Attempt #44 - Za's Pizza

Menu

The Venue

1944 42nd Street NE STE B

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 200-4566

Za's Pizza is a new arrival to the Cedar Rapids pizza scene. Located off of 42nd Street, this locally owned restaurant serves up New York Thin and Detroit style crust in small, medium, and large pizza pies. They also serve beer as well as the standard soft drinks.  They had two tables and around 10 booths for seating with beer available. The restaurant was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Currently, they do not offer weekday or weekend specials. You can check out their menu on-line at this location:  http://www.zaspizzacr.com/menu.html.

The Pizza

Meatza Slice

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average with Caramelized Cheese around the rim (Detroit), Average, and Thin

Our group consisted of 10 participants, so we ordered two large (14") pizzas and two medium (12") pizzas.

Meatza - Pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, ham, bacon pieces, salami (Large 14", Detroit crust, $24.99).

Taco - House refried bean sauce, beef, lettuce, tomato, nacho chips. (Large 14", NY Thin crust, $22.99).

BLT - Ham, bacon, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato (Medium 12", Detroit crust, $20.99).

Meatza, Large 14", Detroit Crust, $24.99

Potato and Bacon - Homemade mashed potatoes with bacon and cheddar.  We made it a loaded potato with onions, black olives and a side of sour cream (Medium 12", NY Thin crust, $18.99).

 

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces. The toppings were a little on the light side (Potato and Bacon) on some and on the heavy side on others (lettuce on the BLT); however, these ingredients consisted of high quality.  The crust was firm, not soggy which is a plus.  Za's used real bacon stripes that looked and tasted extraordinary this wasn't the pre-prepared strips or bits that you might expect.  The BLT was the crowd favorite, scoring 50% of the vote.  The use of real mayonnaise and real bacon propelled this to #1 for our group.   Personally, I enjoyed the Meatza with all the fresh flavors of meats on my pizza. Either way, the Detroit crust won the votes!  So, if you are in the north east side of Cedar Rapids, I would recommend checking this joint out.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            8.30

Cheese            8.50

Sauce              7.80

Potato and Bacon, Medium 12",
NY Thin Crust, $18.99

Topping          8.80

Crust               8.40

Venue             8.90

BLT, Medium 12, Detroit Crust, $20.99

Taco, Large 14, NY Thin Crust, $22.99

Attempt #43 - Marco's Pizza

Venue Outside

The Venue

6905 C. Ave NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 294-8899

According to Wikipedia, Marco's Pizza is operated by Marco's Franchising, LLC.  It is a restaurant chain and interstate franchise based in Toledo, Ohio that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. The first store is in Oregon, Ohio at Starr Avenue and Wheeling Street. It was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco in 1978. Currently, it is rated one of the top 25 pizza chains, and is noted for fast growth in 2013.  The venue has only carry out with no available dining seating. This (and numerous Marco's) establishments partnered with Family Video to create a one-stop-shop for a date night.  When visiting the website you can scope out some major deals, on Monday's the pizzas are 50% off with the coupon code "Monday50"!  You can check out their menu and order on-line at this location:  https://www.marcosorder.com/Menu/Pizzas?_=1415677707061.

Pizza Sizes

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thick, Average, and Thin

Our group consisted of 9 participants, so we ordered three large (14") pizzas and two medium (12") pizzas.

Meat Supremo - Cheese, Classic pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, bacon & sprinkling of extra cheese (Medium 12", Thick crust, $13.99).

Deluxe Uno - Cheese, Classic pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions & sprinkling of extra cheese (Medium 12", Thick crust, $13.99).

Deluxe Uno, Medium 12", Thick Crust, $13.99

Pepperoni Magnifico - Pepperoni Old World (Large 14", Thin crust, $12.99).

Chicken Fresco - 4 types of cheese including cheddar, grilled chicken, bacon, onions, sliced tomatoes (Large 14", Classic crust, $16.99).

White Cheezy - Award Winning - 4 types of cheese including feta, bacon, onions, sliced tomatoes, garlic butter sauce (Large 14" Classic crust, $16.99).

