Attempt #103 - Sam's Club

The Venue 

Menu

2605 Blairs Ferry Road NE,

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 393-7746

Sam’s Club is known for selling bulk items of food, often as a discount.  Similar to Costco, it has a low cost dining  area near the front of the store, where patrons can order pizza, hot dogs, chicken strips, and similarly priced “concession” items.  The seating consists of hard small 4-person picnic benches with a self-serve pop machine against the wall.  The items are very reasonably priced; however, don’t be expected to be waited on. 

The Pizza

Pizza Selection

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: See Photo

Participants: 6 (plus 3 children)

Pizza Ordered: 1 with several slices

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Large

Crusts Offered/Ordered: Regular

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Pepperoni – $8.99

2x Cheese Slice – $2.10

3x Supreme Slice - $2.10

3x All Meat Slice - $2.10

Large Pepperoni Pizza $8.99

The Verdict

Sauce: Bland.  Aweful.

Cheese: There was plenty of cheese on the slices, this was probably the best part of the event.

Crust: The crust was not great.  It was flat in the middle of the pie, and on the rim, it was decent and bready.

Toppings: Terrible. The supreme was actually decent, but the rest was bland and lacking

Final Comments/Considerations:  Sam’s rated as the forth worst pizza.  IF you are really desperate, be warned, DON’T let it get cold.  Gross.

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

Overall 5.50

Slices

Cheese 5.50

Topping 5.83

Sauce 4.50

Crust 3.67

Venue 5.67

Favorite: Supreme

Attempt #102 - Market Grille (Kids Pizza)

Venue

The Venue 
5050 Edgewood Rd NE #6613,

Cedar Rapids, IA 52411

(319) 378-2945

Menu

The Market Grille is a restaurant inside of the larger, high end Hy-Vee grocery stores.  It has a full-service bar, booth, and table seating along with a waitstaff.  The Market Grille recently changed ownership and is now owned by Corporate instead of the local grocery store, thus the menu has changed. This nearly caused our pizza attempt to become a PIZZA FAILURE because the once famed flatbreads were not longer on the menu.  Luckily, the kids menu had personal (4 slice) pizzas for $3 each, along with a side.    

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://marketgrille.hy-vee.com/menu/location/

Participants: 6 (plus 4 children)

Pizza Ordered: 3

Cheese

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Kids Personal

Crusts Offered/Ordered: Regular

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Pepperoni

Slices

2x Pepperoni – $3

Cheese – $3

The Verdict

Sauce: The sauce was my favorite part, it was not overly sweet.

Cheese: Decent cheese, the highest rated subcategory at a 8.00.

Crust: Thicker than I expected which was actually pretty good, buttery.

Toppings: Bland toppings which is about right for kids.

Final Comments/Considerations: The kids pizza isn’t bad, but it isn’t good either.  However, the $3 price is CHEAP, so if you have a little one, its worth the consideration.

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

Overall 5.60

Cheese 8.00

Topping 6.40

Sauce 6.00

Crust 6.00

Venue 7.60

Favorite: Pepperoni

Attempt #101 - Bobbers Grill

Venue Outside

The Venue
1850 Scales Bend Road NE

North Liberty, IA 52317

(319) 665-3474

Bobbers Grill is apart of Scales Pointe to supply campers, boaters, and walk-in visitors with food and beverages. They have a lively schedule during the summer months with races, bands, and other events down on the grounds. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating and a full-service bar.

Venue Inside

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin

Menu:  https://scalespointe.com/files/2014/09/Bobbers-Menu-4-29-14.pdf

Participants: 6 (plus 3 children)

Pizza Ordered: 3

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 14” Large

Crusts Offered/Ordered: Thin

Pieces Cut: Rectangular

Venue Inside

Menu

Chicken Alfredo $19.95

Meat Lovers – Canadian bacon, pepperoni, sausage, and beef $19.95

Enchilada – Home-made sauce, taco meat, black olives, and a blend of cheese, topped with fresh jalapeños $19.95

Chicken Alfredo – Red onions and diced tomatoes $19.95

The Verdict

Sauce: The sauce was okay.  I wasn’t too impressed, since I seemed ‘run of the mill’.

Cheese: The cheese cooled fast, and hardened. Nothing special here.

Crust: Thin, it seemed to be a frozen pre-made crust.  Crispy though.

Toppings: Typical toppings which lacked flavor in my opinion.

Meat Lovers $19.95

Final Comments/Considerations: Each of our pizzas was distinctly different.  The Enchilada had some spiciness to it, the meat lovers had a lot of excess grease, and the chicken alfredo was  creamy, but disappointing.  The view and restaurant was super cool, and the wait staff was terrific and helpful. However, if you are looking for good pizza, head elsewhere.

