Bites Nearby: DQ Grill and Chill

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Barrow Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Dairy Queen stores have been making customers happy since 1940, when the first DQ sold its first soft-serve ice cream cone in Joliet, Ill. Today, there are more than 5,700 locations in 19 countries, but repeat customers at the DQ in Winder give it the feel of a neighborhood restaurant. DQ’s cool treats are legendary and rightfully so. The Blizzard Treat is one of the world’s most popular ice cream dishes, blending soft-serve ice cream with the world’s most popular candies, including the Snickers Bar and the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. For those who frequented the DQ when they were young, the taste of a Dilly Bar, a DQ Sandwich or a DQ Vanilla Orange Bar can put a bad day back on track. For the purist, soft-serve vanilla cones are still on the menu, as well as vanilla cones dipped in chocolate. The DQ Grill and Chill franchises have kept the full line of the chain’s sweet treats, including sundaes, banana splits, floats and freezes and added a full menu of burgers, sandwiches and sides. Red-meat lovers will revel at the options: hot dogs, chili 'n cheese dogs, burgers, cheeseburgers, the DQ ultimate burgers and Grillburgers, available in various incarnations, including a Mushroom Swiss Grillburger. Chicken lovers will enjoy a grilled or breaded chicken sandwich, as well as chicken salad. The DQ Kids Meals will make your children as happy as you were when you ate at the Dairy Queen as a child. Head over to the DQ on May Street, where you can have the best of both worlds — the grill and the chill — and delicious memories, too. As the restaurant’s slogan says, ”Food So Good, it’s RiDQulous.”

51 W. May St., Winder. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 770-867-2800. Pricing: Reasonable.