 

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces, except  for the pepperoni magnifico (thin crust?) for some strange reason-it used rectangular pieces.  Several people mentioned that overall, they were surprised by this pizza...it was actually pretty good.  As far as chains go, it was certainly better than Papa Johns or Pizza Hut.  One common complaint is that it was excessively greasy.  Upon arriving, the staff was helpful, theypresented each pizza to me, to ensure it met my expectations, and then asked if I wanted additional dipping sauces for the crust and if I wanted butter/cheese placed on the rims of my pizza crusts.  They even helped open my car door when picking up the stack of pizzas.  As far as favorites go, the Deluxe Uno and the Meat were the clear favorites amongst the participants each scoring 3 votes.  The pizza passed the 'lift test' on the slice of Meat Supremo and the toppings did not slide off although the crust did slightly sag down a tiny bit.  I got the sense from the leftovers that the Chicken Fresco and the White Cheezy were not popular choices.  The thick crusted pizzas were hearty and maybe slightly undercooked, giving it a little more doughy texture.  The Thin on the other hand was overcooked, and a little dried out.  The Classic pizzas were cooked about right.  My guess is that they all went into the oven at the same time, which explains the variation.  Overall, this pizza joint surely replaces some of the more popular chains in my book.  Not bad for picking up a pizza after work.  This is especially cheap on Mondays too!

Meat Supremo, Medium 12", Thick Crust, $13.99

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.67

Cheese            7.33

Sauce               7.22

Topping           8.33

Crust                8.00

Venue              0.00 (N/A)

Chicken Fresco, Large 14", Classic Crust, $16.99

White Cheezy, Large 14", Classic Crust, $16.99

Pepperoni Magnifico, Large 14," Thin Crust, $12.99

Attempt #42 - Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company

Menu Board

The Venue

129 Main Street

Ames, IA 50020-6388

(515) 232-426337

Since 1979 the Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company has been baking pies for Ames, Iowa.  Iowa State college students often remark about trying their pizza, and we happened to be in the area to give them a try.  The restaurant itself seemed a little cramped, with a small upstairs, bathrooms downstairs which felt like an old basement due to the limestone walls.  The prices were a little high compared with Cedar Rapids, but that is expected in a college tow-pizza is quite popular.  The thing that stood out to me was the varieties of dough!  You can have the same pizza prepared over 6 different ways dough types for thin and 3 for thick).  You can check out their menu here:  http://www.greatplainspizza.com/menu.html.

The Prairie Special, Large 14",
New Orleans Style Crust, $20.55

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thick, Average, and Thin

Types of dough:

1.     Denver Style - Rolled-edge whole wheat crust

2.     Sam's Recipe - Classic thin, white crust

3.     New Orleans Style - Thick, white crust

4.     Oat Style - Rolled-edge oat flour crust

5.     Thin Denver - Whole wheat twin to Sam's

6.     Idaho Style - Thin, Softer texture potato flour crust

Our group consisted of 6 participants, so we ordered three large (14") pizzas; two one topping and two specialty. 

The Prairie Special - Pick a crust style and we'll top it with sliced pepperoni, our own special pork sausage, fresh diced onions, and fresh diced green peppers (large 14", New Orleans style crust, $20.55)

The Buffalo, Large 14",
Thin Denver crust, $22.20

The Buffalo - We load sliced pepperoni, our own special pork sausage, fresh diced onions, fresh diced green peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms and sliced ripe olives on your choice of crust. (large 14", Thin Denver crust, $22.20)

Meat - Cheese, sausage, pepperoni, bacon bits, Canadian bacon (large 14" Thick Oat crust, $22.20)

 

The Verdict

The pizzas served and you have to deliver it to your own table, along the red pepper, cheese, silverware and napkins.  They were cut into triangular-shaped pieces.  They take about 20-30 minutes to prepare, so it might be wise to either call ahead if there isn't a line.  Meat was the clear favorite amongst the participants scoring over 60% of the votes.  The pizza's crust was excellent, we performed a 'lift test' on the slice of meat and the toppings did not slide off nor did the crust buckle.  Pretty much everyone loved the flavor of the oat crust, its heartiness and unique taste helped the meat pizza rise in popularity among out group. The pizzas were excellent after a long day, I would highly recommend it if you are in the area!

