Vito's Pizza & Italian Tavern

As I have mentioned previously, we always like to try a local place for pizza when we travel.  On our recent trip to Franklin we had several choices and after a little research we chose Vito’s Pizza and Italian Tavern.  It was an excellent choice.

We had driven by Vito’s a couple of times during the week so we knew where it was, but we still used the GPS because it’s just fun.  Vito’s is located in a strip plaza and when we drove up I was a bit surprised that it was smaller than I thought.  However, they had a fat chef statue outside which is always a good sign.  An even better sign was when we stepped inside and saw a guy tossing pizza dough in the air. 

We were quickly seated in the dining room and I think they had about six or eight tables.  It was a little
tough to tell as there were these yentas having some sort of party so some of the tables were obviously pushed together.  Our server, Robin, told us they had a special that night: an 18” pizza with three toppings and an order of breadsticks for only $17.99.  Well, we jumped at that immediately. 

Since Lady Gianna is still on her veggie kick we had to split the pizza.  She chose spinach, onions and green peppers while Prince Garrison and I chose pepperoni, sausage and ground beef.  The server told us that all the sausage, crust and sauce were made from scratch right there by Vito himself.  At this point I was beyond excited. 

The first thing to arrive was the breadsticks and I was very surprised at what I saw.  I was expecting some sticks in a basket with some marinara, but what I saw on the table was what appeared to be a small white pizza with a side of marinara.  I can’t tell you how many sticks they had on the plate, but they were delicious.  On a side note, the initial serving of marinara was cold, but that was quickly taken care of for us.  The breadsticks were fresh and hot and the blend of cheeses they used on it was fantastic.  The cheese was gooey and smelled wonderfully.  Both Lady Gianna and the young prince enjoyed dipping the breadsticks in the marinara (which was also very flavorful), but Sir Griffin liked his breadsticks straight up.  Not that I didn’t try them dipped in marinara, but they were perfect the way they were. 

The breadsticks were polished off and it was time for the main course.  When I saw Robin bringing over the pizza my eyes lit up.  The pizza was huge and took up most of the table.  The aroma was heavenly and the pie was steaming hot.  It had to be one of the world’s most spectacular sights.  I served up a slice to the little prince and to myself while Lady Gianna dove right into the veggie side.  (For what it’s worth, Prince Garrison also had a slice of the veggie side as did I.  It was very good, but needed meat)

The first thing I noticed when I bit into the pizza was the crust.  As I have already mentioned it was hand tossed.  The crust is extremely important and if it is dry or too much like a cracker you have a problem.  There was no problem.  The crust was thin, slightly buttery and soft with just a hint of garlic.  The sauce was tangy and acidic with a nice tomato flavor.  The sausage was rich with flavor, the pepperoni packed a bit of a punch and the ground beef was seasoned to perfection.  It did not take too long to finish off the entire pie. 

When we finished (and the yentas were still going strong) we were stuffed.  Dessert was not an option.  It hardly matter though as we had just finished off some delicious pizza.  I would highly recommend a trip to Vito’s if you happen to be in the Franklin area.  I cannot guarantee the same special, but I can guarantee a great meal.