116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Lincoln Winebar owner offers a slice of the “pizza renaissance” through Fancy’s Pizza in Cedar Rapids
New York Times-named pizzaiolo hones passion project through exclusive orders
Aug. 21, 2024 6:00 am, Updated: Aug. 21, 2024 11:32 am
CEDAR RAPIDS — With 2 billion active users, Instagram is one of the most-used social media apps in the world. But for about 70 customers a week in Cedar Rapids, it’s made to order pizza.
Fancy’s Pizza, a carryout-only shop in a strip mall previously home to Rustic Hearth bakery and Croissant du Jour, has been offering elusive pop-ups every weekend. With a small crew, owner Jesse Sauerbrei started serving up New York- and pan-style pizzas on Mount Vernon Road SE, next to the True Value hardware store, in March 2023.
But each Sunday, there’s only one way to catch one of the 70 pies: be one of the first customers to place an order on Instagram.
“There’s been a few times where I get people I run into on the street who are like ‘Hey, how do I get one of those pizzas I’ve been hearing about?’ ” Sauerbrei said. “We have single-handedly gotten hundreds of people to download Instagram.”
Sauerbrei, whose Lincoln Winebar was named in June as one of the 22 best pizza restaurants in the United States, has been recognized by the New York Times as part of a pizza renaissance around America.
How to order
There’s only one way to get your hands on one of the 70 pizzas baked by Fancy’s Pizza every Sunday.
Every Friday or Saturday, the pizzeria makes an Instagram post accepting orders for a select curation of toppings in New York and pan styles.
Orders can be placed at Instagram.com/fancysnewyork or on the Instagram smartphone app. Orders are extremely limited on a first come, first served basis and cannot be placed by phone.
Orders can be picked up at 3531 Mount Vernon Rd. SE in Cedar Rapids on Sundays.
But Fancy’s, a style craved by many but obtained by few in Cedar Rapids, is just for fun. While Sauerbrei hopes to one day make it a full-service restaurant similar to his joint in Mount Vernon, his goal for now is to keep the project stress-free.
“It’s become like this club, it’s really neat. These folks who come in feel like they’re part of the whole thing,” he said. “Why else would you go into the restaurant industry? I think a lot of people who are passionate about owning restaurants are doing it to put a smile on people’s faces.”
About 75 percent of the restaurant’s weekly orders are from return customers; the rest are a mix of newbies discovering something they didn’t think they could get from a pizza.
How is it different?
Sauerbrei’s philosophy is pretty easy to digest.
“I look at pizza as an open-faced sandwich. If it’s good on a sandwich, it’s probably going to be good on a pizza,” he said. “I just want to make the dough shine.”
With a different style of dough than many, Fancy’s dough is fermented for three to four days — similar to its dough used at Lincoln Winebar in Mount Vernon. With a predominantly sourdough starter, each batch incorporates dry yeast “to act as a steroid for the sourdough,” with cold water.
“What that does is helps big time on the flavor and the chew of it,” Sauerbrei said.
Each pizza is topped with constant rotation of cheese blends — from an “East Coast” mozzarella blend designed for New York pizzas and Fontina, to Burrata and Point Reyes Bay Blue — that lends some stretch and unique qualities. Toppings, like those used at Lincoln Winebar, are an artisan curation that elevates each slice, even for common picks like pepperoni.
“We’re just trying to learn how to elevate what most people think this style of pizza is,” he said.
In addition to its 18-inch New York style, Fancy’s offers a luscious pan style that Sauerbrei describes as a cross between Detroit and Sicilian style.
Having the perfect pizza, he said, means being able to taste the toppings and the dough at the same time.
How it started
With a background in wine sales, the Cedar Rapids resident has found a parallel in pizza. In wine, he was a liaison that made it less intimidating. With pizza, he’s working to elevate the local palate while making a more gourmet style palatable.
Sauerbrei got acquainted with Lincoln Winebar, previously owned by Matt Steigerwald, as a wholesale wine distributor. Lincoln Winebar was one of his accounts.
After he purchased it from Steigerwald in 2014, the concept of Fancy’s New York style pizzas sat on the back burner. At The Local Crumb in Mount Vernon, he hosted an occasional pop-up making larger pies at a more consistent temperature than possible in Lincoln’s wood-fired oven.
Sauerbrei and his wife used to spend vacations trying wood-fired pizza to elevate their offerings at Lincoln Winebar. But after getting burned out on that style, they decided to try others — like the New York style.
The Instagram order model was inspired by a startup approach used at Pizza Delicious, one of his favorite pizza places in New Orleans. That pizzeria also happens to be a favorite of Brett Anderson, the restaurant critic and features writer who put Lincoln Winebar on the New York Times best pizza list.
As he develops Fancy’s, Sauerbrei hopes to give it an edge as authentic as his own personality. And for now, Instagram orders fits the bill — he gets to pursue a culinary hobby without the constraint of expectations imposed on a regular menu.
“I’m not doing it for anybody other than me,” he said. “I’m still curious about stuff.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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