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Over 4th of July weekend on NPR there was a show/segment about All American foods, featuring an interview with the owner of The Counter in Santa Monica – a build-your-own burger joint on Ocean Park. It must have opened just a month or so after we moved to the Bay Area, so 4th of July was the first time I’d heard of it.
I’d set it up as the closer on this LA trip — we literally finished shopping, hustled back to the house to get my suitcase and then pit-stopped at the Counter on the way to the airport.
My selection above is a 1/3 lb. beef burger (the smallest size they have, but also available in turkey or veggie) grilled medium, with blue cheese, grilled onions, mixed baby greens, dill pickle chips and tomato on an english muffin with red relish on the side. A pretty standard set up , but had I to do it again, I might have gotten a turkey burger with more Asian-y toppings. The guy next to me got a burger (turkey, I assume) with avocado and sprouts on a honey wheat bun. And of course I can’t forget — sweet potato fries.
What a finish. Needless to say, I didn’t eat again when I got home. When is a Bay Area branch opening?!!