Meat, Large 14", Thick Oat Crust, $22.20

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            6.33

Cheese            6.78

Sauce               6.44

Topping           5.44

Crust                7.00

Venue              7.89

Attempt #41 - Planet X

Venue Outside

The Venue

4444 1st Ave NE #3001

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 294-2237

Venue Inside

Menu

Large, 14", Regular Crust, Sausage ($14.18)

Planet X has moved once since 2007, from Collins Road over a short distance to 1st Avenue.  The establishment is popular on the weekend with lots of children's Birthday parties.  During the week, the place is much more quit, with an occasional after-work-event/team-building groups from local companies.   They have a rock climbing wall, a indoor climbing playground contraption (with slides, pits, and tunnels), a pool table, a small bumper cars, a small laser tag course, a giant Connect 4 game (which was pretty fun),  four miniature Skee ball games, a semi-broken air-hockey table (the right side kept

Large, 14", Regular Crust, Meat Lovers ($16.99)

trapping the puck when it was hit hard).  You can check out their menu here:  http://www.planetxfuncenter.com/Cafe-Cosmos/2009062058/Menu/planet-x-cafe.html.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average

Large, 14", Regular Crust, Taco ($16.99)

Our group consisted of 10 participants, so we ordered four large (14") pizzas; two one topping and two specialty.  They do not have an option for size, or crust.

Pepperoni - (large 14" regular crust, $14.18)

Large, 14", Regular Crust, Pepperoni ($14.18)

Sausage - (large 14" regular crust, $14.18)

Taco - Cheese, hamburger, black olives, peppers, onions, taco chips (large 14" regular crust, $16.99)

Meat Lovers - Cheese, sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, Canadian bacon (large 14" regular crust, $16.99)

 

The Verdict

The pizzas served to your table, along the red pepper, cheese, and napkins.  They were cut into triangular-shaped pieces.  They take about 20 minutes to prepare, so it might be wise to either call ahead or cash in a few dollars to play some games while you wait.  Taco was the clear favourite amongst the participants.  The toppings seemed a little light and the crust was a bit soggy.  After having the "specialty" pizzas, some of us felt that they were not that special, and we would be better off with the single topping pizzas.  The sauce had a hint of sweetness to it, one participant commented.  Overall, the pizza was okay, not great and not terrible, but the games were fun!

Slices

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            6.33

Cheese            6.78

Sauce               6.44

Topping           5.44

Crust                7.00

Venue              7.89

Attempt #40 - Pizza Ranch (Marion, IA)

Venue Outside

The Venue

1055 Linden Drive

Marion, IA 52302

(319) 447-2624

The Pizza Ranch is a common chain in the midwest, ranging from franchises in many states. They offer pizza to go, and a pizza buffet that contains salad, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, various pizzas, and ice cream.  On Tuesdays, children under 10 years old can eat for free at the Marion, IA location.  This s

Pizza Buffet 

urely is a benefit for those of us with large families, but make sure to get in before 6pm, otherwise you may not find a table.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  Yes, No

Crust Thickness:  Thin, Average, Thick

Our group consisted of 7 participants, so we ordered from the dinner buffet, which cost roughly $10.50 per adult. 

The Verdict

The pizzas located on the buffet line were cut in triangular-shaped pieces.  Due to the large variation of pizza toppings combinations, there was no clear favorite amongst the participants.  The cheese, toppings, and sauce was fare-both by amount and quality. The fried chicken, and Dessert pizza were terrific!  I would highly recommend this place for lunch or on Tuesdays when the kids can eat for free.

Dessert Pizza

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

Cheese            7.71

Sauce               7.57

Topping           7.29

Crust                7.57

Venue              8.43

Attempt #39 - Ruby's Pizzeria

Venue - Outside

The Venue

223 2nd Street SW

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 200-4800

Ruby's Pizzeria is a new and promising restaurant in downtown Cedar Rapids. Its sleek and trendy decor includes high and low top tables, booths, and outdoor seating on the street.  The wait staff was friendly, and the place was pretty busy for a Monday night.  They currently do not offer specials during the week.  Expect to pay around Tomaso's prices, with possible Tomaso's (or better) yields.  You can find their pizza menu here:  http://www.rubyspizzeria.com/pizza/.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  Yes, No

Crust Thickness:  Thin, Average, Thick

Large, New York Crust, Queen Margherita ($16.95)

Our group consisted of 9 participants, so we ordered four large pizzas (16").  They currently serve five specialty pizzas, each with their own recommended crusts; we ordered all of them except the veggie.  The pizzas were: 

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza - Our Chicago crust, but pressed thin and topped with ground beef, bacon, diced tomato, pickles, mozzarella and cheddar cheese (Large, Chicago Crust [thin], $22.60).

