Varsity Grill recently opened at the corner of Forest and Abrams, in the space formerly known as Coach’s.  Theme and decor are similar, but overall I found the value a little better and the menu more appealing.  Their sign says “Burgers, Wings and Other Things,” and that’s the down-home truth.

Their  “Original Burger” costs $4.99 — a decent value, weighing in at 1/3 lb. without the bun.  I was impressed that VG offers whole wheat buns along with the “house white,” which is actually a “sweet sourdough.”  I never heard of sweet sourdough before, but I can attest it is a scrumptious accompaniment to burger and ketchup.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

Fried sides of all kinds are available, from traditional potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onion rings– or for more adventure, try Jalapeno Poppers, Broccoli Bites (fried in batter with cheese, what’s not to like?), or fried Pickle Chips, to name only a few.

But what if you don’t want to eat fried food combined with melt-in-your mouth carbs and red meat?  You know the usual drill — everybody else orders a hamburger and the vegetarian in the group (or person trying not to grow out of jeans) cannot find anything satisfying to order. 

Not so at Varsity Grill.  They have a number of interesting salads (Grilled Chicken, or Hot Buffalo Chicken, and more).  They even have wraps, (chicken, shrimp, or veggie) and once again you get your choice of flour tortilla or whole wheat tortilla.

Wings are another food group.  You can get them in 15 flavors, from “mild” to “flaming.”

Kids menu includes mini corn dogs.  Desserts have names like “Monster Cookie” and “Killer Brownie.”

Frying oil is guaranteed to be free of trans fats.  Seriously!  The menu says so!  I love it when I can feel good about the frying oil. 

I’m happy to welcome this new restaurant to our neighborhood and I’ll go back to try the wraps, if I can ever get that sourdough bun out of my mind.