Lost City: Louisville Edition: Dizzy Whizz

Every city in America has a locally treasured monument to greasy cuisine. In Louisville, it is the Dizzy Whizz, a wonderfully named, one-of-a-kind, fast-food joint that has lit up a desolate block on West St. Catherine Street since 1947.

The Dizzy Whizz boasts both table and "curb" service, meaning you can drive your car up to the above neon "Dairy Bar" sign and order, and eat, there.

The inside is largely nondescript, with anonymous tables and chairs. Peek into the center of the interior, however, and you'll find a room containing an old-fashioned lunch counter (seen above). This—along with the drive-in area—is obviously the core of the original drive-in. The stand has since been added to and enlarged.

The counter area features an old school menu board, which tells of the joint's most famous culinary attraction: the Whizzburger.

I ordered a Whizzburger. It is basically a double-decker cheeseburger, with an extra piece of bread between the meat patties, and the requisite "special sauce." (Not so different from a Big Mac.) I enjoyed it, though it was nothing revelatory. Also liked the fries, and the cute paper sleeve the fries came in. But the milkshake was thick and exceptional. There are elaborate desserts as well. But I was too full to indulge in one by that point.

The prices are incredibly low at the Dizzy Whizz, and the help is helpful. (I was quickly steered toward a more economical choice than I would have otherwise made.)

Dizzy Whizz was founded by W. Howard Poole. He and his wife Millie ran the eatery for decades. Howard died in 2003, Millie in 2011.