2009

The Counter Restaurant Review

Posted by Food Nut

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The Counter

369 California Ave (Ash)

Palo Alto, CA 94306

650-321-3900

Website

The Counter Palo Alto 4

Another trendy fancy burger place… This one opened in 2006 and is a fancy one located in the California Avenue shopping district. They have locations in CA, CO, GA, NC, and TX with many more coming soon. We revisited in Fall 2009.

You get to select a patty, 4 free toppings, optional premium toppings, cheese, sauce and bun. This is almost identical to Custom Burger in San Francisco.
You can get certified humane turkey, 100% natural ground angus beef, certified humane raised & handled, hormone & antibiotic free, certified humane chicken, and veggie burgers. You can order takeout or have a full serviced sit down meal.

The Counter Palo Alto 3

The Counter Palo Alto 9

The place has very modern decor with a unique bar where they serve beer, wine, and mixed drinks.  Lots of college kids (Stanford is nearby) and families were eating.

Menu pics: (Click to zoom in on any picture)

The Counter Palo Alto menu a

Build a Burger Menu

The Counter Palo Alto menu

Menu

The Counter Palo Alto Menu 3

Monthly Menu Specials

The Counter Palo Alto Menu 2

Picks:

The Counter Palo Alto Hamburger

The 1/3lb Beef burger ($8.50) was of good size. As big as many other places. They do ask how you want the meat done and default to a slightly pink in the middle, medium. Ours came with  very little redness but was still juicy. We would order a medium rare next time.  The Tilamook cheddar cheese tasted good.  The sesame bun was much bigger than the burger. The Bermuda red onions and tomatoes were fine. The sweet BBQ sauce was on the side and was really, really sweet.
We’d rank this burger below top notch places like Custom Burger, Pearls, and Mo’s, but above fast food joints.

The Counter Palo Alto Shake

Smores Shake Special ($4.95) with marshmellow, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, and graham crackers was good.  Relatively thick and not too sweet.

OK:

The Counter Palo Alto Fries

French fries ($3.50) with some seasoning salt on top were of decent quality and in massive in quantity. Two people could easy share this.

The Counter Palo Alto Fifty Fifty Fries Onion Strings

Fifty-Fifty ($4.95) French Fries and Onion strings was also pretty big. The strings are very good but extremely greasy.

The Counter Palo Alto Kids Mini Burgers

Kids Mini Burgers (2) ($4.95) with American cheese, pickles, and Fries were a good deal and enough to feed most kids upto 8.

Pans:

The Counter Palo Alto Fried Pickles

Fried Dill Pickle Chips ($4) with apricot dipping sauce were weird.  Crispy and piping hot, but an acquired taste.

The service was fine.  It took about 15 minutes for the burger to arrive. They have a kids menu.

If we wanted a good burger and were nearby, I’d definitely consider The Counter.  Price are high though.  A burger, fries, and a soda run almost $16! There are so many customization options that almost anybody could be satisfied. Palo Alto Creamery nearby, offers similar quality of burger nearby.

You can also down an adult beverage of your choice at the same time!

Counter on Urbanspoon

Now open at:
Santana Row
3055 Olin Ave
San Jose, CA 95128
408-423-9200

201 Corte Madera Town  Center
Corte Madera, CA 94925
415-924-7000

1005 Galleria Blvd
Roseville, CA 95678
916-773-2333

1699 N California Blvd
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925-935-3795

Restaurant.com $25 Dining Certificate for $10
Entertainment Book 2 for 1 restaurant coupons, food discounts, and much more

Overall Rating: (Good)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Good)
Service Rating: (Good)
Atmosphere Rating: (Very Good)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Full Bar
Attire:Casual
Hours:Mon-Th 11am-10pm. Fri-Sat 11am-11pm. Sun 11:30am-9pm
Parking:Street
Reservations:No
Prices:$5.95 - $10.50
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Related posts:

  1. Jack’s Prime Burgers Restaurant Review, San Mateo
  2. Big Mouth Burgers Restaurant Review, San Francisco
  3. Burger Joint Restaurant Review
  4. Custom Burger Restaurant Review, San Francisco
  5. Polker’s Gourmet Burgers Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on September 16th, 2009
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One Response to “The Counter Restaurant Review”

  1. Rave Burger Restaurant Review, San Mateo, 94401 | Foodnut.com Says:

    [...] The burger took about 5 minutes to come. Service was cordial, it was clear they are doing their best to please. Value for the combo deal is pretty good. The burger reminds me of Burger Joint’s as both use Niman Ranch meats. While this is good stuff, it is not a guarantee of the best burger around. This is better than the usual fast food joints, but not as good as top places like Pearls, Custom Burger, Mos, or even The Counter. [...]

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