High on my to-do list for Atlanta was a visit to The Varsity, the famed drive-in restaurant in downtown Atlanta, near Georgia Tech. According to wikipedia,
"The main branch of the chain is the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world, despite mediocre reviews of the quality of its food in comparison to other chains."
What did I think? My order: a #1 combo, containing two chilidogs with mustard, fries, and an obligatory Varsity Orange Drink.
The Chilidogs: 6/10. I am partial to a good chilidog, and these were decent. The chili had a good amount of flavor without being caustic to my digestive system, the mustard was classic yellow, the buns were steamed, I think, and the dog tasted like a normal hotdog. The strength of this was the chili's flavor, as everything else was pedestrian.
The fries: 0/10. Awful. Soggy. Limp. Flavorless. I should have clarified when I ordered that I should be served fries that had actually been placed into hot oil and cooked, not just, I don't know, immersed in lukewarm oil until they're no longer hard? Seriously, these things were terrible. I added some salt to try and get some flavor into them, but that's like waxing a car in a junkyard. The only redeeming factor was the use of Heinz ketchup in the dining room, not Hunts.
The Varsity Orange Drink: 5/10. Have you had orange Gatorade? Have you ever mixed it yourself with the powder, but added too much and ended up with a gritty drink? Yeah, that's exactly what this tasted like.
The Service: 9/10. Fast. No complaints.
The Overall Experience: 3/10. I've now been there. I will not go back. This place became famous for some reason that has nothing to do with the food.
"What'll ya have!!!" I remember going there twice on church trips in middle school and being terrified to order. I remember nothing about the food.
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