Just to ensure that there are no illusions about what you're putting into your body, Pat's packs your food into brown paper to-go bags, which unwittingly disclose the rather greasy nature of their content. Most people will relish the guilty pleasure of periodically dining on this kind of fare, but for the exceptionally squeamish it might be advisable to eat on the premises, either in your vehicle or at one of a few picnic tables set up outside. Not far up the road from Pat's, another retro dining experience awaits in the guise of Shari's First Avenue Drive-In. More than a few generations of Tucson residents have come of age under Shari's exemplary hamburger and milkshake tutelage. These burgers come closest to the kind you make at home, the advantage to Shari's being that someone else had to fire up the grill and clean up the mess.
Various sizes are available, ranging from the typical single patty to a triple cheeseburger.
Even the hot dogs, which appear at first glance to be rather ho-hum, are elevated to a more interesting state by the fact that the frank has been searingly grilled prior to being placed in the bun. A small detail perhaps, but one that yields tremendous benefits in terms of taste and interest. Shari's further distinguishes itself with an awesome array of milkshake flavors, all of which are made to order with real ice-cream. It isn't until you sample the creamy goodness of one of Shari's milkshakes that you fully realize that the chain varieties you've been settling for possess a grainy, artificial quality. Not only is the flavor of Shari's milkshakes vastly superior, so are the choices, which range far beyond the typical trio of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry to include cherry, butterscotch, coffee, pineapple, coconut, peanut butter and blueberry.