My first impression of Solly’s was that it is someone’s house with a sign of their last name in the front yard. But as I got out of my car, I knew I was approaching an authentic burger joint.

A group of extremely friendly women greeted me as soon as a walked through the door. I took a seat at one of the two lunch counters, which serve as the main seating in the restaurant. The customers who filled the dual counters were the greatest variety of people I have ever seen in one room. I sat between a group of blue-collar workers and a senior couple.

The prices are between $3 and $6 — not too pricey for the average college student. For breakfast, Solly’s offers omelets, griddles, breakfast sandwiches and more. For lunch and dinner, one can pick from several kinds of burgers and super burgers, melts, brats and hot dogs, fried fish, steaks, pork chops, salads and sandwiches. Old-style shakes and malts add to the flavor of the small diner.

I ordered the regular cheeseburger and fries and what I got was something I have never seen (or eaten) before: a true butter burger. The cheeseburger was so greasy that the butter soaked all the way through the bun and butter was still visible along the edge. Along with an average-sized beef patty, the contents of the burger included large amounts of melting cheese and chopped fried onions.

It was nearly impossible to clean my hands of all the grease that was roughly 80 percent of my cheeseburger. The fries were average diner fries, but surprisingly not nearly as greasy as the famed burger.

After a bit of research, I found how famous Solly’s actually is. I first heard about the restaurant from people who live about 30 miles away, but frequently go the distance just to eat a Solly’s burger.

I also found Solly’s was featured in a documentary about hamburgers around the country (kind of the anti-“Super Size Me”). The mouth-watering movie, “Hamburger America” (www.hamburgeramerica.com), can be seen on the Sundance Channel from time to time.

The atmosphere was really enjoyable, but it’s not the usual college hangout. The food was as interesting as everyone in the restaurant, and it’s not every day that one has to share his or her ketchup bottle with four strangers.

Solly’s seems like something out of an Al Capone movie, which could have something to do with why there were so many senior citizens crowding the counters. It’s the atmosphere George Webb tries to create, but with authenticity.

4 out of 5 stars.

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