#9 The Counter, Kahala Mall

The Counter, Custom Built Burgers

Kahala Mall

Category: Gourmet Burgers

Menu Item: Old School

Price: $8.95 + $1.50 Fries*

Burger Size: 1/3 lb (~5.3 oz.)

Bun: White

Cheese: Tillamook Cheddar

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickle, Red Relish

* $1.50 Fries not shown. Explanation below.

Description:

Needing a rebound from the horror that was W & M burgers, I was debating whether to head down the street to Burgers on the Edge, or way up the road to The Counter. Obviously, I picked The Counter, but I will review Burgers on the Edge next week. If you look up either place on Yelp, they are always being compared to each other because they both offer "custom built" burgers, so reviewing them back-to-back seems appropriate. If you have never been to either place before, allow me to explain the burger building process. You start off with what looks like a burger ballot and pencil. Here's a picture:

Choose wisely... There are no erasers!

So basically you get to pick every detail of your burger. For The Counter, you start off with the burger type (beef, turkey, veggie, or chicken) and size (1/3 lb, 2/3 lb, or 1 lb). Keep in mind, the price varies depending on your choices and extra toppings cost more as well. In "Step #2" you choose your cheese. They have 10 types of cheese to choose from and you are allowed to pick one. But if you want you can add another choice for a dollar. In "Step #3" you get to choose 4 toppings from a list of 18, 50 cents for each additional. They also have 11 "Premium Toppings" for a dollar each (none included). In "Step #4" you can choose one sauce from a list of 18, 50 cents for each additional. Finally, in "Step #5" you get to choose the bun for your burger (english muffin, hamburger bun, or whole wheat bun).

The "Old School" Burger

Now that I am done boring you with the burger building instructions, on to the review. The Counter is located next to Whole Foods at Kahala Mall and has a very clean, simple dining room. Bar on one side with a bunch of four seat tables lined up back to back. When you walk in, they actually ask you if you want to sit at "The Counter" which I thought was amusing, but I passed and took a table. In addition to the "burger ballot" as I like to call it, they also have a menu with pre-built burgers on it. Since you could argue that my opinion of this place could suck due to the horrible burger that I built, I ordered the closest thing to a normal cheeseburger: the pre-designed "Old School" burger. The burger included a 1/3 lb patty on a hamburger bun topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and red relish. I then made a huge mistake by ordering a regular portion of fries. The menu has either a single order of french fries for $1.50 or a regular order for $3.95. I love fries so I went for the regular order which turned out to be a huge thing of fries. Check this out:

Too. Many. Fries.

So... yeah. Don't get the regular order unless you're starving for fries. By the time you finish them, they are all cold anyway. Trust me, I stayed and finished them. Also, don't get the sweet potato fries. I tried them a while ago and sweet fries just don't match to me. Anyway, the wait for this burger was incredible short. I went at lunchtime and my food came pretty quick after I ordered it. As for the taste, it was alright. The burger patty was cooked perfectly medium but was a little oily and reminded me of the one from Ruby Tuesdays. The fries were plain and ordinary, but you can tell that the focus of this place was the toppings and sauces. The toppings were excellent and made me want to try the rest of the toppings they have to offer.

Verdict:

Grading this burger is easy, but I don't think anyone could judge this place until they have been here at least a few times. This was my third time eating here and it seems to get better each time. Building your own burger is fun, but sometimes pricey and sometimes not so delicious. Did you know if you get a one pound patty and check off every box for toppings, cheese, and sauce you get a $49.45 burger?! And I'm willing to bet it wouldn't taste that amazing. So have fun, check this place out, yelp about it and... I'll be back next week. Shoots!

Grade: B

The Counter, Custom Built Burgers

4211 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816-5350
Mon-Thu 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 11am-9pm

(808) 739-5100

http://www.thecounterburger.com/

#8, W&M Bar-B-Q Burger, Waialae

W&M Bar-B-Q Burger

Waialae

Category: Fast Food / Takeout Burger

Menu Item: Royal Hamburger

Price: $3.60 + $1.95 Fries

Burger Size: Unknown

Bun: White

Cheese: American

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, and 1 topping (Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Mustard or Relish)

Description:

Star Advertiser readers voted W & M Bar-B-Q Burgers as having the best hamburgers on the island in 2010. Since it beat out two of my favorite places, Teddy's and Kua 'Aina, I had high expectations going into this review. W & M is located on Waialae Avenue between City Mill and Chaminade. The building has the feel of an old local drive-in with one window to take orders and one to pick up orders. Don't expect to find parking easily though, as they only have six or seven parking stalls in the lot. The limited parking does not discourage people from eating here though and there is always a decent line out front. I felt kinda dumb standing there while people would just walk to the front to grab their phone orders. Also, it's strictly a take-out place unless you plan on standing outside and eating at the counter.