Meatball Pizza - Ruby's homemade meatballs, onions and green peppers on our New York crust (Large, New York Crust, $22.60).

Taco Pizza - Our New York crust topped with seasoned ground beef, refried bean/salsa sauce, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, shredded lettuce, nacho chips and sour cream (Large, New York Crust, $22.60).

Large, New York Crust, Meatball ($22.60)

Queen Margherita - Fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil on our New York crust (Large, Detroit Crust, $16.95).

Pepperoni - (Large, New York Crust, $17.95).

The Verdict

The pizzas came out in triangular-shaped pieces. 

The cheese, sauce and toppings were all excellent.  The cheese-to-topping ratio was just right, and the interesting and creative sauces were a hit (from ketchup on the Bacon Cheeseburger to a spicy bean spread on the Taco).  One participant quoted, "Ruby's rivals Tomaso's as the best pizza joint in town." Everyone rated Ruby's very highly; the lowest ratings were a few 8s, which tells you that Ruby's knows a thing or two about great pizza.  The owner of the restaurant was working in the back to make these masterpieces!  Ruby's is the #1 place thus far, so the next time you want to go out for some great tasting pizza, head to Ruby's Pizzeria!

Large, New York Crust, Taco ($22.60)

Large, Chicago Crust, Bacon Cheeseburger ($22.60)

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            9.50

Cheese            9.97

Sauce               9.38

Topping           9.50

Crust                9.50

Venue              9.88

Menu

Large, New York Crust, Pepperoni ($16.95)

Bacon Cheeseburger and Taco Slices

Attempt #38 - Casey's

The Venue

2020 7th Ave

Marion, IA 52302

(319) 373-3281

Casey's is a gas station / convenience store chain very popular in Iowa.  You can find their pizza almost any small or large town in the state.  Being an Iowa company, Casey's has built up quite a reputation among the local native population. The newer stations offer limited seating where you can enjoy your pizza, however most people simply pick it up and eat it at home.  You can find their Facebook page here:  https://www.caseys.com/menu.

The Pizza

Venue

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Average

Our group consisted of 9 participants; so we ordered four large pizzas (16").  They currently serve typical eight specialty pizzas; supreme, veggie, taco, etc..., you can request any toppings desired.  So we ordered a variation of classic favorites alongside a selection of make-your-owns.  Each pizza only came with only one type of baked crust, which was neither thick, nor thin.  The pizzas were: 

Beef, Green Pepper, and Olive - (Large, regular crust, $13.74)

Pepperoni - (Large, regular crust, $10.00)

Supreme - Pepperoni, beef, mild sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, Casey's pizza cheese (Large, regular crust, $15.99)

Taco - Refried beans, salsa, beef, Casey's pizza cheese. Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and nacho chips added after cooking (Large, regular crust, $15.99)

Large Supreme ($15.99)

The Verdict

The pizzas crusts only came in a triangular-shaped pieces.  The cheese was evenly spread, despite the shaky transportation from my back seat.  Toppings were a little on the light side, along with the sauce, but not too far off from being just about right.    The Beef, Green Pepper, Olive make-your-own pizza was the groups favorite followed by a tie between the pepperoni and the supreme.  As far as gas station pizza goes, this is the king of pizza, and overall it is pretty good pizza to try.  Look out for the coupons, and you'll save even more...for instance on caseys.com, there is a coupon for $5 off when you order two gourmet pizzas.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            8.11

Cheese            8.11

Sauce               7.78

Topping           8.00

Large Taco ($15.99)

Crust                7.89

Venue              0.00

Large Beef, Green Pepper, Olive ($13.74)

Large Pepperoni ($10.00)

Attempt #37 - Red's Public House

The Venue

112 2nd Street SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 363-0275

Red's Public House has been located in downtown Cedar Rapids for a few years.  Not to be confused with Red's Alehouse (in North Liberty), Red's Public House still has a good bottled beer selection.  On Wednesdays, pizzas are only $6. 

