Re-Attempt #4 - Tomaso's Pizza World

The Venue

3234 Center Point Road NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 364-4313

Venue

Cedar Rapids based online community group Hoopla awarded Tomaso's the best pizza place over the last five year (2008 it received 2nd).  After trying their unique Detroit crust, it is easy to see why, since the caramelized cheese is a great finisher off each piece.  The staff consists of mainly high school/college kids, which in a sense is refreshing to see someone putting our kids to work these days.  The pizzas are prepare in an open kitchen, so you can see exactly what the preparers are doing when creating the pizza.  I noticed that after each pizza is cooked, the pizza gets taken out of the pan (or cast iron pan for the Detroit/Chicago style crusts), and then entered back into the oven for another 3-5 minutes.  This provides some durability to the crust which although it is crispy, it is also bready!   Some locations have been known to serve a more consistent pizza - Marion, and Center Point Road (in Cedar Rapids) are the ones which I would recommend.  The Hiawatha one is a bit spotty, although the restaurant is much nicer inside.  Each patron gets his/her own drink and plate/silverware, which is nice since you don't have to wait for a waitress.  Although you can find pizza specials from their mailing list, there is no nightly deal from my knowledge.  Their menu is posted online, you can find it here:  http://www.tomasospizzeria.com/#!locations/cfin.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  Yes

Crust Thickness:  Thin/Regular/Bready Thick

Out of the Oven!

Our group consisted of 4 participants; so we ordered 2 pizzas.  We ordered them in the large 16" size.  Overall, with tip it came up to about $11 per person, with few leftovers.  They offered seven specialty pizzas that vary in their toppings-but nothing too out of the ordinary (I'm not sure how Great Garden really tastes different from the Veggie Combo).  The pizzas that we ordered were basic, but favorites: 

Pepperoni - (Large, Detroit Deep Dish Crust (no lip, instead caramelized cheese on the edge) [16”], $21.24)

Italian Sausage - (Large, Chicago Style (Same as Detroit except with a lip) Crust [16”], $21.24)

The Verdict

This pizza was awesome, with the only drawback being the price and lack of delicious sauce.  I had to ask for a side of extra sauce, since I like my pizza a bit more saucy.  They serve the sauce on top of the pie, usually in a swirl fashion.  I sometimes wish they were more generous with the toppings, but being a single topping pizza, they hit it just right.  One of the best parts of Tomaso's is that the cheese blends in beautifully with the bready crust, making each bite a tasty treat.  The pieces were cut into triangular-shaped slices.  Although the participant size was small, the vibe was pretty positive on the pizza itself.  One participant even commented that this "pizza is still crispy when it's cold".  The Pepperoni-Detroit Crust was the winner with 3-1 votes.  If you are in the mood for a good pizza, try the Detroit Pepperoni!

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            9.25

Cheese            9.50

Sauce               8.75

Topping           9.63

Crust                9.75

Venue              6.50

Large (16"), Italian Sausage, Chicago Style Crust ($21.24)

Large (16"), Italian Sausage, Detroit Style Crust ($21.24)