THE COUNTER - Santa Monica

THE COUNTER is one of three “burger joints” in the US nominated for the Best Burger award from The Food Network. This loud, energetic café is “hidden” on Ocean Park Boulevard. It did not did win the top award, but it gets my vote.

The Counter offers a checklist menu with steps 1-5, allowing you great creativity in building the burger of your dreams.

My lunch companion & dear friend, Roberta, and I had fried dill pickles as a starter. Yumm. The tart pickles were lightly breaded and deep fried. These tasty bits are very hot. I am not complaining, but be warned. Let the pickles cool for a minute to two before you quickly devour them.

I built a 1/3 lb beef burger with horseradish cheddar, pepperoncinis, sprouts, carrot strings topped with a fantastic peppercorn steak sauce. This mouthful was served on a honey wheat bun. My burger was cooked perfectly, slightly charred edges and a touch of pink in the center. Delicious!

You can choose beef, turkey, veggie or grilled chicken as the base to your burger. If this isn’t enough, you can choose between 1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, or a full 1 lb of “meat.”

I recommend skipping the horseradish cheddar, not enough zing for me. I would prefer fresh horseradish. There are 8 other cheeses on the menu for your selection.

On my next visit, I will be certain to choose one of the many shakes on the menu and the sweet potato fries.

Mmm, Mmm

http://www.thecounterburger.com

$
++++
✦✦✦

Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”