Monday night was my last night to squeeze in dinner with my girlfriend (in town from NYC). So many visitors this past weekend! Regular readers may recall our monthly girlfriend dinner dates in NYC. Yeah, we enjoy trying new places together.
The Counter has several locations (tons in both Nor Cal and So Cal, as well as Chicago, NYC, Seattle, etc.). There are even two locations in Ireland!
Likes:
- Build-Your-Own form with boxes to check (a list person’s dream)
- House-made veggie burger option (no thawed Boca patties)
- Topping extravaganza (the burgers additions offered included way more than your average pickles and onions – there are actually 312,120+ different burger combinations)
- Portion control (size does matter so being able to choose between 1/3 lb, 1/2 lb, and 1 lb was nice)
- Hormone and antibiotic-free meat (no explanation necessary)
- Bun or bed of lettuce (I liked being able to have my burger over mixed greens)
Dislikes:
- No substitution policy (really? I don’t eat cheese but you still won’t give me extra toppings free of charge?)
- Avocado (how do places get away with charging extra for this “premium” topping when we are in Ca?)
We started with a few plates of fries. Onion, sweet potato, and shoestring with extra dipping sauces.
Everyone was so proud of their creations, we were all convinced we had the winning order.
Alene’s burger: 1/3 beef burger with gruyere and imported Swiss cheese, topped with grilled onions, fried egg, sautéed mushrooms, and Dijon balsamic dressing on a multi-grain bun.
She did some serious damage, only leaving a few bites of meat on the plate.
Kyle’s burger: 1/3 lb turkey burger with bleu cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, caramelized onions, avocado, and garlic aioli on a multi-grain bun.
He had nearly finished his while I was still cutting mine. I’m serious.
Marisa’s burger: 1/3 lb beef with gruyere cheese, sautéed mushrooms and onions, plus lettuce and tomato, topped in chipotle aioli on focaccia bread.
And then there was my burger…which was actually more of a salad with 1/3 lb veggie patty, carrot strings, grilled pineapple, sprouts, tomatoes, avocado, and ginger soy glaze, all on a bed of mixed greens.
I was pretty proud of my Asian themed creation. The grilled pineapple, avocado and ginger soy glaze went really well together. The veggie burger was nice and soft too, like a real home-made burger should be. And in general, the whole plate was very satisfying. Not a drippity drop was left behind.
Have you ever been to a create-your-own burger kind of place? They are fun! I highly recommend.
One thing I want to mention (which I discovered afterwards) is that the calorie counts for every item on the menu, including each individual topping, sauce, and side, are all available online. Aside from Starbucks, I’ve never been to a place that has this info readily calculated. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I am all for diners making educated decisions, but personally, I feel like knowing the stats would mess with my head when I’m ordering and I might not get what I really wanted because of the high numbers. I guess that’s the point, but for someone like me, who is already healthy, I think it takes away from the dining experience. I’m glad the calorie counts weren’t displayed on the menu. I ended up getting what I wanted and I don’t have to feel guilt for selecting something over something else.
Now, for the less healthy person eating out (ie non-plant-based-food-blogger), maybe knowing an item’s nutritional info is a good thing. Perhaps being educated about how many calories are actually in that dressing has a positive impact on a person’s order (and thus health and well being).
I guess I can see it both ways. It’s hard to be an advocate of the whole “knowledge is power” motto, but then call the displayed information intrusive. Ya know? Thoughts?
Grilled pineapple, avocado, and ginger soy glaze? That sounds delicious! I will have to seek this place out.
WOW!!!! This is in Ireland?! A vegan burger????? Here?!!! I am *so* skipping the gym tonight and heading out for a burger and fries! I read blogs from the USA and sigh so often about how unfair it is that you have such an amazing choice of places that do good vegan food, and then you tell me about this!! You’re a star!!! Thank you!
I think calorie count information is absolutely a good idea. I think the vast majority of Americans have no idea how many calories they actually consume in a meal/day, and having calorie counts can be eye opening and educational. I think for people who are already very healthy, 1 meal with a high calorie count really isn’t going to make a difference to their health and they would probably be fine induldging in what the really want to eat even knowing how many calories are in their meal.
