Highly customizable, gourmet quality burgers are the new trend these days. But as much as I’ve been enjoying NOT having to go to Burger King to order a burger “my way”, I’ve really been tired of having to choose my own toppings, which usually range anywhere from the ordinary (read: grilled onions) to the highly appreciated (read: a fried egg), to the highly unique (read: 1/2 bacon meat in your patty). I mean, I love being able to dictate what goes on the bun, but sometimes when I go out for a burger, I just want to order the best possible one without having to think about what that is. Which brings me to my next point:
How about making these burger joints customize their own burgers themselves?
Well they do. They’re called “Signature Burgers” and my new found laziness has prompted me to just start trying all of them because after all, if a burger joint can customize their own burger to the max, then that’s the burger joint that I want to eat at.
The Counter Burger
The Counter gets a lot of flack in the circles I run in. I’ve heard complaints that they may or may not grind their meat fresh daily, and that their burgers are, on the whole, dry. I’ve also heard that any location other than the SaMo one will be sorely lacking for the experience. I figured it was high time I found out for myself. The burger (pictured above) has 1/3 lb beef, provolone, crispy onion strings, lettuce blend, sauteed mushrooms and tomato, and served with a sundried tomato vinaigrette.
When I sunk my teeth into the Counter Burger, I thought it was tasty, juicy, yet slightly underseasoned in the patty. I really loved the toasty bun. However, I didn’t quite get that “satisfying” factor that I was looking for. Instead, I got a melding of flavors that ranged from the sweetness of the tomatoes to the saltiness of the onion strings with another type of meatiness that came from the grilled mushrooms. And though I appreciated the mix of all the flavors, the overall flavor of the burger fell kind of flat. With the provolone cheese being as mild as it was, what I was looking for was some serious punch, a bolder type of flavor in the cheese, and one that tied everything together. Pepperjack maybe?
Next, I tried dunking the burger in the tomato vinaigrette that was provided: NOT a good idea. The tomato sauce was far too runny, liquidy and tangy. It reminded me of a really thin salad dressing and not something that I’d like on a burger.
Overall, I could see where they were going with the Counter Burger but for some reason, the toppings really didn’t complement each other very well. Nevertheless, I thought it was a pretty decent lunch, and had no problem finishing 3/4 of it.
ratings:
- Meat: 6 points (out of 10)
- Toppings: 4 points (out of 10)
- Bun: 5 points (out of 5)
- Overall taste: 4 points (out of 10)
- Overall texture: 3 points (out of 6)
total: 22 pts/40pts = 2.75 stars
Though I wasn’t all that excited about the Counter Burger’s Signature Burger, it’s not stopping me from wanting to return and try their other stuff, like happy hour every Wednesday (Irvine location only, I think). They offer 4 gourmet sliders + beer pairings for $12!
[xrr rating=2.75/5]
THE COUNTER
6416 Irvine Boulevard
Irvine, CA 92620
949.336.7272
www.thecounterburger.com
[shared with als]