Jerk Chicken ($6)

The seating is plentiful, since the bar is located on one side, while the seating is located in another section of the venue.  It appears that at one time they were two separate venues, until the wall came down, and then combined when Red's opened up shop (possibly?).   Red's has a website that is not set up, so their Facebook page is the prime way to contact their owners.  As of 6/19/14, they do not have a menu posted.  You can find their Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reds-Public-House/111042532275571?sk=info.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thin

Pepperoni ($6)

Our group consisted of 5 participants; so we ordered three pizzas (the only size available, so let's call it a large).  They currently serve no specialty pizzas; however, you can request any toppings desired.  So we ordered a selection of make-your-owns.  Each pizza only came with only one thin baked crust. Each pizza costs roughly $6, since Monday's were $6 pizza nights.  The pizzas were: 

Pepperoni - (large thin crust, $6.00)

Jerk Chicken - (large thin crust, $6.00)

Onion, Green Pepper, and Tomato - (large thin crust, $6.00)

The Verdict

Onion, Green Pepper, & Tomato ($6)

The pizzas crusts only came in a rectangle shape matching on a rectangular plate.  They were cut into rectangular-shaped pieces.  The cheese was heavy considering the crust was very thin.  The sauce was light as well as the toppings.  If we were to return, I would consider ordering with more toppings on the pizza.  Some of the crust was a little too burnt on the sides and corners, which left a undesirable taste in our mouths.  The Jerk Chicken was not very spicy, which suited well for our group.  I do recall the jerk taste from my honeymoon in Jamaica, and they did a "sweeter" variation of it, with a hint of more of a BBQ flavor.  The veggie pizza (Onion, Green Pepper, Tomato) turned out to be the groups favorite.  The flavor was well balanced from the use of fresh vegetables.  So if you are downtown and hungry for some pizza and a beer, head over to Red's Public House. 

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.20

Cheese            7.80

Sauce               7.20

Topping           7.60

Crust                4.60

Venue              7.20

Attempt #36 - Bob's Your Uncle

The Venue

Menu

2208 North Dodge Street

Iowa City, IA 52245

(319) 351-7400

Bob's Your Uncle has been around a long time, especially for a college town like Iowa City where businesses change almost at the blink of an eye.  Located right of Iowa Highway 1, lies a pizza joint as you head into Iowa City after passing interstate 80.  The restaurant offers a Gluten-Free menu in addition to their normal menu, with lots of options; however, Pizza is their main specialty.  The pizza prices are a bit pricier than some of the other local places, but they offer a thin/medium/thick crust with over nine specialty pizzas.  Each one of these pizzas is named after a famous University of Iowa athlete in the menu.  A short segment is written about the background of the pizza along with its paring with the particular athlete.  The venue itself consists of a bar area, a patio, and plenty of tables and booths for their patrons.  They had no trouble getting a party of six in for a Wednesday evening; however, the weekends may be a different story.  It would be best to call ahead for reservations, especially during football season or homecoming weekend.  Check out their menu online here:  http://www.bobsyourunclecomfortfood.com/menu.html

Large (16") Thick Crust,
Meat (Bobby Hansen; $24.95)

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  Yes

Crust Thickness:  All

Our group consisted of 4 participants; so we ordered one 10"pizza (medium) and two 16" pizzas (large).  They currently serve 2 specialty pizzas (a all meat and a veggie), so we ordered a selection of make-your-owns.  Each pizza only came with only one thin baked crust. We ordered them in the only size, 9"..  Each pizza costs roughly $10.  The pizzas were:

Taco (Jennie Lillis) - Refried bean & taco sauce instead of pizza sauce, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and taco chips (10" medium crust only, $15.95)

Medium (10")  Average Crust,
Taco (Jennie Lillis; $15.95)

Meat (Bobby Hansen) - Ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, bacon and Canadian bacon (16" large thick crust, $22.95)

Supreme (Matt Gatens) - Supreme: Pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushroom, green pepper, black olives and onion (16" large thin crust, $22.95)

The Verdict

Large (16) Thin Crust,
Supreme (Matt Batens; $24.95)

The personal pizzas were cut into triangular-shaped pieces for the medium Taco and the larges were cut into rectangular-shaped pieces.  The thick crust was excellent, with plenty of bready goodness on the rim of the crust.  The sauce and toppings were good, but each of the three pizzas we ordered was a bit overcooked.  Our group preferred the Taco to be the favorite with the other two pizzas each receiving only one vote.  Most of us felt that the pizza was good, but a little on the pricey side.  I could easily see this place serving proud UI alumni, parents, and locals, but it seemed a little on the high end for the typical broke college student.  The upside is that the pizzas were filling.  So if you are in the area, and are hungry give Bob's a try.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.75

Cheese            8.75

Bobby and Jennie Slices

Sauce               7.00

Topping           9.25

Crust                7.75

Venue              8.00