A friend has been having cravings for Varsity burgers since last week so I agreed to go provided he drove. He did. Today. We went. The place was packed. There were tons of kids on a field trip. And yes, the little old lady is still there yelling at the top of her lungs: “Whaddayougonnahave, whaddayougonnahave?”
I forgot to charge my camera battery so I had to use my phone…
I had the Combo #2: Glorified Bacon Cheeseburger with onion rings and a drink. While I’ve never been wowed by their burgers despite their ‘always-fresh-never-frozen’ claim to fame, going to Varsity, an Atlanta institution since 1928, is an experience nobody should miss. It’s something about the deafening and chaotic atmosphere that just draws people in. So my burger was okay. Nothing fantastic, just a greasy burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, hence the term glorified.
But let me tell you about the onion rings. Gigantic home-grown Vidalia onion rings so greasy your cholesterol shoots up a hundred points just looking at it. But the taste — there is no oniony taste in these onions, just sweet, sweet onions. For those who aren’t familiar, Vidalia onions put Georgia on the map, so to speak. Grown in Vidalia, Georgia, (including a specific Georgia southeast region) these onions are sweet and void of the spicy taste that makes onions, well, onions. I kid you not, you can actually eat a Vidalia onion like you eat an apple.
Back to my onion rings. Would you believe they were fried in no-cholesterol Canola oil? And they now use Kraft Lite Mayo in their chicken and egg salad? Really, you have to try The Varsity at least once.
Insider Tip:
Better be ready with your order when you walk up to the counter or they’ll yell at ya!
You must, must try the onion rings and the frosted orange. Must!
The scoop:
Nothing beats the original Varsity on North Avenue
The Varsity
61 North Avenue,
Atlanta, GA 30308
Sunday-Thursday 10:00am-11:30pm
Friday-Saturday 10:00am-12:30am
404-881-1706
Six other locations. Check their website for addresses.
Technorati Tags: The Varsity, Vidalia onions, onion rings, frosted orange, glorified burgers
