Try An Atlanta Chef's 'Blended Burger' — And Vote!

Chef Aaron Avers of Establishment is offering a new "blended burger" at his Midtown Atlanta hotspot located in Colony Square. Establishment's blended burger is called the Southern Bell, and it is a beautiful stack with a blended beef and portabella mushroom patties.

A blended burger typically features a blend of meat and mushroom — a concept created and proliferated by Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative (HMC), a collaboration between the Culinary Institute of America and the Mushroom Council. This collaboration strives to create a healthier, more sustainable burger and thereby promote healthier eating habits. In this vein, to encourage restaurants to serve healthy burgers, last year the James Beard Foundation partnered with the Mushroom Council to launch the now-annual Blended Burger Project, a nationwide contest for chefs to share their take on the blended burger and for consumers to vote on their favorite juicy, healthy stack. The top five contestants will win a trip to New York City to serve their blended burgers at the James Beard House.

I tried Avers' blended burger on the Establishment patio overlooking the bustle of Midtown. The Southern Bell is a towering stack featuring a blended beef and portabella mushroom patty, fried green tomato, pimento cheese, and bacon all on a pretzel bun (my favorite!). The pimento cheese perfectly complemented the fried green tomato, which added a satisfying crunch to each bite, and the pert pretzel bun adds nice texture and a hint of salt to this Southern-style burger. Enjoy the burger with a frozen cocktail in hand!

This burger will be available from the end of May through the end of July.

There are numerous restaurants in Atlanta participating in the contest. For insantance, chef Deborah VanTrece is offering another delicious twist on the blended burger at Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours across town in West Midtown. Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours is modern, yet accented with homey touches that evoke a classic, Southern feel. VanTrece's blended burger is named "The Burger Wellington," and it is a healthy interpretation of the traditional English dish with a blend of beef brisket with oyster mushrooms, mushroom duxelle, and a puff pastry shell. Definitely worth a visit to the west side of town! 

For more information about where to find blended burgers in Atlanta, click here.

Voting starts May 29, 2017. To vote for a blended burger, click here.