Commodity: A basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other goods of the same type.
Let’s face it. Pizza is more important to some folks more than it is to others. Case in point is one of my pizza pal’s fathers. I recently gave my friend a pizza tip for his family while they were away on vacation. I did so because this place was special. Well, on his way there to get some pies to take away, my pal’s dad saw another pizza joint that was closer and went there instead. Having also been to this other place myself, simply stated, it sucked in comparison. I laughed when my friend told me the story and told him that he should get his pop his morning coffee at a gas station instead of his usual choice of Starbucks!
If you are reading this, I know that I’m proverbially preaching to the choir who know that all pizzas are not created equal. Which brings me to Nashville’s Brooklyn Pizza & Café which was recently recommended to me. With all due respects to the source of this tip, I should have considered the fact that they lived close by, weren’t very discriminate about their pies and most of all had a heart for the hardworking folks who owned the joint.
Still slowed by the Pandemic, I wasn’t getting out much, but one Saturday, I found myself on the rather aged, but eclectic, Nolensville Road (or Pike if that’s your fancy.) It’s a long, cluttered, and well-traveled road full of local business and more great ethnic food spots that you can shake a stick at. Taco trucks are a big specialty.
But on this day, I thought the time was right to knock Brooklyn P&C off my list, even after another local pizza bud warned me that I wouldn’t like it. So, needing subject matter and being hungry, I pulled into their parking lot after I spotted the place in a strip center that was slightly elevated above street level.
Stepping inside to a small room that looked like your typical East Coast pizza joint, there were no slices for sale (“Pies only” said the man behind the counter.”) and I had to order a small cheese pie. Restrictions still in effect, I would also have to take it to go, although I was allowed to sit inside behind my mask while I waited for it.
After a short wait, I took my pizza in a box to my car with a plan to both quickly satisfy my hunger and eat it while the pie was it was still hot and fresh. Having not seen any wares inside the place, opening the box would be a surprise and turned out to be an eventual let down. Inside the box was a tiny little personal pie that was puffier and cheesier than the Snob prefers.
As I ate, I discovered that it wasn’t as doughy as it looked, but man, was it cheesy! There also was zilch in the way of crispness to a crust that also didn’t dazzle me with its dull taste. Being slightly famished, it tasted OK and I ate it all without feeling miserable, even though one of the Snob’s mottos is “Pizza shouldn’t be filling!” Not only was this one too heavy for my liking, it was messy with cheese moving in all directions.
Generally speaking, it’s a given that the combination of cheese, tomato sauce and dough will almost always taste decent. But, as I began this dissertation, they can be crafted in a way to make them plain and non-interchangeable with one another. This one was sadly like the gas station coffee, somewhat satisfying, but not as good as it could be.
PIZZA SNOB RATING **1/2 Not a Total Waste
Brooklyn Pizza & Cafe
2428 Nolensville Pike
Nashville, Tennessee 37211
615-866-9352
www.brooklynpizzacafenashville.com