The "Royal Hamuburger" with Fries

For this review, I ordered the "Royal Hamburger" which is a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onions and your choice of mayo, ketchup, mustard or relish. It comes on a plain white bun, but the burger patty is what makes it unique. According to a piece of paper posted on the front window, their burger patties are soaked in barbecue sauce, then fried, then dipped in sauce again, then served. However, being totally honest, it just tasted like a teri-burger that you could buy frozen from any grocery store. In fact you could probably just buy some frozen teri-patties, lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced cheese, and plain hamburger buns and grill this burger yourself. It'd be cheaper and probably taste better too. The fries aren't anything special either, but it's $1.95 for the equivalent of a McDonald's small fries which only costs a dollar. When you add a drink to your meal for another $1.75, your total comes out to around $7.50, and for that price you might as well just go to a fast food place and cruise through the drive through for a faster, cheaper, more filling meal.

Small, pricey, disappointing...

Verdict:

Honestly, I have no idea what makes people think that this is the best burger place on the island. Their burgers taste like something you could grill in your backyard yourself for a much cheaper cost. Maybe it's the convenience of being able to purchase that homemade teri-burger that makes people love this place, or that the locals have just grown up eating here, so it's naturally a classic. I don't know. It's not the worst burger ever, just not anything special in my opinion and definitely not better than Teddy's or Kua 'Aina. Considering the price, amount of food, and the wait, I think I'd rather hit up the McDonald's up the street. Try it for yourself though and see if it lives up to its "Best Hamburger" title. Cause to me, it's far from it.

Grade: D

W&M Bar-B-Q Burger
3104 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Wed-Fri 10AM-430PM, Sat-Sun 9AM-430, Mon-Tues Closed
808-734-3350

#7 Big City Diner, Pearlridge

Big City Diner
Pearlridge Shopping Center

Category: Gourmet Burger

Menu Item: "The Classic Burger" w/ Cheese

Price: $8.99 + $0.99 for Cheese

Burger Size: 1/2 lb (8 oz.)

Bun: Potato Bun

Cheese: Cheddar (also available in Jack)

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Pickle Spear, Mayonnaise

Description:

Wut up bloggers. Continuing with the theme of reviewing places I had not planned on visiting (and taking pictures with my phone), is Big City Diner. From looking at it, you wouldn't think of it as a local restaurant. The dining room feels more like a chill bar/restaurant than a diner. It isn't until you look at the menu that you find the local twist in each of their dishes. The menu is filled with a decent amount of local favorites (you can check it out at their website) but you know me... I gotta go with the cheeseburger!

"The Classic Burger" w/ Cheddar Cheese

For this review, I ordered "The Classic Burger" (seems like every place has a "classic burger" doesn't it?) and added cheddar cheese for $0.99. The wait was a little longer than I expected, but it was well worth it. The burger patty came on a potato bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, red onions, and a TON of melted cheddar cheese. It also came with a pickle spear on the side. I know the menu says that their burgers come topped with mayo, but I didn't notice it when I ate it. I also noticed that the burger patty was cooked more "well" than "medium" which is also stated in the menu. However, neither was really a big deal because the burger was surprisingly good. In fact, it was amazingly good. The burger patty was thick and juicy and was topped with the perfect amount of cheese and vegetables. The pickle spear and fries were also perfect compliments to the burger. It was very filling and reminded me of a bigger version of the Teddy's burger minus the special sauce. The fries were also very similar to Teddy's. Check out the pics, they look almost identical.

Tasty.

Verdict:

For a place that I had not planned on reviewing, this burger was great! And it gets better! For another dollar they have "The BIG Burger" which is everything I described above plus avocado and bacon. Definitely try the burgers here. They taste good and the price is reasonable. I really have no complaints with this burger, and comparing it to the "Gourmet Burgers" that I have reviewed previously, I had to reward it with an appropriate grade.

Grade: A

Big City Diner
Pearlridge Shopping Center
98-211 Pali Momi Street, Aiea, Hawaii 96701
Sun-Thurs 7AM-10AM, Fri-Sat, 7AM-12 Midnight
(808) 487-8188
http://bigcitydinerhawaii.com/