Cobble Hill is pretty good for the money. It's affordable as I don't think any entree is over $50.00. I'm also a fan of Sprecher's, so that makes it worth the trip (for me at least). I think you could probably get in and out of there under a hundy. So very reasonably priced, but I don't think it's the best place in the area.
I'm a bit confused by some of the posts on here, but taste in food is a very individual thing, so while I'll gladly spend $300 on good Kobe beef for dinner, others want tacos.
FWIW, there are some extremely good places to eat in CR. Most aren't widely known, or are too expensive for many people, but they are certainly there. When Sal had his Italian place, that was about as close as you could get to authentic Italian almost anywhere, and if you asked, and were willing to pay, he'd make whatever you wanted off menu. I'd put his place above places I've eaten at in NYC, and Sicily for that matter. Unfortunately, people here preferred Texas Roadhouse I guess, and Sal left. There is at least one steak place that calls me when they have high grade Wagyu available. Two places that call when they have either Wahoo or John Dory, both of which are obviously seasonal. Both places routinely get shark. Mako and/or black tip. Off menu mostly, as the loin is the sought after park of shark steak.
Within an hourish of CR there is a place that serves Kobe beef. I was skeptical at first, but they did provide the certificate of authenticity when I asked, complete with the nose print of the steer. And it is at a very, very reasonable price of $32 an oz. So an authenticated 8 oz Kobe steak can be had for about $250. Which is a smoking price when compared to larger cities. If you can even get Kobe and it isn't Australian Wagyu, or something passed off at Kobe. It's pretty hard to forge a nose print and the necessary verbiage that it is the Tajima strain of Wagyu cattle, raised in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture.
To be frank, if you get Japanese beef anywhere around that one province, it's very likely that it will be some of the best beef you've ever eaten. And maybe you could get in at under $20 per oz.
Anyway, I probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and there are probably no good restaurants in Eastern Iowa, and more specifically Cedar Rapids.