Back at the end of February, I hit the apple pan which is an L.A. burger landmark. Since then, I’ve been mired in Veggieburgerland, waiting for the right moment to break free. I found that excuse in The Counter’s new Westlake Village location. Until now, the closest location to have one of The Counter’s legendary burgers was Santa Monica. Now that they’ve infiltrated Ventura county, I think I might have to find a way to make their burgers a weekly habit.
The Counter – Lindero Cyn Rd. and Russell Ranch Rd in Westlake Village
I made two visits to The Counter this week. One on opening day, April 6th, and one today. The first time around I had a veggie burger, but today I had beef, glorious, hormone free, humanely raised beef. For those of you who care about such things, The Counter gets their beef from Meyer Farms. Here is their promise to the consumer:
No Hormones – Our cattle are never given any form of hormones, steroids, implants or growth stimulants. We allow our animal to mature slowly for optimal tenderness and marbling.
No Antibiotics – Our cattle are never given any form of antibiotics. We don’t use antibiotics in feed supplements and we don’t administer antibiotics therapeutically.
Verified Origins – We know where our cattle come from. We verify the ranch of origin and much more. All of our cattle are born, raised, fed and processed in the United States.
Vegetarian Diet – Our cattle are raised on a strictly vegetarian diet. They are fed only natural feed and rations, such as pasture grass, hay, grains and legumes, and then finished on a corn-based diet for true corn-fed flavor.
Angus Breed – Because taste is everything, our cattle are Angus. The breed is known for its superior marbling, juiciness, tenderness, flavor and consistent portion sizing.
Certified Humane – Meyer Natural Angus has received the “Certified Humane” designation from the Humane Farm Animal Care organization. This means that our cattle are treated well, given shelter and sufficient space, and allowed to engage in natural behaviors.
Of all the things this company promises, I think the most important are No Hormones/Antibiotics and that they are Certified Humane. I have yet to find another burger restaurant that takes this stance when purchasing beef. It is refreshing to see and it makes it a lot easier for me to spend my money here.
Also, this isn’t just info from the farm, the wait staff at the counter is very knowledgeable and basically told me everything before I had a chance to look at the website. On to the review…
My first Counter visit was on opening day. It showed. It seemed like there were about a billion people working and they were still working out a few last minute kinks. I took a seat at the counter and waited to order. The ordering process at The Counter is kinda like filling out a job application, except instead of checking the box that says “No, I haven’t committed a felony,” you get to check one that says fried onion strings.
I ended up ordering a veggie burger with bleu cheese, tomato, lettuce, green chiles and of course the fried onion strings. I’m telling you, I love me some fried onion. The burger was out quickly and was different from any veggie burger I’ve ever had. It definitely wasn’t frozen. In fact, it had a tough time staying together. Overall though, it tasted good and the toppings were fresh and plentiful.
Turns out, humanely raised beef tastes way better than the other stuff. This burger was so flavorful that I can only compare it to my favorite burger at Lucky’s in Montecito. It even beats out the Apple Pan, although The Pan gets bonus points for the probability that a fistfight or riot can break out at any moment. Again, the toppings on my burger were more than enough. They are fresh and, I’m told, locally sourced. I’d personally like to shake the hand of the farmer who raises their onion strings. He is a personal hero of mine.
Eat Me California: Mired in Veggieburgerland Until The Westlake Village Counter
Posted: April 9, 2009 by Certified Humane
Back at the end of February, I hit the apple pan which is an L.A. burger landmark. Since then, I’ve been mired in Veggieburgerland, waiting for the right moment to break free. I found that excuse in The Counter’s new Westlake Village location. Until now, the closest location to have one of The Counter’s legendary burgers was Santa Monica. Now that they’ve infiltrated Ventura county, I think I might have to find a way to make their burgers a weekly habit.
I made two visits to The Counter this week. One on opening day, April 6th, and one today. The first time around I had a veggie burger, but today I had beef, glorious, hormone free, humanely raised beef. For those of you who care about such things, The Counter gets their beef from Meyer Farms. Here is their promise to the consumer:
No Antibiotics – Our cattle are never given any form of antibiotics. We don’t use antibiotics in feed supplements and we don’t administer antibiotics therapeutically.
Vegetarian Diet – Our cattle are raised on a strictly vegetarian diet. They are fed only natural feed and rations, such as pasture grass, hay, grains and legumes, and then finished on a corn-based diet for true corn-fed flavor.
Certified Humane – Meyer Natural Angus has received the “Certified Humane” designation from the Humane Farm Animal Care organization. This means that our cattle are treated well, given shelter and sufficient space, and allowed to engage in natural behaviors.
My first Counter visit was on opening day. It showed. It seemed like there were about a billion people working and they were still working out a few last minute kinks. I took a seat at the counter and waited to order. The ordering process at The Counter is kinda like filling out a job application, except instead of checking the box that says “No, I haven’t committed a felony,” you get to check one that says fried onion strings.
Turns out, humanely raised beef tastes way better than the other stuff. This burger was so flavorful that I can only compare it to my favorite burger at Lucky’s in Montecito. It even beats out the Apple Pan, although The Pan gets bonus points for the probability that a fistfight or riot can break out at any moment. Again, the toppings on my burger were more than enough. They are fresh and, I’m told, locally sourced. I’d personally like to shake the hand of the farmer who raises their onion strings. He is a personal hero of mine.
Category: news