Twelve noon and eighty-eight degrees doesn’t seem like an uncomfortably hot day, but I am sitting in my bedroom (in boxers and a t-shirt…eh? Ladies?) and I have actually broken a sweat. It’s not like my desk is in direct sunlight either. I have to crane my neck just to see around a neighboring apartment building. Still, I find it unusual that the days seem to go from unseasonably hot to cold in a seemingly random way. Whatever. None of you care about my life and my daily struggles anyway, so here’s a new blog entry for you.
Last evening, while my sunburn was just starting to make itself apparent, Nicci and I dined at The Counter (2901 Ocean Park Blvd). Although the burger joint wasn’t nearly as interesting as past eateries (I’m thinking Bossa Nova specifically), it provided a quality meal of gastronomic proportions at a reasonable price. If you don’t know about The Counter, it’s a chain of hamburger-centric restaurants (they have something like fifty new franchises opening around the country this year) specializing in customizable burgers. When you’re seated, you are given a clipboard containing the menu and a pencil to mark exactly how you want to build your hamburger. All prices are clearly explained, so those of you who want to cram as many fixing as possible at no cost are going to be surprised by your bill.
There is a separate menu for appetizers, specialty burgers, and a handful of non-burger related items (including basic sandwiches, salads and chili), but I don’t know if anyone looks at this menu for anything other than appetizers. Except the dumb bitch seated next to us (Nicci called her a pussy) who ordered a bowl of chili and “mini burgers” as her main course. Nice going, cooze. The dude you’re out on a date with is totally going to think you’re health-conscious without realizing that six mini burgers equal one real hamburger.
For starters, we ordered fried dill pickle chips. They were “meh”. They came with some sort of apricot-smelling honey glaze sauce that tasted pretty foul, so we just used ketchup as our condiment of choice for the chips. Had I remembered just how awesome the sweet potato fries were (with their great dipping sauce, reminiscent of the garlic butter sauce offered by Father’s Office), I would have suggested that. Oh well, there might be a next time.
Nicci chose a 1/3 lb. beef burger with sharp provolone cheese, topped with grilled onions, grilled pineapple, tomatoes (I think?), and avocado, on a honey wheat bun. I ordered a 1/3 lb. beef burger with Tillamook cheddar topped with jalapenos, dill pickle chips, and honey cured bacon, on an english muffin. I thought about adding in tomatoes, but crossed it out at the last minute. Thoughts of adding a fried egg and chili crossed my mind, but I’ve still got a few good years before my first heart attack forces me to re-think my eating habits, so I promised myself I would wait until my next trip to Fatburger to order that one. Since the appetizer fries are quite hearty portions, none of the build-a-burgers are served with fries. Whatever, sometimes I’m so full after a good meaty dead cow meal I don’t even have room to eat the fries. It’s also one less thing I have to feel shitty about paying for.
The service was good, our African American waitress paid close attention to us, and was good about refilling our sodas once I was finished with mine. The chips arrived in a reasonable amount of time, and the burgers followed a few minutes after, giving us ample time to start digesting the appetizer. Nicci’s hamburger was mammoth looking, and she wound up having to remove the avocado and one pineapple slice just to fit the sandwich in her mouth. Mine appeared slightly less menacing, but the number of jalapenos stacked between the bottom of the patty and the bottom of the muffin were overwhelming. Each time I lifted the monstrosity from my plate, it looked like five or six of them fell onto my plate. I somehow found a technique for incorporating a satisfying amount of jalapeno and ketchup into each bite, which made me enjoy the burger that much more.
Upon completing our meals, we were fully stuffed. The drive back to Echo Park was somewhat quiet, as we found ourselves enveloped by what I can only describe as post-burger bliss. I don’t know about you, but I feel kind of euphoric after a really good hamburger. The Counter did not disappoint.
All that was left to make the night complete was watching a terrible episode of Top Chef: Chicago on Bravo!, and playing Mario Kart on Nintendo Wii until the early hours of the morning. Motherfucking LOST is on tonight, and I’ve got a great weekend-full of Top Ten lists begging me to sit down and write them.
If you want to win a brand new copy of The Clash’s Live Revolution Rock DVD and the Singles CD, leave a comment (or e-mail me with your name and address) telling us the name of your favorite local burger joint and what makes it so damned good. For those of you who are unaware, Live Revolution Rock is an incredible documentary made by Don Letts (long-time collaborator and Grammy-winning producer) detailing the scope of the band’s career and the ways in which they transformed their live show, plus awesome in-studio clips spliced between live songs. Raw, powerful, and quite engaging, it’s always fun to see and learn more about a band as influential as The Clash. Personally, the best part of the DVD for me was watching the band perform at Shea Stadium. God, I’m going to miss that stadium…The Singles CD has been out for some time, I think, but it contains album versions of twenty Clash singles. So, yeah. Comment and e-mail away, readers!
Also, you’ve got less than twenty-four hours to buy my needless memorabilia and records on eBay. Gas is over $4 a gallon now, and I want to make sure I can pay for more dinners in the future, so bid now!
Sons Of Otis – Losin’ It – (buy this album)
K.M. Krebs – A Black Raven In The Aftermoon Light
The Book Of Knots – View From The Watertower – (buy this album)
Ours – God Only Wants You – (buy this album)
Jasper TX – A String Of Broken Lights
