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IMAGINE EVEL KNIEVEL at meal time. Would the king of all daredevils choose a bland chicken sandwich with a cheese stick appetizer?

No way. We'd like to think he'd go for something edgy; something to put both his abdomen and constitution through strenuous paces. With this premise, accessAtlanta sought out a series of extreme dining experiences. Yes, we survived — with a few splashes of water to the face and several handfuls of antacid. We ranked the "fear factor" of each: 1 being relatively tame, 3 being totally yonkers. It was not just a job, it was a gastrointestinal adventure.

Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
The Ghetto Burger at Ann's Snack Bar
Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
Brains masala at Mughals in Norcross
Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
Abdullah's Favorite at Abudullah The Butcher's House of Ribs in Ben Hill
Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
The Luther Burger at Mulligan's in Decatur
Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
A Sushi Shooter at RuSan's
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NAME: The Ghetto Burger, $5.50

WHERE: Ann's Snack Bar, 1615 Memorial Drive, Atlanta. 404-687-9207

FEAR FACTOR: 1

THE EXPERIENCE: This burger shack has been a fixture since 1972. Behind the counter is Ann Price, a no-nonsense host. We fielded a cellphone call just as Price approached to take our order. Frustrated, she quickly got our attention by repeatedly smacking a paper plate on the counter.

In 1993, Price channeled her fiery demeanor into an infamous creation. The Ghetto Burger starts with two ground beef patties. Price says she doesn't know the weight; she just does it by "feel." She tops them with bacon, chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. It all comes on a toasted bun. The counterpart is the Hood Burger ($5.75), which features slaw instead of lettuce. Lucky for us she's happy to toss customers a piece of foil. As deliciously decadent as it was, we couldn't finish it.

VERDICT: The best in burger indulgence, but don't mess with Ann.

NAME: Brains Masala, $7.99

WHERE: The Mughal's, 5265 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Suite 6200, Norcross. 770-446-6941

FEAR FACTOR: 3

THE EXPERIENCE: The idea of eating brains brings to mind one thing: zombie movies. We couldn't seem to shake that thought when strolling into the Mughal's, an intimate noshery specializing in Pakistani, Indian and Bangladesh cuisine. It all looks appetizing wading in a puddle of homemade masala sauce, a mixture of cumin, ground chili, garlic, cilantro and other spices. Goat brains bear a slight resemblance to scallops, in taste and consistency. And the flavorful masala doesn't pack overbearing heat. Owner Naushad Anwer says a DJ's recent mention of the dish on WNNX FM resulted in a crowd of 20-somethings lapping up brains. The restaurant ran out. George Romero would be proud.

VERDICT: Tasty, for sure, but brains are brains.

NAME: Abdullah's Favorite, $7.49

WHERE: Abdullah the Butcher's House of Ribs & Chinese Food, 2387 Fairburn Road, S.W. Atlanta. 404-629-2332

FEAR FACTOR: 1

THE EXPERIENCE: There's nothing extreme about the menu here. Solid barbecue ribs, chicken and soul food tag-team with better-than-average Chinese standards. But the restaurant's owner is a mammoth professional wrestler who's been frightening fans for 45 years. This is the guy known for slurping raw liver and chewing up light bulbs on camera. And the Butcher has sliced up more opponents' faces than an off-brand disposable razor; his weapon of choice being a fork.

But at his restaurant, Abdullah amicably greets fans and signs autographs while chomping on a cigar. And you can sometimes find him dining on Abdullah's Favorite, a stir-fried medley of Chinese vegetables, beef, chicken and shrimp with a side of fried rice dotted with black pepper.

Abdullah also has a location in the Greenbriar Mall food court.

VERDICT: Good stuff, just hide your fork when you're done.

NAME: The Luther Burger, $6.50

WHERE: Mulligan's, 630 E. Lake Drive, Decatur. 404-377-0108

FEAR FACTOR: 2

THE EXPERIENCE: Owner Chandler Goff likes getting radical in the kitchen. He's the co-inventor of the Hamdog, a hot dog wrapped in ground beef and deep fried, topped with chili, cheese, onions and a fried egg, and served on a hoagie roll. His other claim to fame is a bit more simple, but no less wacky. The Luther Burger is a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between a Krispy Kreme doughnut that's been sliced in half.

Unexpectedly, the sweetness somehow gels with the chargrilled cheesiness. "I equate it to dipping your bacon or sausage in syrup at breakfast," Goff says.

Goff got his cue from the late R&B singer Luther Vandross. He read a Rolling Stone article about Vandross cooking a hamburger during his heavier period. Once he realized he was out of buns, he found the only substitute he could think of: a doughnut.

But Goff toasts his doughnuts, something he learned from tailgating.

VERDICT: Sounds crazy, but it works.

NAME: The Sushi Shot, $4.75

WHERE: Ru San's, 1529 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-7042

FEAR FACTOR: 2

THE EXPERIENCE: Order this unorthodox cocktail on a weekend night and the sushi chefs might become your own personal pep rally. As we gulped ours down, they cheered and hollered in the background. A raw oyster is plopped in a glass of sake, along with a glob of wasabi. The rim of the glass is dolled up with bold red fish eggs. It may look intimidating to some, but it's a novel form of multitasking for sushi lovers.

VERDICT: It's all going to the same place.

BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT a gastrointestinal adventure of your own, you may want to hear Morgan Spurlock's story first-hand. The director famously documented his 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald's in the 2004 award-winning, Oscar-nominated film "Super Size Me." He'll be in town to talk about his experiences and to sign his book, "Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America."

Spurred by a lawsuit against McDonald's by two teens alleging the fast food chain made them fat, Spurlock sacrificed his own waistline, liver and sex life. Now, his health is back, thanks to his vegan chef fiancée and months of hard healthy work. He even swears he'll pull off the highway to hit a grocery store instead of pulling into a fast food drive-through. And according to his blog, when he was accepting an award for another documentary series he created, he "met the guy who invented the Happy Meal and he and his family told me how much they enjoyed 'Super Size Me.' " Check out the film before you head to this event. There won't be a screening.

• THE 411: $12-$30. 8 p.m. Jan. 28. Zaban Park at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 770-396-3250, Ext. 313, www.atlantajcc.org/supersizeme.

— Elizabeth Cobb