Attempt #55 - Red Vespa Pizzeria

The Venue

208 E Main St.

Solon, IA 52333

(319) 624-2080

South of Cedar Rapids is a small city which has lately contained an influx of wealthy people who work in the metro Iowa City area. The Red Vespa is no small Iowan town pizza joint, it is a classy place with a large bar and liquor selection as well as containing classy, Neapolitan Wood-fired pizzas. Booths, tables, and bar seating exist, with authentic hard wood floor, and an Italian brick oven tops it off as a great place for pizza. The service was excellent; the waitstaff was very accommodating and friendly.

You can check out their website at www.theredvespa.com, or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RedVespaSolon/

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

We had five participants so we ordered six pizzas, which only came in one personal size. They did not offer any different size, or crust. In fact, they only offer gourmet options-to order our pepperoni, we had to order the sausage and substitute the sausage for pepperoni. The Red Vespa has daily pizza specials, each with a unique topping which is not on the menu. The pieces were cut into quarters, since they are meant to serve 1-2 people each.

Mediterranean – House-made Pesto Cream Sauce, House-made Mozzarella, Prosciutto Di Parama (Crudo), Arugula, Sweet Grape Tomatoes, and Shaved Parmesan, $15

Bee String, $13

Sweet Corn – Sweet Corn, Creme Fraiche, Garlic Olive Oil, Prosciutto Di Parma, Sicilian Oregano, and Fresh Mozzarella, $14

Bee Sting – Spicy Soppressata, Calabrian Chilies, Honey, Chili Oil, $13

Rugula – Arugula, Prosciutto Di Parma, shaved Pecorino, $13

Pork Love – Prosciutto Di Parma, Soppressata, and Fennel Sausage, $14

Pepperoni – $13

The Verdict

The pizza was thin, with a slightly beady rim to it. Sadly, the excess of wonderful toppings made each pizza soggy in the middle (which explains the poor crust rating). The topping selection was amazing (see the menu for details), with unique twists and combinations of flavors. Speaking on that note, the Bee Sting was rated as the groups favorite pizza, mildly spicy chilis paired with sweet honey and spicy soppressata! What a awesome tasting pizza. The Sweet Corn came in second, and was very noteworthy (I almost couldn't decide!). The sauce was good, but a bit on the light side. The cheeses were great, however, I felt that their oil may have been the main concern of the crust's sogginess. Nevertheless, if you are in the mood for a unique pizza, take a drive and give them a try.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 8.80

Cheese 8.20

Sauce 9.60

Topping 8.00

Crust 6.60

Venue 9.20

Favorite Bee Sting

Rugula, $13

Mediterranean, $15

Sweet Corn, $14

Slices

Pork Love, $14

Pepperoni, $13

Attempt #54 - Need Pizza

Menu

The Venue

207 2^nd Ave SE #200

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 362-6333

Need pizza is a new restaurant which opened up recently in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It is located at the heart of downtown located near the intersection of 2^nd Street and 2^nd Avenue. The restaurant had two ping pong tables, along with TVs, Lego's for the kids, and a black chalkboard for guests to write on behind one row of tables. The bar area had old refrigerators which had taps mounted on the doors, serving a wide variety of beer. During lunch, they do serve pizza by the slice, if you in the area.

You can check out their website at http://www.needcr.com/.

Pizza Fries

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

We had nine participants so we ordered four pizzas (3 large and 1 medium). The style is “New Haven”, which draws on the east coast for inspiration. The size comes in small, medium, and large. They did not offer any gourmet pre-configured pizza options; however, they did have a special of the day (Buffalo Chicken, only available in the medium size).

Buffalo Chicken Special, Medium

BBQ Chicken, Onion, Roasted Red Peppers, Large

Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatball, Bacon, Large

BBQ Chicken, Onion, Roasted Red Peppers, Large

Pepperoni, Large

The Verdict

The pizza was very good, chewy, large triangular slices (often the pizza didn't fit on my plate). The crust wasn't too thick, and the toppings were set on about right. Surprisingly, the meat pizza (Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatball, and Bacon was the crowd favorite earning five votes. The sauce was a little on the light side. For me, I prefer my pizza crust to have a little bit more bready thickness, but many don't. Although we loved Ruby's as our favorite place after 54 Pizza Attempts (located right around the corner from this place) , I can see a possibility where Need Pizza exists and Ruby's does not just by the fact that Need Pizza has such a unique offering (Ruby's is a lot like Tomaso's [another local favorite]). Stop on by if you want a slice of New Haven style pizza! Its probably the closest thing Cedar Rapids has to a New York Style pizza.

Buffalo Chicken Special, Medium

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

Cheese 7.63

Sauce 7.38

Topping 7.38

Crust 7.63

Venue 8.44

Favorite Pepperoni, Sausage, Bacon, Meatball

Pepperoni, Large

Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatball, Bacon, Large

Slices