Friday night was the latest (and apparently 7th) installment of the granddaddy of Web 2.0 parties, TechCrunch. On a balmy evening on Sand Hill Road, a cast of hundreds showed up to meet, greet, and eat (yeah, and of course drink). Much has already been written about the event, ranging from those who thought it was great, to those who found it yet another cautionary sign of a new bubble. But how about the food?
The caterers did a nice job of picking a few creative dishes, presenting them well, and (very important for those with consuming ambitions) not running out of food! The menu:
- Lentil "burger" with fries
- Pulled pork slider with slaw
- Egg rolls with Asian salad
- Ice cream sandwiches
The real foodie news to come out of the event, though, is the opening of the celebrated Santa Monica burger paradise, The Counter, on California Avenue in Palo Alto. Word is that The Counter was requested to cater the TechCrunch party, but was unable to accept the honor due to opening-weekend logistics. The restaurant was open for private functions this weekend, with proceeds going to charity, but the official opening is Monday night. I couldn't wait and stopped by to check the place out and sample a milkshake (takeout orders are accepted pre-opening). The milkshake was fine (how much could go wrong with a chocolate shake?) but the real reason to visit this stylish new eatery is the incredible burgers and fixings. Armed with the 25% off coupon I received at the party, I'll be back to try it out in the very near future. Look for it in an upcoming post.
Thanks to TechCrunch and August Capital for throwing a great shindig that ran very smoothly despite the scale.
A few pics of the food and people below...
I was going to hit The Counter for lunch today, but when I got there, I saw that it wasn't opening until 5 PM tonight. Oh, the agony!
Posted by: Chris Yeh | August 21, 2006 at 03:55 PM
Great photo of the burger and fries! Too bad I missed the event. I'm going to try The Counter, though.
Posted by: SugarJunkie | August 21, 2006 at 09:36 PM
Tom,
Let me know what you think of the food at the Counter. Is there a reason you only got the milkshake?
-Gus
Posted by: Gus Tai | August 21, 2006 at 09:41 PM
Gus, I didn't want to experience the food as takeout, because burgers and fries are meant to be eaten hot from the kitchen! This type of food doesn't travel well. It worked well for the milkshake, though (actually it only had to "travel" from the front door of The Counter a few steps to my car, by which time I had mostly consumed it!).
Posted by: Tom Cole | August 21, 2006 at 11:58 PM
Went to the "sneak peak" opening on Saturday afternoon, and my friend went crazy and ordered a burger with every single topping. If anyone's interested in reading about it, check out http://jimmylin.imeem.com/blogentry/8TViehBk/ . BTW, went back today for lunch with my coworkers and was also disappointed to see the sign that said "open at 5:00"
Posted by: jahzooo | August 22, 2006 at 12:34 AM
Jimmy, Amazing!! I felt bloated just looking at the pictures!
Posted by: Gus Tai | August 22, 2006 at 12:54 PM
Hey hey, a great example of "Food 2.0" post - mixing TechCrunch and food. Need to check out The Counter - though that "all you can order" burger was not that enticing.
Posted by: Jeff Clavier | August 22, 2006 at 10:26 PM