by Bottom Line: BJ’s Nashville Bleu Tavern Cut pizza delivers on the bleu cheese and brings some heat as well. And it pairs perfectly with their current seasonal Zany Zitrus beer.
As I have mentioned on this site before, BJ’s Brewhouse is one of my favorite chain restaurants and I visit the one near me on a frequent basis. Largely because I love their craft beers, and their Grand Cru is one of my all-time favorites (more on that one here), but their food is pretty darn good as well. Sadly, they don’t have too much to choose from that brings the heat, but there are a few options (particularly the Jambalaya), and one more just got added to the menu.
The Nashville Bleu is one of several new additions to their thin-crust Tavern Cut pizza selection, and it should satisfy those looking for some spice to pair with a tasty brew. It includes grilled chicken, Nashville Hot sauce, bleu cheese crumbles, applewood smoked bacon, sliced pickled jalapenos, and sliced red onions all atop their thin and crispy flatbread-style crust.
I am a big fan of their Tavern Cut pizzas and I certainly hope this one gets added to the permanent menu. I’m also a big fan of bleu cheese (especially when it is paired with spicy ingredients), and this pie definitely satisfies in that department. It had plenty of the pungent cheese layered across the top that delivered a nice sharpness along with some creaminess. It worked particularly well with the tasty bacon that was generously covering the pie and acted as a nice counterbalance to the saltiness.
Surprisingly, the pieces of chicken were rather bland and got lost in the mix, but they did at least add some chew. The red onions were rather sparse, but there were enough to bring a nice bit of sweetness to the table. The crust is not as crispy as you might expect, with middle pieces proving quite floppy. But that doesn’t detract from the experience too much. If they were going for a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich taste, that didn’t quite work here. But I’m not complaining because overall this pizza works for me.
The Nashville Hot sauce substitutes for tomato sauce, and there wasn’t too much of it added to the pizza. That may be okay, though, because it could easily overwhelm the flavors, and it seemed mostly there to bring heat to the pizza (it succeeds at that). The jalapenos were not too prevalent, with about one or two slices per piece. But when you get a bite of those, they bring a nice pop along with some tang and a boost to the heat. I think they would be better off dicing the peppers up so that they would spread out more evenly among the toppings. The heat was around Medium level when you had a bite with the jalapeno and closer to Mild for the pepperless bites. Next time I will ask for extra jalapenos.
The Tavern Cut pizza is medium in size, but that’s deception because of the thin crust. You may think you can split this with someone, but if that is all you are getting you will leave hungry. However, if you try to eat the full thing yourself, you will be loosening that belt at the end of the meal. BJ’s lists the calories at about 110 per piece, but these are not uniform slices (cut crosswise) so it is hard to gauge. I’m guessing a full pie is going to get you over the thousand calorie threshold and needing to spend some extra time on that treadmill.
Pricewise, the Nashville Bleu sells for $16.75 which is on the high side for an individual meal at a casual sit-down restaurant these days (though getting to be more of the norm these days). But if you split this with someone and get a side salad, you’re not doing too bad. Your best bet is to visit BJ’s on Mondays when they have the regular special of half off on all pizzas. At less than nine bucks, this is a pretty good deal. (Sorry, the calories aren’t reduced by half on Mondays).
This pizza just showed up on the menu at my BJ’s and its not available in the Houston locations just yet according to my brother. I’m not certain if they are testing it here or just rolling it out in steps across the country. You may want to check to see if your BJ’s has it before heading there, but if they do I recommend giving it a try. And this goes particularly well with their new seasonal beer the Zany Hazy IPA (more on that one in an upcoming post).
Tale of the Tape
The nutrition data is not available for the Nashville Bleu yet, so I am going with the Classic Brewhouse which should be similar.
Serving Size: 1 Slice
Calories: 110
Fat: 6g (2g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 9g
Sodium: 250mg
