Midtown Lunch

During the summer, I often make a futile attempt at eating light so I can look good in the bikini that sits in my dresser drawer for the vacation I never end up going on. My latest attempt at healthy eating went comically poorly, and for some reason I feel compelled to share my embarrassment with you nice folks. My hypothesis going in: You can totally eat a light meal at a burger joint. Right? I tried it out at The Counter in Times Square. My hypothesis was dead wrong (but I still had a tasty meal!).

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Photo couresty of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

If you thought our assessment of The Counter in Times Square was a bit lukewarm, it’s nothing compared to J. Kenji Alt’s evisceration of the popular chain on A Hamburger Today. From a burger purist standpoint, it’s tough to disagree with much of what he says- but it doesn’t change the fact that if you like putting a bunch of shit on your burger, you could possibly find something to like about The Counter. He also admits that he thinks the concept itself is “stupid”, so what chance did it really have. What do you think? Is The Counter a “stupid” “TGI Friday’s-like” waste that only a tourist could like, or is there something that Serious Eats is missing? Feel free to sound off in the comments…

The Counter, a burger restaurant from SoCal, opened right smack in the center of Times Square back in December. Our very own Zach gave us a sneak peek of what we would be expecting from The Counter in LA. In his write-up he got 2 burgers where 1 of them he went crazytown with (roasted green chilies, grilled pineapple and onion strings?!) But how does the NYC version stack up- especially considering its Times Square location (surrounded by a whole host of TGIF type of restaurants.)

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We’ve always had a working theory that burger places in Midtown get more and more packed as the week goes on… and this only adds to our thesis.  This is The Counter in Times Square (on B’way and 41st) 5 minutes ago.  Shake who?  I guess there is room for a gazillion burger places in Midtown…

If you didn’t win a spot into the Midtown Luncher preview of The Counter (on B’way and 41st in Times Square), today is the big day. They soft opened over the weekend, but today is the official grand opening. Need a little preview? Zach had this to say about one of the Los Angeles locations, and Lunch’er Matt sent in this account of his free lunch. Either way we recommend you look at the menu before heading over. It can get a bit intimidating trying to decide on toppings. They open at 11am.

On Wednesday we gave away the chance to win a sneak preview of The Counter, the new build your own burger place opening on Broadway and 41st on Monday.  And yeesterday and today dozens of Midtown Lunchers are cashing in their prize.  One of them, Lunch’er “Matt”, got to go yesterday and sent in this account…

The space! Very nice location, well lit inside and super clean.

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Back in June we relayed the news that popular California based burger chain The Counter “Custom Built Burgers” was going to be taking over the old Juan Valdez space in Times Square (on Broadway and 41st).  Well, the sign is up and it looks like they’re getting ready to open.  We’re not sure the official opening date (Grub Street is saying Monday) but they’ve agreed to give 25 Midtown Lunch’ers and their guests a little sneak preview. The first 25 people to RSVP will have the chance to try a starter and a burger at The Counter for free this Friday, December 17 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To RSVP email your first and last name along with what time (has to be between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) you wish to book your exclusive preview reservation to timessquare@thecounterburger.com. Winners will be contacted via email.

Keep in mind The Counter is a build your own burger situation (they boast 66 different toppings, and over 300,000 possible burger combinations) so you might want to study the menu before heading over. And if you need more guidance, Zach tried one of the Los Angeles locations back in June. (Spoiler: topping your burger with pineapple, cole slaw, brie, *and* onion rings might be going a bit overboard.)

My lord.

Yesterday we reported that California chain “The Counter” would be opening in Times Square in the Fall. In the comments Lunch’er “Steve” requested a review of one of the L.A. locations, and today Zach obliged over on the Los Angeles section of Midtown Lunch.

If you were wondering what was going to take over the now shuttered Juan Valdez on 41st and Broadway, we finally have an answer, and it’s more burgers! Thanks to Lunch’er Douglas for sending along this article in the WSJ (gated, requires subscription) which tipped us off to the news… apparently The Counter, a 7 year old Los Angeles based burger chain with locations all over California (and a few other states) is taking over the space. Combine that with the new Shake Shack coming to 8th Ave., 4Food opening on Madison, the new Bill’s Bar and Burger coming to Rock Center, BLT’s Go Burger Truck and planned brick and mortar franchises, plus-according to the same WSJ article- a new Goodburger opening in Columbus Circle, and what we’ve got is a full fledged burger onslaught.

What makes “The Counter” different? It’s a “build your own burger” situation, featuring 4 kinds of burgers in 3 sizes, 4 different buns, 12 different kinds of cheese, 30 toppings, and 21 different sauces (they boast over 300,000 different combinations you could make.) Construction hasn’t started on the location, but they’re hoping to open “Fall of 2010”.