THE RAGING SPORK

Wow…so after reading that last entry, I can’t help but feel like some sort of hedonistic bastard writing this one.

Located in San Jose’s illustrious (or pretentious…you decide) Santana Row, The Counter is another play on the “build-your-own-burger” concept. Wherein it is in your hands, dear diner, to select the individual components that will make up your custom built, and hopefully delicious, burger. I must admit I had my reservations first coming in…my past experiences with gourmet burger places have been lackluster at best. While solid in concept, I haven’t yet been to a place that has made gourmet burgers tasty enough to warrant coming back. Especially when I know there’s delicious, simpler, fresh burgers available for a much more palatable price…..*cough* In-n-out *cough*

I really don’t get the interior of this place. Scant decor, solid metal metal beams, a high warehouse ceiling, and chrome chairs. It’s like they were trying to shoot for a minimalist, industrial feel to be cool and edgy, but the place ends up feeling more cold, cavernous and empty. Like enjoying a burger in a warehouse. To top it off, the only color they give the place is this weird aqua-turquoise. So like eating in an old refrigerator. But a warehouse. A refrigerhouse? Not the most welcoming, nor relaxing of places to eat. I dunno, not really working for me. They did have a pretty stocked bar though.

The menus are pretty fun here…you get a clipboard and a small pencil. And you basically check off your selections and give the sheet to the waiter. Be careful if you’re super hungry, I can attest that one’s impulse is to check all the way down the list. One thing I do appreciate about building your own burger is that it allows people to actually read each ingredient and savor, test it in their minds. And people actually thinking about flavors, thinking about what they’re eating is never a bad thing.  Anyway the menu consists of 5 steps…choosing a meat, a cheese, toppings, sauce, and a bun. I have to say I was impressed with the selection…particularly with the sauces available. You have solid roasted garlic aioli, apricot sauce, horseradish mayo…etc. I went with a 1/3 lb. beef patty (medium-rare, of course) horseradish cheddar, (I think) red onion, sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, grilled onions, and roasted garlic aioli sauce. I guess I must’ve gotten too excited checking off whatever sounded good…cause it didn’t dawn on me until later that I had ordered double onions. What a foo I am.

Believe me, it’s smaller than it looks. After waiting a long damn time, the burger finally arrived in all it’s…well…smallish glory. It’s not a big burger. However, upon taking my first bite, I can see where the work went in. The red peppers were nice and sweet, as were the grilled onions. Nice crisp red onions, well-seasoned sauteed mushrooms. And the beef tasted the way it should…like beef! I’ve had so many burgers that were char-broiled till they tasted like burnt cardboard…or so muddled and tasteless that only the condiments lent any flavor. Not this patty. I have to say I was pretty impressed. All the flavors were well pronounced and they all tasted like they should…which speaks of high-quality ingredients and good execution. A solid, better-than-average burger.

Service leaves something to be desired here…everything took a pretty long time while I saw plenty of waitstaff idling around chatting, which is not only infuriating for a waiting diner, but is also a big no-no in my opinion. And my Diet Coke was syrupy and flat…sorry, I had to say it. While having had a solid burger, I left still a bit hungry and with a significantly lighter wallet. Better than average, but still pricey. That aside, The Counter’s burgers are worth trying out. They’re probably one of the better “gourmet burgers” I’ve had. But the issue is that apart from the burger’s flavor, I feel like everything else here is lacking. So it’s worth trying out…but it’s not yet come-backer status.

The Counter
3055 Olin Avenue Suite 1035
San Jose, CA 95128
www.thecounterburger.com
I hate syrupy Diet Coke…no seriously.