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

Overall 6.83

Cheese 7.83

Enchilada $19.95

Topping 6.33

Sauce 6.50

Crust 5.17

Venue 9.00

Favorite: Enchilada

Slices

Attempt #100 - Bop's Pizza

The Venue 

Venue Outside

921 Blairs Ferry Rd NE Suite 130

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 862-1226

Bop’s Pizza is a new restaurant off of the busy Blairs Ferry Road near the Cedar Rapids, IA Target store on the North side of town.  The owner, was the original owner of Ruby’s downtown prior to selling off his share of the business. Sadly, Ruby’s is no more, but the original owner re-purchased all of his equipment, and hauled it up town to start his new pizza place with his wife.  Same great recipes as Ruby’s, some even claim that its better!  Booth and table seating is present, they do not take reservations, so first come first serve. 

Menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://bopspizza.com/menu

Participants: 18 (plus 12 children)

Pizza Ordered: 9

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 16” Large, 10” Medium, 7” Small

Crusts Offered/Ordered: Average

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Bacon Cheeseburger - Ground Beef, Bacon, Onion, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Diced Tomato & Pickle (Large, Detroit $25.75)

Taco - Seasoned Ground Beef, Refried Beans & Salsa Sauce, Cheddar Cheese, Shredded Lettuce, Diced Tomato, Onion, Nacho Chips & Sour Cream (Large, New York Thin $23.75)

Meatball - Bop's Homemade Meatball, Green Pepper & Onion (Large, Detroit $25.75)

Venue Inside

Mediterranean - Salami, Tomato, Artichoke, Spinach, Black Olive, Banana Pepper & Feta Cheese. Drizzled with Olive Oil (Large, Detroit $25.75)

Veggie - Mushroom, Onion, Green Pepper, Black & Green Olive, Tomato, Artichoke & Fresh Spinach (Large, Detroit $25.75)

Queen Margherita - Fresh Mozzarella, Roma Tomato and Fresh Basil (Large, New York Thin $23.75)

Bop's Combo - Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom, Onion, Black Olives and Green Peppers (Large, Detroit $25.75)

Pepperoni - (Large, Detroit $18.95)

Cheese - (Large, Detroit $18.95)

Large Detroit Crust Bacon Cheeseburger $25.75

The Verdict

Sauce: The sauce was great on the meatball, as well on the unique Bacon Cheeseburger. Sparingly, the ketchup and mustard taste went well together with the sauce and pickles.

Cheese: LOVED the caramelized cheese “crusts” on the Detroit style pizzas.   

Crust: Bready, and doughy on the Detroit, the New York Thin was flexible, and chewy. It held the taco together well.

Toppings: High quality, the right amount.

Large Detroit Crust Bop's Combo $25.75

Final Comments/Considerations: Bop’s Pizza proved to me, to be exactly what Ruby’s had in store for its customers. A slightly better version of Tomaso’s with a bit cheaper price. Not to mention a great waitstaff who is flexible and accommodating.  All the pizzas were warm, not soggy, and had plenty of flavor. The caramelized cheese crust was wonderful.  So wonderful.  Sadly, over the lunch hour, the only serve NY Thin, but if you can, I would be willing to call ahead and split a Detroit crust 1-topping pizza.   Otherwise, try them out during dinner – personally, I liked the Bacon Cheeseburger, but the pepperoni always hits the spot as well. 

Large Detroit Crust Cheese $18.95

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

Overall 8.83

Cheese 9.22

Topping 9.06

Sauce 8.22

Crust 9.06

Venue 7.11

Favorite: Mediterranean

Large Detroit Crust Meatball $25.75

Large Detroit Crust Mediterranean $25.75

Large Detroit Crust Veggie $25.75

Large New York Thin Crust Queen Margherita $23.75

Large New York Thin Crust Taco $23.75

Large Detroit Crust Pepperoni $18.95

Slices

Attempt #99 - Monica's

The Venue

Venue Outside

303 2nd St,

Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 338-7400

Venue Inside

Menu

Monica’s is a well-known long time standing Italian restaurant on the Coralville strip.  They are known for their Italian food in general; however, I was surprised to see as much pizza offered, since many high-end Italian places tend to limit the amount of pizza offered.  The restaurant was clean, the wait staff was attentive and friendly.  Traditional bread and olive oil was offered as an appetizer.  Table and booth seating was available.

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  http://www.monicasonthestrip.com/menu.html

Participants: 7 (plus 4 children)

Pizza Ordered: 6

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 16” Large, 10” Medium, 7” Personal

Crusts Offered/Ordered: Average

Pieces Cut: Triangular

Sausage and pepperoni (Megan Gustafson) - Led the nation in scoring two years in a row and was not only 1st Team All-American but national Player of the Year this year. A 70% shooter, and Big Ten All-Defensive team as well. Iowa's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, our Greatest of all time, and a wonderful person too. Fellow seniors Hannah Stewart and Tania Davis earned hefty places in her circle of glory as Iowa's best team in decades. Sausage and pepperoni (Medium 10”, $18.95).

