restaurant - Burger Up

estaurantS P O T L I G H TRoss Powells, General Manager of Burger Up“We have created fun and fantastic cocktails,” he says. “For instance,the “Blueberry Fun” is made from Appleton rum, blueberrysyrup, lemon, balsamic vinegar and Peychaud’s bitters. We use organicallygrown blueberries and make our own syrup. We’re passionateabout making everything in house.” The bar also boasts anextensive bourbon list, something unique to the Cool Springs area.They even make their own ketchup. It comes to the table in a privatelabel Burger Up bottle, with a note on the back that says, “buyme.”“Our ketchup is so good that we kept getting requests to buy it, sowe’ve obliged,” Powells says. The going price for a bottle is $7.50. It’sdelicious and a great accompaniment to truffle fries or a fried Vidaliaonion tower.Burger 2.0The stars of the show here - the burgers - are many. Ranging inprice from $9 to $15, they include the Bear Creek classic of grass-fedAngus beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheddar and mustard.Or consider stepping outside the box for a citrus salmon burger orthe “Woodstock” - with Benton’s Bacon, white cheddar and JackDaniels maple ketchup.The turkey burger is dressed with avocado, caramelized onions,mayo, Romaine and tomato. The Marathon - a grilled or fried quinoaand black bean burger - is a vegetarian delight.“We like to have fun with our menu,” says Powells. “Consider‘The Twenty Dollar Burger,’ priced at $15. It’sa special house-seasoned patty wrapped inbacon and lettuce and served with black trufflemayonnaise.”And as one might expect, there’s an Aussieburger.“It’s the classic burger served in Australia,Powells explains. “A burger with lettuce,tomato, grilled onions, pickled beets, barbecuesauce and a fried egg. Now, I know itsounds a bit strange in the beginning, but it’sfantastic.”The burger has been such a success that the menu includes a friedegg in the “add-ons” category for any burger. Who knew fried eggson burgers could be so tasty? And not just any old fried egg, but,of course, only freshfarm eggs are usedhere.The lamb isdressed with Arugula,sautéed onions,white cheddar, herbaioli and tomato.Buns are made bya Nashville bakeryand gluten-free optionsare available.The appetizers,priced from $5 to$10, are just as interestingas the burgers.Consider todie-forfried mac & cheese, fried pickle chips, local white cheddarpimento cheese and local nachos - made to order from hand-friedcorn tortillas.Salads, priced from $5 to $15, are anything but wimpy, accordingto Powells.“You get a real meal in a salad,” he says. “Most guests end up takingpart of it home in a to-go box. My favorite is the Cobb; I eat it almostcontinued on page 26homemade goodnessnow till 9pm on thursdays,fridays and saturdays!open mon thru wed 7:00 am - 5:00 pmthur thru sat 7:00 am - 9:00 pm110 fourth ave. south downtown franklin 615-790-3755 merridees.comD E C E M B E R / H O L I D AY 2 0 1 2 s S O U T H E R N E X P O S U R E M A G A Z I N E25