Ah.....Varsity.....How I miss you so......

Since I moved from Atlanta back in 1999, every visit back I must make a stop at the Varsity. For those not in the know, the Varsity is a burger and hot dog joint. But, it's fantastic. I think it's because the grease is probably about 60 years old. There are several establishments to choose from.

There is the original Varsity, by the Georgia Tech campus which is the big one, right off I-85 and the most famous....from the Varsity Website:

"The World's Largest Drive-in sits on more than two acres and can accommodate 600 cars and over eight hundred people inside. On days of Georgia Tech football games up to 30,000 people visit The Varsity. It sells more than two miles of hotdogs daily, a ton of onion rings, 2500 pounds of fresh cut potatoes, 5000 homemade fried pies, and 300 gallons of chili, all of which are made from scratch daily. The downtown Varsity is also the world's largest single outlet for Coca-Cola."

In my opinion, the original Varsity also has the most character (and characters!). The wait staff stands behind this enormously long counter, barking at the customers "What'll ya have? What'll ya have? Have your money in your hand and your order on your mind! What'll ya have!"

I caution you to have your order down pat before you step up to the counter. These people don't have time for dilly dallying....you most likely will get yelled at.

Then there is the Varsity in Athens, Georgia, near the University of Georgia, where I went to college. I think I went there once the whole time I was at school. After frequenting the Atlanta original so many times, I felt the Athens branch just didn't stack up. Then, there is the Varsity Jr. This is also in Atlanta, on Lindbergh Drive.....It is pretty small. I actually lived in an apartment a stone's throw from this one. Literally a 5 minute drive. Strangely, I never went to the Varsity Jr. until I moved away. I don't know what I was thinking. Temporary insanity, I guess. Now, the Varsity Jr. is the one I go to most often when I'm visiting. And little did I know that the Varsity is now serving up artery clogging goodness in Norcross, Alpharetta, and Kennesaw, as well.

So, here's what I recommend......I'd go with the number one combo......The two chili dawg/fries or onion rings/Coke. Best thing on the menu, by far. It's great if you're there with someone else, cause then one of you can get 0-rings and one can get fries, and you go halfsies. On this last visit, we also tacked a slaw dog onto the order to split. Very, very good. Kind of refreshing and light (as refreshing and light as a hot dog can be!), after the heaviness of the chili. And if you enjoy creamsicles, you should indulge in an F.O. (a Frosted Orange). It's like a creamsicle milkshake. If that's not your thing, you can get a chocolate shake....also very yummy. We also got a fried peach pie for dessert. I have to say, I didn't really care for it, but apparently lots of people love it. Maybe, I was just in too much of a food coma to be able to enjoy it.