The Counter and Urban Plates?
Any info on these two places under development at the Del Mar mall? I noticed a full bar at the Counter, which is supposed to be a burger place. It's apparently a franchise.
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They have some great salads - my wife and I are addicted to their bbq chicken salad. All entrees are $10, lots of beverage choices (wine, beer, good soft drinks including ginger brew, etc..). Great service. It's also dog friendly.
Located in Del Mar Highlands just off Del Mar Heights (5 fwy):
http://www.urbanplates.com/The concept is pretty unusual and ordering is an interesting experience. Imagine a soup plantation where you pick up your food in the line itself, except instead of everything pre-made there are a dozen cooks waiting to take your order.
Two are in charge of salads. You order from the person who will toss your salad and they immediately start on making it. To give an example of what they have, the desert bbq chicken has: organic romaine, free range chicken, organic corn, black beans, onion, organic avocado, grilled onions, jack cheese, tortilla strips, red bell pepper, chipotle lime dressing with organic agave. All the ingredients are excellent and delicious on their own!
Besides salads they have a carving station, a pizza station, and braises (think beef Bourguignon without the Bourguignon lol). Kids meals are a steal at $5 (drink included). There are also cakes and pastries which are pretty good on their own. It's seat yourself.
Including UP, a total of 5 unique restaurants have opened in this plaza this year. Others include the Counter, Taverna Blu (new concept by Daphne's owner), Burlap (Malarky), and two other wine bars. I tried Burlap twice and their phramen (pho soup + ramen) is excellent.
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I tried The Counter last week, and it was pretty much what I expected, after hearing about it on KCRW's Good Food podcast a few weeks ago. Definitely not a destination eatery, but a decent place to go considering the surrounding competition. The Counter seems very similar to Burger Lounge, with the overpriced menu and the way they are able to make their "natural" beef taste so bland. At least they will cook their burgers with about the right amount of pink inside. Meh.
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Finally tried The Counter last weekend. They have a big variety of fries and burgers including custom burgers. I chose their more standard burgers to try out, the 'Old School' and 'Counter Burger'. I also got cheddar fries and a vanilla milk shake.
First off, this place has a big line at 6pm Saturday, so it will be busy. But I ordered to go from the bar so didn't have to wait in line - went shopping at Jimbo's before picking my order up. The Counter's original branch is apparently Carlsbad, and this is it's first branch.
The Old School is a straightforward cheeseburger, and the counter has onion strings on top, sauteed mushrooms, and provolone instead of cheddar. Both burgers were perfect - my wife loved the grilled mushrooms and all ingredients were top notch. It compares well with Burger Lounge, another of our favorites. I'm sure there will be people who prefer each one but it's just been our first time and I won't call it just yet.
The shake on the other hand is out of this world. Best ever. I know we had a thread on this a while back, but the bartender made a perfect shake. Smooth enough to drink right away, but with an ice cream texture.
They have a big fries selection with onion rings, plain fries, cheddar fries, chili cheese fries, parmesean rosemary fries, and potato fries not to mention non-fry sides. The cheddar fries were great, first time I've had them like this.
As far as burgers go, you can make your own and there are actually too many choices. I had no idea what I should choose from this list, so I decided to play it safe with a signature burger from their list. To give you an idea, they have 30 toppings (4 are included, with premium toppings being extra). It goes from Bermuda Red Onion to Sun-Dried Tomatoes. But they do have grilled pineapple and avocado which are a favorite when I want a Hawaiian burger.
Prices are on the high end, but it was dinner worthy and we loved it. Doesn't hurt that it's next to Jimbo's locally - and the closest Burger Lounge for us is almost 20 minutes.
They have a full bar where you can eat, and plenty of space.
Can't wait til Urban Plates opens!
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Very excited for Urban Plates to open. Was a big fan of the executive chef at his last restaurant, got a sneak peak at the menu. San Diego has needed a place like this, fresh organic food from local growers. Counter Burger is a franchise, UP is not.
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re: sydneyduck
DiningDiva
Mar 26, 2011 10:55 AM
"San Diego has needed a place like this, fresh organic food from local growers."
Hmmm...so I guess places like the Linkery, Tender Greens and JSix (among quite a few others) that have been serving fresh, organic food from local growers don't count?
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Linkery
3794 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104JSix Restaurant
616 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101Tender Greens
2400 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106-
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re: sydneyduck
hit up Urban Plates a few weeks ago. Food looks fresh and tasty, but what I got was very underseasoned. Had the caramelized onion pizzette and sauteed button mushrooms. Both were "ok," but needed more depth of flavor. A hit of kosher salt woke both of them up, but so far, I think Tender Greens is much better. Maybe I'll have better luck w/ other dishes.
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Tender Greens
2400 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106Urban Plates
12857 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130
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re: sydneyduck
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There's been a Counter in Carlsbad for a couple of years. Didn't care for it the first time I was there shortly after it opened, maybe I just had too many options on my burger, but I had a tasty one a few weeks ago after a stop at the Wine Loft. http://www.thecounterburger.com/Carls...
