So the day has come, we finally made it to The Counter! I’ve heard so much about this burger joint. After all the fanfare from their Santa Monica start, to their launch in Orange County, I was expecting to have to wait 30 minutes to be seated. But fortunately for myself and Mrs. DanGarion we were immediately seated; the advantage of arriving at 5:30 PM on a Thursday! The first thing you notice as you enter The Counter, is the bar, since it’s right there in front of you at the entrance, it’s not a large bar by any means, but because it’s at the entrance and the entire place is surrounded by windows the bar really stands out. From the looks of it the bar serves only wine and beer, and they have a pretty interesting array of beers to choose from. But tonight wasn’t about beer; it was about trying our first burgers from The Counter.
First off The Counter is sort of like the reverse version of what Flakey Jakes was, and Fuddruckers is; you get a burger, and lots of toppings to put on it, but instead of doing it yourself you pay a little more for The Counter’s cook to do it for you. When you are seated the hostess hands you a clipboard with an order sheet to fill out so they can make your burger to order. You have a choice of the type of patty (beef, turkey, veggie, grilled chicken); along with the size (1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, and the gluttonous 1 lb). I can tell you one thing, I like to eat, but even I couldn’t eat a one pound hamburger! I’m not going to name off every choice you have for your toppings, but I will mention a few of the different toppings; herb goat cheese spread, dried cranberries, scallions, sun dried tomatoes, apricot sauce. Wow that list almost sounds like a burger someone would put together doesn’t it? Along with the toppings you also have a choice of three types of buns, with English muffin being the somewhat unusual choice. We tend to like the more traditional choices when it comes to burgers so we didn’t steer too off the traditional path when we constructed our burger masterpieces. I went with; 1/3 lb beef, cheddar, grilled onions, lettuce blend, tomatoes, honey cured bacon, mayonnaise and red relish on a hamburger bun. In case anyone is asking what red relish is, it’s just traditional sweet pickle relish mixed with ketchup (wow that’s pretty gourmet isn’t it?). Mrs. DanGarion went with 1/3 lb beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and mayonnaise. Pretty boring burgers we got, eh? To go along with the burgers I ordered a “Fifty – Fifty “of Sweet Fries and Onion Strings.
Our fried goodness of sweet fries and onion strings arrived about 10 minutes after we placed our order. I dug in straight for the sweet fries, while my wife went for the strings. Along with the fried goodies they give you three dipping sauces to enjoy. The waitress told us which sauces were for what, but I broke the rules and used whatever sauce I wanted whenever I wanted, HA! The sweet friends were good, much like ones I’ve had at other establishments. The onion strings were a lot like the “Awesome Blossom” from Chili’s, which isn’t a bad thing, unless you are looking to watching your calorie intake. Fortunately for us it wasn’t as big of an order as you would get from Chili’s.
About 5 minutes later our burgers arrived. The first thing you notice about a burger from here is that they are stacked tall! These things must have been about 5 inches tall, which for someone like me with a bad jaw, can be very intimidating! Honestly though I can’t say I was blown away as I was eating my burger. Neither was my wife. That’s not to say the burger wasn’t good, it was a really good burger, but it wasn’t the best we’ve ever had. I have to give it to The Counter though, they do a good job on the burger, and all the ingredients were fresh and had a good taste to them.
My review of The Counter really was a lot of build up, just like I heard before I went there, lots of build up; but in the end you are left with just a normal burger. Granted the concept is different and I have to give that to them, but it’s not the type of place I would go out of my way to eat at.
As for our service, it was average. Our waiter was nice and for the most part took care of us and asked how everything was. Total bill was right about $32 for two burgers, two soft drinks, and the “fifty-fifty” order, a little more then you would spend at Red Robin or the equivalent sit down burger chain joint.
05/09/2008
[xrr rating=3/5]
The Counter
Woodbury Town Center
Irvine, CA 92620
(949) 336-7272