That place looks great I’ll have the find the one in NYC! In New York it’s actually a law that chains with at least 10 franchises in the city have to display the calories on their menus and most places have the full nutrition information either online or a pamphlet. I like it sometimes because it can steer me away from a bad craving and pick a better alternative. However I’m not always interested in dumpy calories but the breakdown. It’s seems like it’s here to stay so I’ll be used to seeing it when I go out.
Wow this restaurant looks fantastic. I love what you ordered — it’s definitely something I would pick. Pineapples? yes!
I’m kind of where you are with the whole calorie-count thing. When the numbers are all that you see you tend to only think about choosing “low-number” foods and forget about nutritional content/empty calories. At the same time, I really appreciate restaurants that care and have the information available. I try to educate myself about the different calorie counts at restaurants but not let them be the end-all-be-all in what I order.
I’m with you on the frustration over no-substitution places. I’m also lactose-intolerant, It is very annoying when I omit cheese/dairy from my orders, and, while they will give the “extra” cheese/dairy to my husband, they will not allow me to substitute for extra veggie goodness.
I went to The Counter in San Jose during a quickie spring break on the west coast in 2010. All I remember are the sweet potato fries and a loooong wait. But it was def worth the wait flavor wise. I think because it was Spring Break I decided I would forget how to gauge nutritional value…oops 🙂
I LOVE the counter! They have THE BEST by far veggie burger. I love that there is at least on place here in Hawaii that makes fresh veggie patties. So so good!
when we first moved to LA this location was the flagship restaurant. we waited AN HOUR for a burger!!! now there are chains everywhere!
That is awesome…I have never been to a place like this before! I know in Maryland, all restaurants are required by law to post calories and nutritional information to make it available to the public.
That place sounds like so much fun!! There seems to be so much more fab food outside of Massachusetts. I’ve never been able to build my own burger before! I like when calorie counts are available because it’s often amazing to me how many more calories are in restaurant-prepared foods than in comparable dishes that I make myself. Not that I often care much when I’m dining out, but it’s still nice to be aware.
Well your dish looked great!! Meat never looks great to me, unless of course it’s attached to my vegan hubby! So the other meat, grass fed or not, still looks icky!!!
But cool that ya guys have girlfriend dates and haven’t all blown each other off yet!
I agree with you, I don’t like when the stats are right there in front of me. Since I’m health-conscious, I’m pretty aware of what’s higher in fat and calories and what to avoid. I think having nutrition information for people who aren’t as aware should be available for anyone who wants to take a peek!
I love that place!
I agree that the calorie counts being posted is a sticky subject. I do appreciate when they’re online though so that I can look at them in advance if I like but they’re not screaming at me on the menu!
As mentioned above all nyc “chains” with more than five (? I think thats the number) locations have to post info. Somehow i think the people who would benefit most from this knowledge dont know what to do with the info (ie how many calories a day/meal they should have) or they dont care…. However, in nyc we are seeing more restaurants offering more healthier options due to this which is the biggest upside if you ask me. I think it is forcing restaurants to be more responsible and the consumer can make an educated decision.
Your burger definitely sounds like a winner! Asian flavors are so good! 🙂 I think that the calorie counts are good for individuals that may not be educated on what goes in to their food but I can totally see where your coming from and I don’t necessarily care to see it. Usually if I am eating out I want to enjoy the experience not sit and wonder how many calories is this, how many calories is that…and that is a big step for me!
My husband recently started going to The Counter in Pasadena with his group of guys from the Jet Propulsion Lab. He’s been telling me I have to go. Now that I’ve seen pictures, I MUST go!!! Everything looks delicious — and I mean everything! Thanks for all the pics, Elise!! I think I’ll try to get there next week.
I love The Counter! I usually get a salad too, and I think their veggie burgers are one of the better ones I’ve had at a restaurant.
Oh and yeah…WTF is up with the avocado charge in CA?! Puh-lease.
That is so cool! It seriously makes me want to find the location in Seattle!!! I totally feel you on the thawed out Boca burger thing. Ew.
ohhh my gosh. i used to go to the counter when i lived in hawaii! i miss having a place with vegan burgers and the create your own is definitely where its at!
looks so yummy!
i like that they have the calorie count, but your’e right. i’d probably just look at it after and then feel bad that i got too much. but definitely good to be able to know instead of going in blindly and coming out 2000 calories later!
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We had one of those but it went out of business before I could make it there–I was pretty bummed. I personally like the calorie count on menu items out of curiosity–but I see what you mean about it swaying a diner’s decision.