Taste of Nashville, Issue 8

One week ago today, Brandon and I went out to lunch with Anthony, the Director of Residence Life at Belmont. Anthony knows we review restaurants on our blog, so he suggested that we eat at a place we've never been to, Burger Up.

Burger Up is an upscale burger joint that uses local beef for their burgers. Their menu is full of unique combinations such as the bison burger, the turkey burger, and even an oyster 'burger' that features fried oysters instead of beef. The restaurant is also famous for their Jack Daniels' ketchup. I was excited to try their pimento cheese burger, as I've recently learned that I enjoy pimento cheese spreads. Brandon (whose favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla) ordered the classic burger. The fries that came with our meal were similar to what I call 'fair fries'. They're the kind you get at the fair that you smother with salt and vinegar. The only bummer about Burger Up is that they don't offer guests malt vinegar for their fries, so I had to eat them with ketchup instead. 

Anthony and I at Burger Up

After Burger Up, we all had a craving for something sweet, so we headed next door to Las Paletas.  Las Paletas serves customers gourmet popsicles that are made with fresh ingredients. They're so good they've been featured on The Food Network! The flavors offered change as the availability of ingredients change, but a few popular flavors include hot chocolate with hot peppers, hibiscus, and watermelon (which is made from and tastes like REAL watermelon, not watermelon flavoring). Brandon and Anthony both ordered the cookie flavor and I ordered the strawberries and cream flavor. Mine was SO good! I went back a few days later and ordered the coconut pineapple flavor, which was even better than the strawberries and cream. 

Anthony and Brandon at Las Paletas. 

As we ate our popsicles, we walked to Sevier Park. Its a beautiful park with lots of green space, a few swingsets, basketball courts, tennis courts, and a walking path. We walked and talked and ate our dessert before we had to head back to work. We would definitely recommend both Burger Up and Las Paletas to friends. Special thanks to Anthony for suggesting these places - we welcome future recommendations!