Attempt #45 - Syndicate

The Venue

Menu

207 1st Ave SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 363-1000

Cheese $11

The Syndicate is a new arrival to the Cedar Rapids pizza scene. Located off of 1st Ave., this locally owned restaurant serves up various specialty pizza pies. They also serve beer, other high quality foods-as well as the standard soft drinks.  They had two stories with about 15tables and around 15 booths for seating.  It was formally in the Gringo's Mexican Restaurant prior the 2008 flood. The restaurant was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Currently, they do not offer weekday or weekend specials, but they have a variety of other dishes over lunch and dinner to serve (aside from pizza). You can check out their menu on-line at this location:  http://www.syndicatecr.com/menu/.

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No

Crust Thickness:  Thin

Forest Mushroom $12

Our group consisted of 6 participants, so we ordered five pizzas. They only come in one size, which is usually shared among two people.

Prosciutto - Tomato, Pesto, Mozzarella, Fresh Basil ($13.00).

Forest Mushroom - White Garlic Cream, Mascarpone, Parmesan ($12.00).

Cheese - Mozzarella, Goat Cheese, Parmesan, Pesto ($11.00).

Syndicate House - Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, Spicy Pork ($14.00).

Sausage & Pepper - Andouille Sausage, Roasted Peppers ($13.00).

The Verdict

Prosciutto $13

Syndicate House $14

The pizza came out in rectangle shaped pizzas with rectangle pieces. The sauce was very good, especially on the Prosciutto (the Pesto was great!).  The cheese was disappointing because the amount was too great on the pizza. It even looked like the pizza wasn't completely cooked. This gave us the impression that the pizzas were sitting out awhile before upon coming to our table (although this wasn't the case). The toppings were of high quality.  Also, the crust was noted to be thin, but it may be considered average by some (it is by no means cracker thin). Overall the Syndicate House was the clear favorite earning 50% of the votes-the whole gloves of garlic will surely keep the vampires away but are also very tasty! If you are in a group, figure one pizza every two people, otherwise you may be taking home leftovers!

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            7.50

Cheese            6.33

Sauce               7.17

Slices

Topping           7.83

Crust                8.00

Venue              9.00

Sausage & Pepper $13