We're a bit patty crazy here at the Scene lately as our annual Burger Week rolls around July 18-24. If you haven't taken advantage of this period of beefy excess in the past, here's how it works. Some of your favorite restaurants all over town have either created new burgers or designated one of their best as an official entrant in Burger Week. In addition to Burger Week creating a lineup of great burgers, the real deal is that each eatery is offering its special for just $5. That's right, a fiver can get you a meal at one of these restaurants.
If you sample a few and choose a favorite, you can take part in the Scene's Burger Week Photo Contest. All you have to do is take a photo of your burger (because shooting your food is apparently the law now), and tag @nashvillescene on Instagram or Twitter using #SceneBurgerWeek. Everyone who does this during Burger Week will be entered to win prizes, which will include restaurant gift cards, Scene swag and more. (The more Burger Week burger photos you submit, the more chances you have to win a prize.)
The World Food Championships has also declared Nashville Scene's Burger Week to be a qualifying event for the 2016 World Food Championships. Vote for your favorite burger at nashvillescene.com beginning July 18 through July 24, and help one of our local restaurants win a spot in the big dance.
Meanwhile, the James Beard Foundation has also been promoting interesting burgers through their Blended Burger Project, an initiative to promote healthier and more sustainable burgers by adding chopped mushrooms into the mix. More than a hundred kitchens across the country are participating for the chance to be one of the five creators of the blended burgers that receive the most votes who will win a trip to New York City to be featured at the James Beard House on Oct. 16.
You can vote here, especially if you want to help out one of the five Nashville entrants: Chauhan Ale & Masala House, City Winery, Rae's Cuisine, St. Thomas West and The Britt Hunt Company. At the time of this post's writing, we're trailing the leading restaurant by only about 18,600 votes. (Nashville's top vote-getter has about 250 votes. Oops.)
OK, so maybe nobody from Music City is headed to Manhattan, but you can still take part in the fun at the Better Burger Battle at City Winery on July 14, when home team chef Garrett Pittler faces off against Aatul Jain of Chauhan Ale & Masala House. The doors open at 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. event, where $15 gets you samples of each chef's blended burger. They will each demo their burger at the beginning event so you can hear the story behind the creation.
Attendees will vote for their favorite and will also have the opportunity to enjoy City Winery's happy hour and venue menus throughout this event. A portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to March of Dimes. If you'd like to buy a ticket, head to the event website.
