Restaurant Review: The Counter

Date: November 3, 2008

Guests: Liz Anderson, Diane Cañate and Laura Cañate

Place: The Counter

188 South Rio Grande Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Hours:OPEN DAILY 

Monday-Thursday: 11am-10pm
Friday-Saturday: 11am-11pm
Sunday: 11am-9pm

My best friend Liz Anderson text me in a frenzy (if that's possible) and convinced Laura and I to meet her at a new burger spot in Salt Lake City, the Counter. It is located in a new addition of the Gateway in northwest Salt Lake. It has an industrial modern diner feel with touches of classic diner including thick shakes and a full counter, where we sat. 

The Counter is a place that values custom orders and gives you a chance to make them prove it. Check out the menu, it will give you the idea of how custom your order can become. In fact, today the three of us were a bit paralyzed by all the options. When you think of a burger spot who expect beef, maybe a veggie burger, but at the Counter you can pick between: beef, turkey, veggie, or chicken.  Second, you pick your cheese from 10 different varieties ranging from a Yellow American Cheese to Imported Swiss to a Herb Goat Cheese Spread, and lots in between. Third, you can top your burger with up to 4 toppings (lettuce, roasted chiles, tomatoes and others) for free and specialty toppings (like avocado, fried egg, or bacon) for an additional fee. Fourth, you choose a sauce like honey mustard, ginger soy glaze, or peanut sauce. Finally, you pick your bun: either honey wheat, english muffin, or classic hamburger bun. It's a process, but it's worth it.For those of you who can't make these types of commitments, don't worry, the Counter has tons of menu favorites with Signature Burgers and Sandwiches. 

Here's what we ordered:

Liz

• 1/3 lb Veggie Burger topped with Danish Blue Cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes, and peppercorn steak sauce
• Veggie burgers are vegan handmade with corn, beans, mushrooms, cranberries, and lots of other things we couldn't totally decide on. All Liz could say was "What isn't in this patty?" What was definitely in it delicious flavorful meat substitute. 

Laura

• Stacked B.L.T. with Garlic Aioli
• Classic B.L.T. that hit the spot, where bread was toasted perfect on one side only (creating a pleasing bite). Garlic aioli may have been a bit heavy, but a welcome twist on classic mayo.

Diane

• 1/3 lb Beef Burger (cooked medium well) topped with Jalapeño Jack cheese, tomatoes, and horseradish mayo
• Beef was cooked perfectly, which is rare (no pun intended) for non-steakhouses. The cheese was perfectly melted making the combination of flavors exceed my expectations, especially, after I added a tangy horseradish mayo.

We shared a fifty-fifty of fries and string onions. They were expertly fried and crisp. Served with a trio of sauces: bbq, horseradish mayo, and buttermilk ranch. Traditionalists can still get ketchup, but definitely try one of these alternate condiments, you'll like it. 

All in all, we'd definitely recommend The Counter and we'll be going back for sure. Most of the food is made in house and it's obvious. Give it a try!