Looking for more local pizza places to pick on, I decided to go back to a place I hadn’t visited in several years: Nashville Pizza Company. NPC currently operates two places in Franklin, but does not actually have a spot in the Music City. So let’s face it, why didn’t they call it the Franklin Pizza Company!
In my pre-Snob days, I had previously been to their Grassland area location in the Battlewood Shopping Center and was not impressed. This time I thought I would visit their other location in the Watson Glen Shopping Center on Old Highway 96. Curiously, as the crow flies, this is actually the closest non-chain pizza joint to my home.
My adventure took place a lazy Saturday night that seemed just right for a takeout dinner. On my run, I stopped first to get some sushi for Mrs. Pie and then went to NPC to pick up the medium cheese pie ($10.75) that she called ahead for.
Arriving at NPC at 7pm on a Friday evening, you would have thought that this place served the best pizza in the world. The joint was jumping! Every table was full and there were others like myself getting pies to go. Mrs. Pie even said she had a hard time getting through on the telephone.
Waiting inside, I saw walls full of signed photos of country singers (including my favorite, the late George Jones) and several Williamson County pizza awards. Oddly enough they were all for second place which made me wonder who came in first.
While they said my pie would be ready at 7:20, it was ready early at 7:10. I took the pie home and dove right in. My first reaction was that it was not as bad I remembered. Dimension-wise, it scored fairly well in terms of being thin and not over-cheesed. It was weird though how the end crust was much higher than the rest of the pie. While somewhat tasty and satisfying to my pizza craving I couldn’t deny the fact that there was just something odd about it.
Dissecting things, the bottom crust was light in color with no noticeable oven char. It wasn’t the least bit crunchy and had the look and feel of a cracker. The cheese was cooked so thoroughly into the crust, it had almost no fluidity left whatsoever. There were even a few spots on top where it was burnt. The cheese just seemed to be totally wrong. On the other hand, the tomato sauce was pleasant and while not well-seasoned, there was nothing off-putting about it.
Eating this crust on its own, you would never think you were eating a pizza crust. In trying to put my finger on what the crust reminded me of, I gave a bit to Mrs. Pie. Her remark? “It smells like beer!” Could that somehow be from the yeast?
My main dislike though about this pizza probably had to do with the fact as to how overall dry it was. From top to bottom, the cheese and crust were cooked almost bone dry leaving scant evidence of any oil—one of the cornerstones of taste for a good pizza.
All put together, NPC’s pie was not anything horrible or disgusting. But, if you are looking for a good pizza in Franklin, the Snob still recommends either Brooklyn Brothers Pizza on New Highway 96 or Sal’s Family Pizza on Hillsboro Road. There’s no need to keep NPC on your map.
PIZZA SNOB RATING *** Better Than Dominos
Nashville Pizza Company
152 Watson Glen Franklin, Tennessee 37064
615-595-8001
nashvillepizzacompany.com
