Saturday, February 28, 2015

Attempt #46 - Emil's Hideaway

Outside from a side street view
The Venue
222 Glenbrook Dr. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
(319) 743-3123

Emil's Hideaway is tucked away off of 1st Ave. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Personally, I have lived here eight years and never knew the building existed (although it wasn't always Emil's during that timeframe). It is behind the Taco Johns, and an apartment building so parking is a mess. The original entrance of the building is now the kitchen's back door in the front of the restaurant, and the side door is the main entrance. It gives you the 'hideaway' feeling somewhat like a mobster. The inside of the restaurant/bar is very classy with red walls, high top tables, salt water fish in a large tank, and several rows of tables for the restaurant section. The bar area has a pool table, and several spots for seating, with high dollar liqueur on display for the patrons. You can check out their pizza section of the menu on-line at this location:  http://www.emilshideaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2014-02-11-at-3.44.06-PM.png
Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No
Crust Thickness:  Thin

Our group consisted of a mere five participants, so we ordered four (12") pizzas (their only size).
Shrimp Rangoon - Shrimp, green onion, yellow onion, fried wonton bits, sweet Asian sauce with a seasoned cream cheese base (12", $13.95).
Cheesesteak -Ribeye, onions, peppers, cheese sauce (12", $13.95).
Thai Chicken - Chicken, onion, green pepper, carrot, Sirracha, fresh pineapple, peanuts, cilantro, peanut sauce (12", $12.95).
Combo - Pepperoni, Italian sausage, onion, black olives, green pepper, mushrooms, pizza sauce (12", $12.95).
 

Cheesesteak, 12", $13.95
The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces.
The toppings were well spread out. 
The crust was firm, and crisp not soggy (except for the Combo in the middle). One participant noted "Perfect thickness of crust with a great toast like crunch.
The Shrimp Rangoon was the favorite, scoring 2 out of five votes. The uniqueness of that pizza set it apart, plus the shrimp and wonton/cream cheese base was awesome! Personally, I found myself fond of the yummy cheesesteak due to its overloading sensation of cheese, ribeye, and onions. 
If you are in the mood for a hunt to find a good pizza place you'll want to try out Emil's.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            9.10
Combo, 12", $12.95
Cheese            8.80
Sauce               8.80
Topping           9.20
Crust                9.00
Venue              9.40



Slices-Combo, Shrimp Rangoon, Thai Chicken




Shrimp Rangoon, 12", $13.95

Thai Chicken, 12", $12.95

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