The Dish: The Counter to open in West Hollywood

The Counter goes to WeHo

The popular burger chain the Counter plans to open a new location in West Hollywood on Monday. The original Counter opened in 2003 and quickly caught on with diners due to its claim that its abundance of sauces, cheese and toppings gave customers more than 312,120 possible combinations when it came to customizing their burgers.

The newest Counter — the eighth in Southern California — will continue that tradition, offering three sizes of burgers (beef, chicken, turkey or veggie), four types of buns, 12 cheeses, 30 toppings and 21 sauces. Choices unique to the WeHo location will include ahi tuna, mozzarella cheese, pancetta, wasabi aioli and parmesan fries, as well as beer and wine. The 2,732-square-foot space seats 134 people and includes an outdoor patio.

The Counter, 7919 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, https://www.thecounterburger.com.

Tender Greens in Hollywood

Sunset and Vine is bustling these days, and Tender Greens, the eco-conscious, organic salad chain that originated in Culver City, got in on the action when it opened its fourth Southern California location in Hollywood last week. The restaurant, which features the same blond-wood accents and clean, modern design as the original, is within walking distance of the Hollywood farmers market, a situation that executive chef Fermin Arias plans to take full advantage of.

Beginning Sunday, Arias will saunter over to the market, pick out the freshest produce, meats and seafood and use the ingredients to cook both lunch and dinner for the restaurant. He’ll continue the tradition each week so the choices will be in constant flux according to season and availability. Expect to pay about $11 for an entrée, which is pretty much standard for most fare at Tender Greens.

Tender Greens, 6290-A Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; (323) 382-038, https://www.tendergreensfood.com.

Burger and a mini-dress

Night-life baron Sam Nazarian’s SBE has gotten inventive with its latest offering, a nightclub and lounge that also features a walk-up gourmet burger bar. The place is called Industry and it’s located in the old Area space on La Cienega Boulevard. Expect typical SBE flourishes like a raucous dance floor, pampered private booths, lavish bottle service and large banquettes.

How will Hollywood’s sleek set react to the idea of gulping down messy burgers in their party pants? Who knows, but the options — including pastrami, chili-cheese and falafel burgers — are tempting and easily washed down with a variety of fruity cocktails including cucumber-watermelon margaritas and white blueberry cosmopolitans.

Industry, 634 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 652-2012, https://www.sbe.com/industry

More ‘Hungry Girl’

To the uninitiated, “Hungry Girl 1-2-3” might seem like an unusual title for a cookbook. But for Lisa Lillien’s legions of fans, the title says it all. Hungry Girl is the brand.

“And the recipes are 1-2-3 easy,” said Lillien, taking a break at her Woodland Hills test kitchen, the Hungry Girl headquarters.

This week, Lillien is preparing to embark on a mini book signing and publicity tour, with stops in Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, New York and Arizona, as well as a host of TV appearances. Meanwhile, she’s preparing to launch yet another cookbook, on cocktail recipes and party foods, set to hit shelves in June, just in time for summer.

Lillien’s last cookbook — “Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200” — debuted at the No. 1 spot on the New York Times’ bestsellers list. It raises the question: Can lightning strike twice? Or thrice?

Also:

Los Angeles got its first “bustaurant” as World Fare, the restaurant located on a vintage double-decker bus, rolled into Hollywood this week. Chef Andi Van Willigan, formerly an executive sous chef for the Michael Mina group, is in the kitchen turning out the restaurant’s signature “bunnys” — hollowed-out bread filled with a variety of savory ingredients liked braised short ribs with horseradish crème fraiche. https://www.worldfare.com.

— Jessica Gelt and Rene Lynch