Bison and octopus and goat – oh my!
We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy, when it comes to cuisine. Gourmet goodies can now be found at local burger and taco joints, provided you know which ones offer exotic eats. With places like The Counter (bison burgers) and Taco Asylum (octopus and goat tacos) in our noshing neighborhoods, who needs McDonalds or Taco Bell – or Pinot Provence, for that matter?
THE COUNTER
“Did you know that herds of bison once roamed the hills of Newport Beach?” I asked my assistant, Laura. “In fact, Bison Avenue was named for them.”
“What exactly are bison?” she asked.
“That’s the proper name for American buffalo,” I replied. “Ever eat bison?”
“No.”
“Ever been to The Counter?”
“That’s the place where you build your own burger, right? I’ve been wanting to try it.”
“Then we need to go there for lunch, because they just added bison to the menu.”
“And they have regular hamburgers, too?” she asked hopefully.
“Of course, but you know me – the more unusual, the better.”
The Counter may serve exotic fare, but its location in a small Newport Beach strip mall at Irvine and 17th Street is rather tame. However, the lack of ambiance doesn’t hurt the overall experience, because once seated a server reviews the procedure for creating the perfect hamburger – at least, the one that’s perfect for you.
Everyone receives a clipboard and a list of potential ingredients to put on their burgers. The Counter claims they offer 312,120 different burger combinations, which means you could eat lunch here every day for the next 85 years and never repeat a burger.
My burger, however, is worth repeating.
As Laura and I perused our menu options, I tried to determine what accouterments might go well with bison.
“Wow. I’m torn between the goat cheese spread, the brie, and the gruyere,” I said. “I also want to be careful and not order too many overly flavorful toppings so that the taste of the meat is lost, although the garlic aioli and the chipotle aioli both sound tasty.”
I finally opted to top my bison burger with herb goat cheese spread, marinated artichokes, organic mixed greens, tomatoes, and a basil pesto sauce – and put it all on a wheat bun.
Laura took the relatively safe route with a basic burger topped with cheddar cheese, onions, and pickles, although she dipped her palate into the exotic with an apricot sauce topping.
“This is a fabulous burger,” I exclaimed. “It’s moist and juicy, and the toppings are a good match for the bison. Want to try a bite?”
“Sure, that way I can say I’ve had bison,” said Laura.
I cut a piece for her, and then stuffed a few sweet potato fries into my mouth.
“You’re right, this is good,” she said, genuinely surprised at how much she liked it. “I don’t know if I’d order it every day.”
“Well, if you did, you’d still have a few decades to exhaust all the possible combinations of toppings. That’s something In-N-Out can’t come close to claiming.”
“They also don’t have bison on the menu,” Laura pointed out.
“I bet if they made a buffalo burger, people with discriminating palates would stampede to In-N-Out,” I laughed. “But for now, The Counter is the only local spot where diners can graze on bison.”
For more info, including menus, visit TheCounterBurger.com.
TACO ASYLUM
What’s more exotic than bison burgers? Octopus tacos!
Of course, some people think I should be sent to an asylum when I crave tacos filled with octopus, goat, or ghost chili pork, but that’s exactly where I go: Taco Asylum at The Camp in Costa Mesa.
Taco Asylum is an eclectic little taco joint owned by the same folks that run Haven Gastropub in Orange. The focus is on non-traditional gourmet tacos that you generally won’t find on other taco menus.
Taco Asylum offers nine standard tacos (well, standard for them) that include grilled octopus, pork belly, short rib, curried paneer, wild mushroom, lamb, duck, steak, and ghost chili pork, along with a flavor of the week (recently it was goat) plus an assortment of specialty beers.
I took my assistant, Catherine, with me recently to try the tacos at Taco Asylum. I warned her that this was not the typical taco joint.
“I was not expecting all of these exotic options,” said Catherine as she stared at the menu.
“You can order the sampler platter and get a small one of each,” I suggested.
“I’m not sure if I’m ready for octopus, or goat. I’m going to go for something tamer, like the short rib.”
“I’m doing the octopus taco and the goat taco,” I stated. “And we need a side of the homemade chips.”
“This is the perfect size,” said Catherine when our order arrived. “It also has great flavor.”
“Are you sure you don’t want a bite of octopus?” I teased.
“It’s fun to look at, but no thanks. But I do like these chips that were soaked in beer batter. I think there’s some cinnamon on them. It’s a perfect combination of salty and sweet.”
“And Taco Asylum is the perfect combination of simple and exotic.”
For more information: TacoAsylum.com.
