#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/