So, Texas Monthly has come out with their 50 Best Burgers in Texas list. Sounds simple and controversy free enough. I mean just like pizza, bbq, and college sports, no one has strong opinions about burgers. Right?
8 of the burgers on the list are from Austin which isn’t too much of a surprise, but apparently the number 2 best burger in the state can be found right down the street at Counter Café.
Seriously? Little ol’ Counter Café? Drive-by-it-all-the-time, minding-its-own-business, squat, unassuming Counter Café? The same Counter Café that served us up overpriced, mediocre brunch food and a totally overrated pimento cheese sandwich? This is the place that has the next to best burger in a state that’s bigger than most of the countries in Western Europe?
That’s the claim.
Could I look more hopeful?
We had to investigate. After a Saturday morning visit to the farmers’ market, the wifey and I piled into the car and made a beeline over to Lamar in an effort to beat the curious crowds that exposure like this is sure to generate. Not only were we able to pull right into a parking spot, but we only had to wait about 3 minutes before scoring a couple of sweet seats at the bar.
A nosey but thorough snooping around revealed that only 4 other patrons were partaking in the Burger of the Hour. Hmmm.
Almost half of Counter Café’s space is occupied by a long open kitchen, so it’s easy to watch the dudes in back cook up whatever it is you’ve ordered. We ordered burgers. Duh. Rachel opted to augment hers with some grilled jalapenos and a side of sweet potato fries. I went purely traditional.
The first thing that I noticed when our burgers arrived was that they were only partially assembled. The choice and amounts of condiments are left up to the diner, as bottles of mustard, aioli, and ketchup were there to attest. The second thing I noticed was how good they smelled. Like really good. Like really, really, seriously good.
I tried a bit of the bun and discovered that it was sweet. Not like potato bread sweetness, but genuinely sweet, almost like an Asian pork sticky bun. Good thing I’m a freak for pork sticky buns. I had a bite of tomato and it tasted like it was actually grown (possibly in dirt) and not fabricated in a weird warehouse laboratory somewhere. A good start.
After a few minutes of construction (I’m a mustard and mayo guy myself) my burger had reached peak eating potential. I cut it open to get a closer look at the innards. The patty was not too thick and not too thin. It was cooked to an impressive medium-rare. Oddly though, with no instruction from us, Rachel’s was cooked medium-well. Maybe consistency isn’t their strong suit.
As I bit into the burger, the bun totally made sense. It was a great counter-point to the sharp cheddar cheese and the rich, juicy, charred beef. The vegetables were fresh and crisp and supplied in a thoughtful ratio. In the Logan vs. Burger battle royale, the poor little guy didn’t stand a chance.
I have to say, this is one damn fine burger.
Is it next in line to be the all-time best burger in Texas? Don’t know. I will say that before eating it I would have laughed at you for suggesting it. Hell, I may even have slapped you. After lunch though, I’d give it fighting odds. If I had to bitch, I’d say the meat could have used a touch more salt, but other than that it really made a fine showing for itself.
A word of warning though, the fries are a travesty. Counter Café should be ashamed to serve them. They are as bad as the burger is good. I guess they’re hand-cut, but they arrive on the plate a big pile of limp, soggy, greasy, unappetizing potatoishness. I ate two and regretted each bite more than the last. Stick to the burgers.
-L. Pants
626 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 708-8800
Don't shortchange yourself. Texas is bigger than all the countries in Europe (you know, if you throw out Russia, Turkey and one of the 'Stans)
Posted by: Jerk McFactchecker | Monday, 20 July 2009 at 07:07
Great caption and photo. Looking good cuz.
Posted by: Jeremy | Monday, 20 July 2009 at 08:12
Um..... yum, I will be going there tomorrow. A perfect rare/ medium rare burger.
Posted by: maggie | Monday, 20 July 2009 at 14:48
Yeah, but... rare/medium burger? I think I'm the only person who thinks hamburger meat should be fully cooked. Well, me and food safety nuts. I love me some rare steak, but red/pink burgers gross me out. :)
Posted by: Crystal | Monday, 20 July 2009 at 16:47
J. M. - I need to dig up an atlas but I'm feeling what your saying.
Jeremy- Thanks man! Hope you, Gail, and that adorable baby are doing awesome!
Maggie-Let me know what you think.
Crystal-Ground beef should definitely be cooked all the way if the meat isn't super fresh and processed on site. I'm probably too trusting but if somebody serves me a rare-ish burger (my personal preference) I feel that it's an implicit statement about the quality and handling of the product. Rachel is in your camp and that's why the two of you can hang out more after I die of enterohemorrhagic toxin.
And for the record I just realized the magazine doesn't hit shelves until tomorrow (Wednesday) so that could explain the lack of activity.
Posted by: Logan @Boots in the Oven | Tuesday, 21 July 2009 at 11:23
aw, no corpus christi burgers...oh well, in any other state i might be offended but the competition is pretty rough down there.
Posted by: Krista | Wednesday, 22 July 2009 at 17:39
Wow, that's pretty surprising! I just looked through the list, and the closest is in Port Aransas, which is still like an hour... damn, this is a big state.
Posted by: Rachel @ Boots in the Oven | Thursday, 23 July 2009 at 17:31
Dear L. Pants (This means Larger Pants??? Those are definitely what I needed when I was doing research for Texas Monthly's burger story, but I digress). Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for actually going and EATING the Counter Cafe's burger before commenting! Most readers just jump straight to the part where they disagree and beat us up--it's so much more fun that way. And thank you for paying attention and noticing the little burger details that make all the difference, like whether the meat is too flat or too fat and whether it's salted enough and whether the tomato is ripe, and on and on. Keep on postin'. Take care, Pat Sharpe, Food Editor, Texas Monthly (Oh, The top-50 list is now on my blog, "Eat My Words," and all the write-ups are on our web site texasmonthly.com.)
Posted by: Pat Sharpe | Saturday, 25 July 2009 at 16:49
Hey Pat- My pleasure. We always try to get into the details here at Boots. And if you have a similar story coming up, I've got a few spare pair of burly-man sized pants. Just let me know. I'll definitely check out the write ups on your blog too.
Posted by: Logan @ Boots in the Oven | Tuesday, 28 July 2009 at 19:45
burgers are somewhat of a food passion of mine and while i agree on many fronts with your review of counter cafe's burger, personally, i don't think it holds up to have a top five rank. i can still smell CC on me as i return to write this form lunch there. while this may be preference, i thought the doughy bun-although tasty, was not in balance with the smallish patty. 2. the cheese was anything but sharp and none of the three of us could even taste the cheese. 3. (IMO: critical flaw if a burger goes pickle-less) 4. my order of fries were actually crispy - so i didn't mind the diner-grease taste. all true on the rest of the freshness of veggies. fries aside (disgusting), my favorite burger is at "Elevation" where the grass-fed beef is ground onsite,their pickles are homemade, and you can't miss the cheese. call me crazy but try one first.
Posted by: gary marburger | Tuesday, 30 March 2010 at 13:54
Dude almost 70% percent of the state is farmland or desert, nothing really impressive. I rather take quality over quantity.
Posted by: David | Wednesday, 09 June 2010 at 15:41