The Counter Burgers San Mateo, CA

Today I'm hitting The Counter in San Mateo, CA.  I first visited their Walnut Creek location in 2011, when I was just beginning my journey to find the coolest food places and see if they live up to the hype.

Since then, I've visited the best burger places that the Chicago area has to offer (Edzo's, The Butcher and the Burger, Au Cheval, DMK Burger Bar).  

Mind you, when I rate a place.. I'm giving it 1-5 stars based on whether or not it's a true foodie destination.  And by foodie destination I'm not putting any premium on off the wall or snobby offerings.  Having foie gras on your burger isn't going to turn my head ... having juicy high quality beef and great cheese is going to win that battle.  So I'm not rating it like yelp.. vs. all other places .. I'm rating a place against the hype.  

Let's dive in

I ordered the bacon BBQ burger.  Overall it was mediocre.  Why?  First, it was $13.. for $13 you can get a grass fed triple patty at Edzo's in Evanston, IL.  This burger was small.  Price is only one factor and I'll pay top price for a great burger ...

This one was not great.  I wouldn't call the meat dry, and I measure a good patty in terms of juiciness against the Cheesecake Factory.  They make a damn good burger, but also a burger you should be a notch above as foodie destination.  

The cheese was fine.  The onion strings were good.. but no contrast in flavors stood out.  

I got cheese fries.  And if you've ever been to DMK burger bar in Chicago, those would be A+ cheese fries.  These were just decent fries with solid cheese melted on top.  They were also "okay."  

I asked the server where they got their meat from and he said "I don't know, I can ask."  And that was about the answer I expected.

I'm not ripping the place .. it's fine.  You could do a lot worse.  Compared to expecting good pizza at Bartoli's in Wrigleyville, this place was a godsend.

Stars?  2.5 "fine"