mondays/Wednesdays because of the half price special.  They came in two sizes, but we only ordered the larger of the two.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza - Spicy chicken, Vito's cheese blend, sliced celery, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, and caramelized onions with a spicy buffalo blue cheese sauce ($22.99).

Super Special Pizza - Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, black olives and green peppers ($23.99).

Neapolitan Pizza - Imported goat's cheese, marinated tomatoes, fresh spinach, olive oil, basil and fresh garlic ($22.99).

Grilled Chicken - Marinated chicken, mushrooms, red onions, red bell peppers and a blend of smoked Gouda and mozzarella cheese ($22.99).

Taco Pizza - Seasoned ground beef with Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese topped with lettuce, tomato, red onions, black olives and tortilla chips, served with salsa ($22.99).

The Verdict 

The pizza was cut into traditional slices with evenly distributed toppings.  I think the toppings were a bit sparse.  The crust was good.  It had a chewy component to it, yet it remained average thickness.  On the supreme (super special, as they call it), the toppings did not affect crust…it was not soggy.  The sauce non-existent on the grilled chicken pizza, and the amount of olive oil / cheese was noticeably lacking.  That was the least favorite.  The supreme and the taco were the two pizza’s that rated the best from our group.  If you like hand tossed pizza, after a game of golf, then this place should be on your list of places to try. 

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall = 6.85
Cheese = 6.30
Toppings = 7.30
Sauce = 3.19
Crust = 7.30

Venue = 7.90

Super Special Pizza

Taco Pizza

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Grilled Chicken Pizza