Cheeseburger Week Rolls On. Again.

(Editor’s note: What’s that sizzle in the air? Why, it’s Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena! We won’t regale you with the old story of the first cheeseburger being invented at Sternberger’s 8 million years ago. If you’re reading this, you already know that. We’re here to talk cheeseburgers, and moving right along, here are our next feature reviews—the cheeseburgers at The Counter and Meat District Co.)

The Counter

Okay, this one is on us. We included The Counter in last year’s roundup coverage of Cheeseburger Week, and given the fact that The Counter is a design-your-own burger spot with scores of choices of cheeses, sauces and toppings, we built a very simple burger that was still frankly, quite good.

Little did we know.

This year, we allowed Carlos, the manager, to build us a burger of his own design, and the results were spectacular.

Visiting in that quiet afternoon spot between lunch and dinner, the place was quiet and empty and perfectly ready for a serious cheeseburger assault, with fries, of course.

Let’s start with those, since every cheeseburger needs a big handful of fries, and the fries at The Counter are the perfect accompaniment to a great burger.

Carlos brought two serving of fries—the Loaded Spuds and the Parmesan Fries. Each was a pile of shoestring potatoes, the first with shredded cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and topped with scallions and a drizzle of sour cream. The second featured the same fries, this time tossed in a roasted garlic aioli, mixed with grated parmesan, and topped with rosemary and parsley. Each required a fork, to scoop up the delicious mixtures. A perfectly unexpected delight.

And though it was only me sitting at that table, two massive burgers showed up post haste. The co-star was the Old School burger featured a half-pound slab of hormone and antibiotic-free beef with melted Tillamook cheddar, lettuce, sliced red onion and pickle chips and tomato. It’s served on a brioche with a red relish made in-house. For this one, Carlos also added more bacon and topped it with sliced avocado. The entire construction had to be sliced in half for easier maneuverability, and it was an olympian effort to finish just half.

Carlos called the second burger, “The Knife and Fork,” a steak dinner on a bun, and that description was close to spot on. On this one, the half-pound beef is topped with a mound of Parmesan Fries, along with baby spinach, roasted tomato, a dollop of horseradish aioli, and the Counter’s “signature steak sauce.” served on the side. This burger was a magnificent tower of delicious, with each bite revealing the wealth of flavors. The horseradish aioli added a mellow tang to the beef flavor, and the steak sauce added even more to the swirl of tastes.

Again, we could only manage half of this one, and brought the other half home for, you know, safekeeping. It’s a dangerous world out there, and we hold our burgers close to us. The Counter makes that easy.

The Counter is at 140 Shoppers Ln, Pasadena. (626) 440-1008 www.thecounterburger.com/pasadena

The Meat District Co.

This restaurant brings everything back to basics. The nearly two-year old restaurant features grilled steaks, ribs, and of course, burgers. It’s that specially seasoned and grilled beef that defines its burgers.

Meat District Co. brings a simple and delicious burger to the game.

Interestingly enough, I’ve never preferred tomatoes or onions on my burgers, but the Meat District’s 1/2 lb patty with aged cheddar, caramelized onions, tomatoes, pickle and house sauce manages to blend each of these distinct ingredients together like a smooth singing ensemble. The tomatoes and caramelized onions joined seamlessly to create a quietly spectacular cheeseburger. The Cheeseburger is served with thin, crispy fries, which are perfectly great without either salt or ketchup, if that’s how you roll.

We’d expect no less than a great burger in a place that specializes in grilled meats, and the Meat District Co. did not disappoint us. Their burger deserves a serious thumb-up.

Meat District Co. is at 69 North Raymond, Pasadena. (626) 795-9902. www.meatdistrictco.com