Critic's Review
I changed my mind as to where I was going today, so I stopped into Sonic for a treat. My first taste of Sonic came with they opened their location at the Beach, which turned out to be a huge disappointment except for the view. This place is the more traditional drive-in.
It's owned by the same people who own the beach location (hence the Sonic Beach name), but this place is much different.
One big thing at Sonic is the drive in booths, which are supposed to re-create the thing from the 50s. One difference is that the cute chicks you see on Happy Days are nowhere to be found; there's a black dude and a white dude. I didn't want to eat a hot dog in my car so I went inside.
Kind of odd decor, with the big TVs and the wicker outdoor furniture indoors. There's just 2 menus for the whole place, or so it seems; I had to go over into the corner to read the one on the wall. Kind of strange that they didn't invest in a behind the counter menu.
I was here for a slush; I ordered a large orange ice cream slush ($2.99) and a NY Dog with mustard and Sauerkraut; the drink came out right away.
That's a lotta flavor for 2.99. It's a giant creamsickle; the perfect replacement for actual food. A few minutes later they brought me out a chili cheesedog with mustard. Not what I wanted. I sent it back and waited, reiterating what I wanted. The counter server assured me that she was on it.
The hot dog came out, I opened it to see that it had onions, but I wasn't sending it back. There were pretty benign onions; not the real NY sauteed onions, which I don't really like on a hot dog. On a sausage, yes, but not on a hot dog.
The food here is pedestrian; for $1.99 it's street food price, so I can't complain too much. Could be a lot better though.
The "idea" was that the drink would fuel me for the rest of the day, and in fact it did. Hours of drinking pleasure.
Conclusion
You see the Sonic commercials and you're at least a bit intrigued. The food is no better than any other fast food place, but the drinks are worth an occasional road trip. I think they still have a little stand at Beach Place, but you'll have to pay to park.
Food: Solid Food: 2 Stars Drinks: 4 Stars