Yesterday we met my dad for lunch at The Counter, a new hamburger restaurant at The Village at San Antonio Center.
The 2/3 lb. burger with American cheese cucumber and pineapple. The hot wings sauce give this sandwich just the right amount of kick. |
Though it's a sit-down hamburger joint, a couple of things separate it from your run-of-the-mill malt shop. First, The Counter has a wide variety of exotic sauces (Would you like Cabernet reduction with your burger?), toppings and buns to make your burger. Second, The Counter has a bar.
Fifty-Fifty fries with the kid's meal in the background. |
The birthday cake shake, made with cake mix! |
If there were any complaints, it was that the burgers were undercooked (Jenny even said the center was cool) and the kids meal was an iffy value proposition--basically two sliders and some fries for $6. After tax but before tip, the two shakes, fries, two kids meals and three burgers came out to $63, putting it in a price category where it has to meet tough expectations given this is lunch, after all.
With all of the flair found at The Counter, though, for pure beefiness and value, I prefer Five Guys. Still, The Counter is a fun experience. The restaurant is airy, bright and cheerful. The staff is clearly happy to be working there. We'll keep it in the back of our minds as a once-a-season type of restaurant to hit on a random weekend.
I ordered this burger medium; it was a bit pink. |
The Counter
2580 W El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040 (650) 948-2333