Restaurant Review: The Counter

I'd like to share some exciting news: I'm now living in New York City!  I moved into the Little Italy/Chinatown neighborhood a little over a month ago, so I've been having a pretty fantastic time walking all over the place (I walk to work!), exploring downtown, and learning how to live independently for the first time.  So far, so good!  (I've also still been kicking around new names for this blog -- I hope to finally settle on one soon.)

I've found some pretty great restaurants both in my neighborhood and SoHo (where I work), but finding anywhere good (read: Paleo-friendly) to eat in Midtown has always been a struggle.  But today, I stumbled upon a lovely little place near Times Square (41st and Broadway) called The Counter, which offers custom-built burgers made with "Fresh 100% Natural Beef - Hormone and Antibiotic Free - Humanely Raised + Handled."  (If beef isn't your thing, your burger can be made with bison, chicken, or turkey as well.)  While a burger joint might not sound all that Paleo-friendly at first, this isn't the type of place where you have to ask for a burger without a bun and will receive just a patty on a piece of lettuce.  Instead, they're known for their "Burgers in a Bowl," which are essentially burger salads-- it really doesn't get much more Paleo-friendly than that!

I really liked that I could choose the kind of lettuce I wanted in my burger in a bowl-- they offer lettuce blend, organic mixed greens, and baby spinach.  I also loved their wide variety of toppings, such as grilled pineapple, hard-boiled eggs, brie cheese, and avocado.  This is not a typical burger place -- I've been to a bunch of other burger places both in the city and elsewhere, and those definitely don't compare to The Counter.  The food is delicious, the ambiance is great (very modern look with good music playing), the prices are reasonable, the staff is super friendly, and the menu certainly has something for everyone.  In addition, they have a gluten-free menu in case you want to be extra careful about picking your ingredients, and they disclose their nutritional and allergen information online as well.  

It turns out that The Counter is actually a California-based chain with over 20 locations there, as well as locations in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Texas, Virginia, Ireland, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia!!  I'm also really glad that they're opening more locations all over the world soon, because I think the concept is great and it's a place that both Paleo and non-Paleo people can enjoy.  If you're in Midtown (or in any of their other locations), I highly encourage you to stop by The Counter and enjoy a really nice casual dining experience.

                          

Quote of the Day:

"There is absolutely no substitute for the best.  Good food cannot be made of inferior ingredients masked with high flavor.  It is true thrift to use the best ingredients available and to waste nothing."  -James Beard