Parlor City - 2/28/13

Little known fact time: Back in the day (and, for those who know, I'd like a definition of just how far back one has to go for an item to OFFICIALLY, actually be...BACK IN THE DAY...but I digress), Cedar Rapids was nicknamed "The Parlor City". This was due to the fact that the city had a reputation for being so clean, nice, and enjoyable. While we could go on and on making crude, unfair jokes about whether or not the city still fits this bill, I think it's safe to say that the business that is now Parlor City Pub & Eatery is an establishment that is clean, nice, and enjoyable. 

Seriously, is it a week, a year, five years??? I wanna know! 

Parlor City Pub & Eatery

Not gonna lie to you folks, Parlor City is a favorite place of mine, and I'd been looking forward to the Tour visiting there. Great food, a wall of beer taps (50+!), and an excellent liquor selection. My friends among the local bike community have made this a regular stop as they pass through town, AND the establishment has recognized the contribution to their business by providing a bicycle repair stand, accessible to all at no charge, behind the restaurant near their outdoor seating area. Very cool. They are located in the absolute heart of the revitalized NewBo neighborhood. There's a TON of stuff happening in this part of town, so Parlor City should be well situated to be in business at this location for a long time! 

The Burger

Around 14 of us made the trip, but only 8 surveys have been submitted. No big deal...some folks stopped for beers, some folks had other appointments to get too (haircuts wait for no man after all!), some folks just popped by, so we're going with the 8. Additionally, I relaxed the stringent rules of the Burger Tour so that we could take advantage of Parlor City's Thursday Night Stuffed Burger Special. I have asked everyone to TRY and separate the toppings from the burger. Of the 7 surveys submitted, all were for burgers, so no need to discuss sammich's or salads today! Drum roll please....Parlor City's burgers received a 7.75/10. 

The rare and elusive blue cheese burger. Only allowed on the Burger Tour on Stuffed Burger Night!

Comments from the group included:

• I had the stuffed burger with American and Bacon. It was very, very good. The burger was juicy and cooked perfectly. The bun was toasted nicely and the cheese was perfectly melted on top
• I got the stuffed burger with blue cheese, mushrooms, and bacon. The bun was perfectly toasted on the edges while remaining soft in the middle. A little more blue cheese would have been nice. I did not top it with any condiments. Overall, a pretty good burger.
• Stuffed with mushroom and swiss. Not other toppings. I found it very bland. And unevenly cooked.
• Stuffed burger with pepper jack, bacon and onions. Burger was juicy and obviously hand made. Good, meaty flavor with a taste of the grill and it held together well, no falling apart. Toppings were delicious except I was told the onions were sauteed and they were... a little. Definitely could have been cooked longer.
• Pizza burger! Taking away the wonderful filling of mozzarella, pepperoni, & sausage, the burger was piping hot and very juicy! Also on a toasted bun.

Fries & Sides

I had the Frips, which are thinly sliced, fried potato slices. They're somewhat exclusive to Parlor City, and are very good. I THINK you can order their huge nacho plate (an awesome menu choice there if you're not in a burger mood) made with Frips instead of tortilla chips. Parlor also offers Sweet Potato fries as a side. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes myself, but if you must order them, get the marshmallow dipping sauce. SO good! Anyway....fries/sides were given a 7/10. 

Handcrafted burger stuffed with jalapenos and topped with 3 cheese blend, with Frips on the side. 

Comments: 

• I had the Sweet Potato Fries. They were outstanding. Crispy on the outside but not soft on the inside. The light coating of cinnamon and sugar over them is what put them over the top. I didn't expect that, and the sweet/salty mix was sublime.
• I got a side salad with blue cheese dressing. It was nothing special, but really, it's a side salad people, I'm not expecting a mind-blowing experience. (Editors Note: This person gets it!)
• Onion rings. Crispy, cooked perfectly, great batter.
• Fries were crinkle cut, crispy outside and hot and tender inside!

Burger with sweet potato fries

Service

If there's one area that Parlor City can improve, it's service. I have heard, and experienced, a definite lack in attentiveness and focus from many different servers there. There seems to be a disconnect and a problem with multitasking amongst their staff....like they can't handle both a drink and a food order all at once. This is not a comment on the server we had this week, but is more of an overall observation for the establishment as a whole. For our group this week, service received a 7.13/10 (a pretty good score!). 

Comments: 

• The waitress was very friendly and provided timely service without hovering. They adhered strictly to the 5pm rule for ordering stuffed burgers even though it was 4:55pm, but hey, rules are rules. The waitress came back promptly at 5pm to take our order and the food was fairly fast.
• As expected, very slow service. Server was friendly, but very slowwwwww.
• The wait staff was very nice. I probably would have given her a perfect "10", but the "Stuffed Burger Time" started at 5pm and we were there at 4:50. She made us wait the 10 minutes to place our order. Weird, but not a huge deal.
• Was very slow for not as busy as I have seen before. But the cold beers helped.
• Waitress was polite, friendly and came back frequently to refill drinks/clear plates. Both her drink and food suggestions were excellent.

Conclusion

Parlor City's decor is unique to the area. The walls are covered with all kinds of local city history and memorabilia. I always seem to find some new thing on the walls to look at and appreciate from the city's past.

As I said, Parlor City is a favorite of mine, and I'd be back there no matter what the scores were.
Would you eat here again, or recommend it to others? We gave Parlor City a 4.88/5. 

Final Comments: 

• For just slightly more than it cost to feed my family at Panera, I can eat at Parlor City. No contest. Once Panera starts serving stuffed burgers I'll go there again.
• Parlor City has a great atmosphere. Even when it's busy, the wait staff is still very attentive.
• A bit more expensive than some of the other locations, but worth it for not-another-bar-patty.
• Always great food and beverage selections!