the counter

The Counter – Irvine, CA

May 31, 2012 by Ole 1 Comment

The Counter at The Shops at Dos Lagos in Corona was one of our favorite places to get a burger. After the owners of this franchise closed it in 2009 and re-opened the location as The Alibi Bar & Grill, we tried it a few times but it just wasn’t the same (The Alibi isn’t around anymore either).

Fortunately, The Counter has another location in Irvine. We don’t go there often, but it sometimes makes a good stop for lunch when we drive in to Orange County.

If you visited The Counter in Corona before it closed, then you know what this place is about. Angus beef burgers (fresh and natural: no hormones, no antibiotics), fresh toppings and many, many choices.

If you have not been to The Counter before, you are missing out on a hot, juicy, well-seasoned and perfectly-cooked burger.

If you aren’t into beef, you can get chicken, turkey or veggie burgers… and if you don’t do bread, you can get your burger in a bowl.

The Counter also has great sides, including fries, sweet potato fries and onion strings.

If you find yourself driving through Irvine craving a burger (who hasn’t?), The Counter is a good choice.

The Counter
Woodbury Town Center
6416 Irvine Boulevard
Irvine CA 92620
www.thecounterburger.com

The Alibi Bar & Grill, Corona

August 24, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

A few months back I wrote the post “Goodbye Counter, Hello Alibi“, which was about The Counter owners reopening their location in Dos Lagos as The Alibi Bar & Grill. Since that post, we have visited The Alibi a few times.

The fries and onion strings are still good, although the appetizer is now called a “Half n Half” instead of a “50/50”. They also make good salads, such as the Chef (Cobb) Salad.

We LOVED The Counter’s burgers, and were happy to find out that burgers are still on the menu. We’ve tried a few of the different burgers, including the Western burger and the Breakfast burger. We will miss The Counter experience, but The Alibi burgers are still good (and big at 1/2 lb.), just not quite the same.

If you’re not in the mood for a burger, The Alibi has so much more to offer.

My personal favorite is The Club sandwich. Many of the club sandwiches I have tried are light on turkey and bacon, loaded with lettuce, and completely devoid of cheese. The Alibi does it right by combining roast beef, turkey, ham and bacon, with lettuce, tomato AND cheese. Good stuff.

We’ve also tried the Asada Sandwich (thinly-sliced carne asada and swiss cheese), the Bratwurst and the Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, which are 12 square cut sandwiches with different cheeses served with tomato soup for dipping. Another addition is breakfast, which they serve until noon on the weekends.

The interior has been revamped with darker colors, dark wood tables and a dark wood bar. Although I liked the clean look of the metal tables and chairs, the darker colors look good too. They have also added Karaoke nights, and although I haven’t been to one, I did drive past The Alibi on a Thursday night after seeing a late movie and the place seemed to be packed with people having a good time.

After all, they do have 30 beers on tap.

The Alibi Bar & Grill

The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos

2785 Cabot Drive Suite 110

Corona, CA

The Counter in Dos Lagos – Corona, CA

May 7, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

Update: The Counter in Corona is closed, but The Counter in Irvine is still open.
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My youngest son’s favorite meal is a cheeseburger (yes, it’s one of my favorites too). We don’t eat them all the time, so when we do we want something good. One of our favorite places to get a great burger is at The Counter in the Dos Lagos center in Corona.

The Counter has a few locations, but this is the only one we’ve visited. I like the “simple” look of this restaurant with its concrete floors, exposed ceilings and metallic furnishings (The Counter calls it “industrial decor” on its website).

The burgers are awesome, and I have never seen so many choices. When you are seated, you receive a clipboard with a form that lets you “build your own burger”. First, you choose what type of burger you want (beef, turkey, veggie or grilled chicken) and the size (1/3 lb, 2/3 lb or 1lb). I’m a pretty big guy and the 1/3 lb has always been the perfect size for me. Next, you choose from 10 cheeses, 28 toppings and 18 sauces. You finish up by choosing an english muffin or a bun (you can also skip the bun and have the burger served in a bowl). The Counter’s website states that there are “312,120+ different burger combinations”.

I’m pretty plain when it comes to burgers, so I always opt for cheese and bacon. This seems boring considering the number of toppings I can pick, but the meat is so perfectly cooked and seasoned that I don’t like to drown it with a lot of competing flavors. The way they cook it is also great. The outside of the burger is never greasy, but the inside is amazingly juicy. The Counter states right on its menu that the beef is 100% natural freshly ground angus beef that is raised on a vegetarian diet without hormones or antibiotics, which is nice.

My oldest son, wife and daughter are more adventurous, and have tried various toppings including jalapenos, chili, pepper jack cheese, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce and onion strings.

This brings me to the appetizers. The french fries and onion strings are incredible. I hear that the sweet potato fries are also good, but I don’t do sweet potato fries so you can be the judge. The Counter also makes some pretty good shakes, and features a new shake every month.