Several local restaurants were nominated to compete in the Alabama’s Best Steak Contest.

Several area restaurants, including ones in Athens, Elkmont and Rogersville, have been selected to compete in the statewide Alabama’s Best Steak contest, sponsored by the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association.

In a quest to find the best ribeye steak in the state, the Alabama’s Best Steak contest has registered more than 3,500 votes for 106 different steak restaurants in just the first two weeks.

Restaurants nominated regionally include:

•    Clarke’s Restaurant in Athens;

•    JW Steakhouse in Decatur;

•    Simp McGee’s in Decatur;

•    Off the Grill in Elkmont;

•    Connor’s Steak and Seafood in Huntsville;

•    Grille 29 in Huntsville;

•    Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Huntsville;

•    Lash Fish and Seafood Company in Rogersville; and

•    Stanfield’s Steakhouse in Rogersville.

Restaurants that have been nominated are busy promoting the tournament and consumers are voting as each vote helps that restaurant move one step closer to making the first cut, which is a bracket challenge that will begin on Aug. 4 featuring the “Sizzling 16” restaurants.

In its third year, the competition features a voting website, www.alabamasbeststeak.com, and requires the nominated restaurant to serve a ribeye steak.  Once the nomination process is completed on Aug. 2, votes will be tallied and the “Sizzling 16” restaurants will be announced, which begins the bracket challenge.  

Each week, the field will be narrowed as voters continue to push their favorite restaurant through each phase of the contest.  The bracket challenge will end on Aug. 17, when the voters have identified the “Fiery 4” restaurants.  

A panel of judges will visit each of the “Fiery 4” restaurants to score a ribeye steak on tenderness, juiciness and overall flavor. Restaurants will not know who the judges are or when they are coming to try a steak.