The Counter (CV): Tasty but slow

Same deal every time we go to the counter:

Very inefficient set up. Always seems like it should take less time than it does. On most recent visit, only one waitress for the whole patio (about 10 tables which arrived at the same time) but lots of bussers.

Food is delicious, however. I still love the homemade veggie burger in a bowl of fresh organic greens with tzatziki (one of their lowest-cal dressings) and roasted red peppers. SB loved his hamburger (Mom is letting him not eat veggie out....oy...because he kept saying all day that he really wanted a hand-burger, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! could he have a hand-burger). CH liked his milkshake. I liked my viognier.

But we need to find another burger place. Red Robin is depressing (to me) and the food stinks. The Counter is delicious but slow/frustrating. CH doesn't like Islands. Burger Lounge has tiny little veggie burgers and no whole grain options unless they've changed it.

Don't cry for Red Robin (Carmel Valley)

So it's the big joke of the Ralph's shopping center renovation (Del Mar Highlands) that Red Robin is the big loser. It used to be packed on a Fri or Sat. because there were no other decent family-friendly choices in the neighborhood. With the Counter and the other restaurants open, no lines anymore at Red Robin. They can't be happy.

Well, we went tonight (SB wanted to play video games, which they do have there, and he was a good boy so he got to pick the restaurant). I remembered why it's never my first choice.

--slow service

--they can never get a veggie burger properly cooked. I appreciate that they allow you to sub in one for anything on the menu. But mine always comes out lukewarm. Today the sweet potato fries were lukewarm too.

I do appreciate the skinny margarita. It was kind of sickeningly sweet, but at 130 calories for something limey, drinkable and alcoholic that I could drink while I helped SB eat his grilled cheese, it was a nice treat.

I'm sure we'll go again - SB is not as picky about food as his dear old mom. But they deserve losing the business they're losing. I would have had a much better burger and dinner at the Counter!

The Counter Review (Carmel Valley)

ST's school schedule is screwy this week, so Mama took him to a special lunch out! (boy hasn't gone out to eat alone with me except for fast food since he was in an infant seat). Brought him some cars, some paper to draw on (they have pencils for filling out your order form), and we were good to go.

Verdict: Yummy! (though not super-yummy, let's not exaggerate)

Advanced buzz on Yelp: mixed about this place, lots of haters, so I didn't have high hopes. Also there's always a line there when we think about going, so we have ended up at Red Robin.

Well, this ain't Red Robin! Fun music, fresh air on the patio (though only one heater for the whole patio). Lots of choices: I got a fresh veggie-quinoa burger, and had a choice of tons of things to add on/sauces. I picked:

--carrot sticks
--organic spring mix
--grilled pineapple
--Tilamook cheddar
--on multigrain

+tzatziki sauce

Very tasty! I really liked the burger, and the way I customized it was yummy.

ST got a kids' veggie burger (two sliders with American cheese), also came with fries.

We also tried their sweet potato french fries. They're not the very best in town (sweet potato fries are also becoming cliche), but they were certainly tasty.

Service: Took a while to take our order, but once we flagged someone down we got our food within 10 min.

Fun, customizing the burger means I'd love to go back and pick some different sauces and toppings.

Fun, fast, tasty, Super-Toddler-friendly! That's my kind of Toddler's-and-Mom's Lunch Out!

O'Brothers (Gaslamp)

Looks like I never reviewed this place in Horton Plaza. Loved it! Thought it was the best of the new SD burger places. Loved my veggie burger and sweet potato fries, and an awesome salad (I think we were there 2 mos. ago and I still remember). But CH didn't like his burger very much. So this will unfortunately not enter our rotation. But it's worth a try for you! Super toddler-friendly; satisfying lunch after hitting the Santa Fe Depot for a train reward!

Stadium (Encinitas): Review #2

LOVE the Stadium in Encinitas. Went with CH and ST tonight after trying it a few months ago.

All the plusses:

--kids' play room

--monitors at your table to see your child in the playroom so you can relax (we didn't even know about this kind of table last time, so one of us had always been left alone at the table while the other watched him; this was way better)

--surprisingly great food for a sports bar/burger place. I enjoyed seared ahi sliders with sweet potato french fries; ST had standard m&c that also came with fresh carrot and celery sticks and tater tots; CH had a chicken teriyaki bowl he liked (he decided to give the Stadium another try tonight and order something different even though he had a tummyache last time - hopefully it was a one time thing and he'll be fine tonight).

--great selection of beer on tap (I hardly drank any but enjoyed some tastes of the Stadium Honey beer)

--super-friendly servers: all the young women and men who work there are very nice and family-friendly

--hip-ish atmosphere and comfy seating. I'm not even into the big screens b/c I don't need to watch the game, but it lends the place a buzzy atmosphere.

Looking forward to going again. Super toddler-friendly and mom- and dad-friendly place (it almost felt like a date while we were sitting on our own, chatting, while watching him on the monitor playing hide and seek with the camera :)).

Station Tavern (South Park)

Was very psyched to try Station Tavern. Artisan burgers! Beer! Sandbox for the kids! Thought it was the most brilliant concept ever...was practically ready to invest in it. Had a playdate with MuseumGirl and her clan tonight...thought we would drink and the kids would play. Would be the best place ever!

RESULT: Meh.....

Service: Friendly but overwhelmed, so not very efficient. Did a lot of service ourselves (got our own napkins, changed out our own ketchup bottles, etc etc).

Atmosphere: Tons of pebbles everywhere. I suppose this is fun for the kids but TruckBoy didn't really want to go in the designated "sandbox" and instead wanted to dig/throw rocks near the table. He was a little overwhelmed by all the kids and was being clingy instead. I left covered with dust. Plus it was unexpectedly freezing on the patio and we needed to send ABW to an overpriced organic cotton shop to buy us sweatshirts.

Oh and the Food? It was ok, but nothing cravable. Liked the chickpea veggie burger. Sweet potato fries: ok. Tater tots: ok. Salad: ok. Beers were tasty.

No need to go again...oh well!