Margherita Pizza (Peter Jok) - Peter is one of the great pure shooters in Iowa history. He won the 3-pt shooting contest this year at the Final Four, led the Big Ten in scoring this year as an All-Big Ten first team selection and opponents couldn't stop him when he got on a roll without roughing him up. I foresee a long NBA career. Margherita Pizza: tomatoes, basil and roasted garlic. Great traditional Italian pizza, perfect for our oven (Large 16”, $27.95).

Crab and Artichoke Dip, $18.95

White Pizza (Acie Earl) - A lightly-recruited 7-footer out of Moline, Illinois, he used great coaching from Dr. Davis and plenty of smarts and perseverance to have a tremendous career at Iowa (23 records still); as a 12 year pro, including 4 in the NBA; and continues that success today as a teacher, coach, Realtor and entrepreneur. White pizza: Alfredo sauce instead of pizza sauce, spinach (tossed in garlic oil), chicken, feta and provolone and mozzarella cheese (Medium 10”, $18.95).

Crab and Artichoke Dip (Sam Logic) - Only player in NCAA history with 1500 points, 900 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals. And Iowa's best defender all four years. Arguably the best player in Iowa history and one of the most impactful players in national history. Her unselfishness on the court was matched by her unselfishness as a person--when she worked summers at Bob's your Uncle everybody loved her. Crab and Artichoke dip: our crab and artichoke dip instead of pizza sauce, with provolone and mozzarella, shrimp and bacon (Medium 10”, $18.95).

Sausage and Pepperoni, $18.95

Taco (Jarrod Uthoff) - Jarrod is going to play in the NBA a long time. He was Iowa's first consensus All-American in 53 years... Think about that; our best player in 53 years. And the Academic All-American of the year nationally as well. Unselfish, family-oriented, and a two-way player every trip. Along with Matt Gatens my fave Hawk ever. Taco pizza: Refried bean & taco sauce instead of pizza sauce, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and taco chips (Medium 10”, $18.95).

Supreme (Matt Gatens) - We have waited patiently for Matt to get his pizza (against NCAA rules until you complete college) since 9th grade when we first predicted stardom at Iowa. He's been amazing as a leader, a defender, a shooter, a guy who embraces wholeheartedly playing the right way and sacrificed personal stats for it, and above all, a role-model as a man with integrity, character and virtue. My favorite Hawkeye ever. 'Nuff said. Supreme: Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Mushroom, Green Pepper, Black Olives and Onion (Medium 10”, $18.95).

Margherita, $27.95

The Verdict

Sauce: The red sauces were a hit, however, the white sauces weren’t always as consistent.  The artichoke dip sauce comes to mind as been a bit lacking.

Cheese: An acceptable consistency.

Crust: Flakey.  Something seemed off to me on this, it seemed…premanufactured.

Toppings: Average, bland toppings.

Taco, $18.95

Final Comments/Considerations: The pizza was good; however, given the high cost for the pizza, myself and others felt disappointed.  Some of the pizzas felt too bland and generic – given all of the fancy naming conventions, I would have expected a higher level of quality toppings or different flavor twists.   

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

Overall 8.21

Cheese 8.57

Topping 8.29

Supreme, $18.95

Sauce 8.43

Crust 8.29

Venue 8.71

Favorite: Taco

White, $18.95

Attempt #98 - Costco

Menu

The Venue
2900 Heartland Dr,
Coralville, IA 52241
(319) 545-3200

Costco is a Iowa City/Coralville favorite among the locals for their large quantity deals.  Where else can you buy patio furniture, purchase a hearing aid, get a new set of tires, and buy a new iPhone all under one roof? Costco only sells to those who have purchased a membership, but you can get into the food court if you just want to eat there without a membership.  Lots of seating and cheap food and pop make these purchases much more wallet friendly, compared to elsewhere in the store.

Pizzas

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu:  https://www.costco.com/warehouse-locations/coralville-ia-1111.html

Participants: 4 (plus 3 children)

Pizza Ordered: 1

Sizes Offered/Ordered: 18” whole, or by the slice

Crusts Offered/Ordered: Average

Pieces Cut: Rectangular (by request [Party Cut])

Box

Half Pepperoni half Supreme – ($9.95)

The Verdict

Sauce: Decent sauce, not sweet.

Cheese: OK.

Crust: Chewy crust, but not overly thick - average

Toppings: Average, bland toppings.

Final Comments/Considerations: Costco packs a super affordable pizza that is pretty average.  Its much better than Hy-vee’s burnt pizza, or Sams’s under cooked pizza; but I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it.  Compared with its rival, Sam’s Club, it seems superior according to my taste buds.

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

Half Pepperoni, Half Supreme ($9.95)

Overall 6.50

Cheese 7.50

Topping 6.00

Sauce 7.25

Crust 6.75

Venue 4.75

Favorite: Supreme