Posted by ayersian
, January 10, 2009 01:08
First opened in Santa Monica, The Counter epitomizes Southern California burger culture by offering a build-your-own menu that’s customized to your exact preferences. The menu, in the form of a burger ballot, is attached to a clipboard at the table, and with the pencil provided, you check off your choices. There are four different types of burgers (beef, turkey, veggie, grilled chicken) in three different weights (1/3 lb., 2/3 lb., 1 lb.) on three different buns (hamburger, wheat, English muffin); 10 cheeses; 18 toppings (you may choose up to four); 10 premium toppings for an extra charge; and 18 sauces. Crunch the numbers, and that’s well over 300,000 unique combinations! Our friends Jenn and Paulie were kind enough to treat us to lunch at the Santa Monica store at 2901 Ocean Park Boulevard, and our meal turned out to be filling enough for us to skip dinner (yes, we admit to being lightweights!).
Amy ordered a 1/3 lb. turkey burger with imported Swiss cheese, roasted green chiles, tomato, grilled onions, guacamole, and a spill of scallions (pictured above) on a honey wheat bun, while I braved a 1/3 lb. beef burger with Tillamook cheddar, roasted chiles, grilled onions, spicy pepperocinis, honey cured bacon, and BBQ sauce (below) on a wheat bun. It’s the type of sandwich that you must unhinge your jaw to bite successfully, but your mouth is immediately welcomed by all the flavors working together for a pivotal burger experience.
Sharing a basket of fries was par for the course, so we all decided on the Fifty-Fifty: thin onion strings and sweet potato fries (below), both of which were utterly addictive.
While the rest of us ordered sodas to drink, Amy felt compelled to try the eggnog milkshake (below) in honor of the holidays, and it was just as slurp-alicious as it sounds. Living just a few blocks away, Paulie had never been here before but vowed to return as soon as possible for another high-quality burger. Two enthusiastic thumbs up for the Counter!
