Has anyone else wondered, as they drive by the Culver’s sign on Scottsville Road: &#8220What the heck is a ButterBurger?”

Then upon further reading: &#8220How is frozen custard different than ice cream?”

I’d like to say the questions for me ended there. Is it fast food or a sit-down restaurant? Is it unique to Bowling Green or part of a chain? A friend answered the latter before I visited Culver’s last week; on a trip to St. Louis a few years ago, friends took him to Culver’s, saying he just had to try their burgers.

This column doesn’t usually cover fast food, so when I saw the drive-through and the brightly lit order boards, I thought I might have to go elsewhere until I noticed the variety of side items that go with each meal, the salads, the homestyle soups and entrée choices. That’s when I decided I had to check this out.

A clean white-and-blue color scheme brightens the room, reminiscent of a ’50s diner. The dining room is sectioned off from the kitchen and order area by a walkway partition, protecting the dining area from the noise and business of ordering. A definite plus.

For those of you still wondering about the other questions I asked: Culver’s does consider itself a sit-down restaurant; the first opened in 1984 and there are now 330 locations, mostly in the midwest and Texas.

We entered and asked the friendly young woman at the counter what the difference was between the ButterBurger (with its registered trademark) and other burgers. She wasn’t able to offer specifics – all she’d say was that they’re &#8220better.”

My dining companion ordered the cheddar burger, served with real cheddar cheese. Because Culver’s burgers are grilled to order, she opted for lettuce and pickles, which came in abundance. The burger patty was unique because, although it was thin, it was still juicy with a distinct beef flavor.

I visited the Web site later to find out that ButterBurgers are all beef with no fillers. The beef is kept fresh and never frozen, seared on a hot grill, always cooked to order and served on a lightly buttered bun (finally explaining the name). To bring these questions to a conclusion: ButterBurgers are not the thick, gourmet burger I was expecting, but are uniquely delicious in their own right. The menu also tempts you with double or triple the patties on your burger, which you can order if you yearn for a thick burger bite.

When I ordered, I looked for something out of the ordinary and asked for a recommendation between the Philly ribeye steak or pork tenderloin sandwich. The ribeye meat was moist and tender, and while I ate the sandwich with just Swiss cheese and mayo, I’d recommend you add flavor, perhaps with a tomato or barbecue sauce. For me, the flavor of the meat could not carry the sandwich and I ran out of meat before I ran out of bun.

Culver’s stands out among most other burger joints in that you can choose from a long list of sides. These include seasoned green beans, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, cheese curds, side salad, onion rings, three homestyle soups and, of course, fries.

We opted for French fries with the burger and cheese curds with the steak. The fries were of the crinkle variety, but needed to be crispier for my taste (I would have treated them to a trip into the oven if I had brought them home). The cheese curds were basically made of thick batter, fried around cheese that didn’t have much flavor and, once cooled, were nearly inedible.

The most important reason to visit Culver’s, in my opinion, is for the frozen custard, the creamiest frozen dessert I have ever had. Premium ice cream with a touch of egg yolk, it was light, smooth and delicious in a way that goes far beyond soft-serve (my former favorite).

Culver’s offers chocolate, vanilla or the flavor of the day, which is known and posted a month in advance. You can also choose from more than a dozen toppings and mix-ins, order a sundae or enjoy a concrete mixer (toppings blended in) or shake.

Anything made with this frozen custard will be a step above any other ice cream you can find.

In the end, I think I’d put Culver’s in the fast-food category, mainly because of the quality of the sides and the cardboard cups for the self-serve drinks. Still, if you’re looking for an inexpensive family night out that’s just beyond fast food, go for Culver’s.