I love a good burger, but I rarely eat them when I go out because I often find myself disappointed - it's either too dry, flavorless or the bun completely overwhelms the meat. I usually don't finish the burger and am bummed that I wasted the calories on something that wasn't worth it. When Texas Monthly picked Counter Cafe as one of the 50 Best Burgers in Texas, I decided I should give it a shot. After all, any diner with the tag line "Local Food, Global Love" is worth a try.
My friend Melissa and I met early for lunch and were immediately wooed by the menu. Counter Cafe offers breakfast or lunch from 8 am to 4 pm everyday. I love to order breakfast for lunch and was seriously tempted by the Counter Benedict or Egg Sandwich, but I was on a mission and it was the Counter Burger for me. Luckily, Melissa, despite being tempted by the Pimiento Cheese Sandwich, was willing to order the Counter Benedict, so I still got to try a bite of breakfast.
Everything was delicious. The burger was juicy and flavorful and the bun complemented it perfectly - not too much bread and not too little. Texas Monthly definitely got this one right. And, as much as I loved the burger, I really loved the sweet potato fries that came with it. They were crunchy! I know it sounds odd for me to focus on that aspect, but usually sweet potato fries come out more like home fries and don't have the crunch appeal of a french fry. Not these, they are crunchy fries that happen to be made with sweet potatoes. I made Melissa take some so that I wouldn't eat them all.
Melissa was equally pleased with her Counter Benedict, two perfectly poached eggs on top of pastrami served on a biscuit. The pastrami and biscuit were an original twist to a traditional benedict with the pastrami adding a nice saltiness to the dish.
Needless to say, Melissa and I enjoyed our lunch and I look forward to going back to Counter Cafe.After all, if Counter Cafe is willing to print their pledge to use local ingredients on their menu, the least I can do is clean my plate. See you at the Counter!
