Despite the recent inventions of hamburger ice cream, hamburger blintzes, and hamburger hamburgers, the pure hamburger is still the most tasty unit of food. Today's Groupon gets you $30 worth of custom-built gourmet burgers, vegan and vegetarian feats, and cold, handspun shakes at The Counter, whose hamburgers were named one of 20 You Must Eat Before You Die by GQ, for $15. Customization is the key to burger bliss, and when the ingredients are treated with such love, admiration, and respect, each bite dances on your tongue like a young, beefy Fred Astaire.

Get down to burger-erecting business in the pale blue and silver colors of The Counter's sleek, industrial décor. Beneath the glowing orbs of light that dangle from the ceiling, you will be furnished a detailed clipboard with a menu attached. Choose from more than 312,120 possible combinations of ingredients.

Start with the protein and pick among vegetarian-raised beef, ground turkey burgers, grilled chicken, and veggie burgers made in-house from 11 different vegetables. Decorate your protein with an impressive array of ingredients, including danish blue cheese, horseradish cheddar, grilled pineapple, honey-cured bacon, homemade guacamole, garlic aioli, and more. Select a foundation of an English muffin, a regular or honey-wheat bun, or a bowl sans bun. Custom-built burgers start at $8.50 for a third-pound patty.

If you're overwhelmed by choice, go with one of The Counter's signature burgers, such as the unique veggie (a veggie patty with mixed baby greens, roasted red peppers, sprouts, onion, and dijon balsamic dressing, $8.50). Hand-spun shakes ($4.95) and sweet potato fries ($4.50) round out the meal. If you're not drooling yet, check out the video on The Counter's website.

Reviews

The fare at The Counter's original Santa Monica location was hailed as one of the 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die by GQ. Yelpers give Roswell's Counter a solid 3.5 stars:

• Fast, big, and delicious burgers...the service was fast and friendly and the burgers taste great...I think that built-your-own menu is enticing when you want comfort food with a twist. – James C.
• My boyfriend is a vegetarian and after much searching this is his favorite place to get a VEGGIE PATTY. He prefers the oat and veggie based patties and feels that this one is never dry. – Priscilla H.
• Tasty!!!! I love the atmosphere, very relaxed. Being able to be a picky eater with the menu is really easy here because the menu is a mini-golf like checklist of wants for your burger. – Nikki M.