Pacific Counter
3 out of 5 stars
660 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Bowls & rolls: $12; sides: $3-$6; drinks: $2.50-$5; desserts: $2.50-$5. 727-440-7008, pacificcounter.com.
It seems everyone’s hopping on the create-a-bowl bandwagon. Luckily for local diners, our choices combine fresh with affordable. After visiting downtown Tampa’s Vale Food Co. earlier this year and Taco Dirty in SoHo last month, I’m across the bay on downtown St. Pete’s Central Avenue at Pacific Counter. The emphasis here is essentially sushi-esqe. My first thought is it’s Taco Dirty without red meat, but the place really has a Japanese culinary vibe.
It’s interesting how we all perceive things according to our own tastes, or biases. Initially, my impression of Pacific Counter’s interior is that the mostly white space with bright colored accents is simple, clean and welcoming. Amid the white walls, tile and white can pendant lights, primary colors abound — bright red cabinets and a lower blue accent wall with a bright yellow stripe that pops. The back wall invites diners to “roll it or bowl it” in bright white dancing letters.
For some strange reason, I hear Kenny Rogers singing in my head.
You’ve got to know when to bowl ‘em
Know when to roll ‘em
Know when to chomp away
And know when to run
However, where I see sleek, a taster of mine sees sterile and uninviting. Thankfully, they sing a different tune after digging into one of the “counter creations,” the 12 predesigned menu combinations created by partner Chitt Noythanongsay, who goes by chef Tock. You may also opt for the 100-percent guest empowerment “build your own” format, which allows you to order exactly what you want every time. According to the Pacific Counter website, you’ve got 6,432,189 variations.
We decide to start with a couple of side items. Skipping poke nachos and seaweed salad, the focus is on the edamame trio, featuring individual paper cups of pods with salt, with spice and with a traditional soy-based sauce. If you’re a fan of these soybeans, you’ll be happy, but there’s nothing special to convince the uninitiated. Meanwhile, the miso soup is underwhelming. While there’s plenty of seaweed and cubed tofu garnish, the dashi broth is bland and undistinguished. That said, the assembly line cuisine to come is quite tasty.
Despite my plea to pick from the “counter creations,” one tablemate insists that “build your own” is the way to go. After all, your 12 bucks allows a base (or halfsies) from four choices: brown rice, sushi rice, noodles or greens. Then, two of 10 proteins (all fish and tofu, plus token chicken), and 30 (count ‘em) options to “mix & top.” You get to select five, but extras are 50 cents each, so feel free to live dangerously. Tweaking a bowl for your own delight still requires a strategy to achieve the right grace notes of texture or sweetness. Looking over the list, it’s hard to imagine not coming up with something good.
STILL HUNGRY?
Flip through more shots of what sampled from photographer Nicole Abbett
The roll is a sushi burrito — a large piece of nori covered with sushi rice and, in my selection called Over the Rainbow, stuffed with an appealing mix built around cubes of bright red tuna, glistening coral salmon, krab, mango, edamame beans, crunchy sprouts, sesame seeds and masago, which is jewel-like bright orange roe. We ask for the sweet wasabi yuzu sauce on the side; it’s a well-balanced and delicious accompaniment. The roll comes wrapped in colorful paper repeating a pattern of a yellow sun silhouetting a palm tree. It’s cut in half to reveal the lovely spectrum of colors it’s named for, recalling the Wizard of Oz melody tapped as the No. 1 song of the 20th century. It’s a flavorful mashup and a smart marketing move to link a roll with a title that evokes nostalgic goosebumps across generations.
Ramrod straight tempura-battered shrimp poke their tails out of our noodle-filled Land & Sea bowl, joining chicken nuggets representing the turf. Add in corn, kimchi and scallion, as well as daikon and bites of surprising wonton chips, and you’ve got the bases covered. It’s paired with chili aioli, described as “creamy + medium spice,” also in a cup on the side. My tasters are mostly wimpy. If this is medium spice then tread with care if you request the super-spicy “fire water.” At least the name warns you. The bowl is another tasty offering, though we request more of the sweet wasabi yuzu from the eight house sauces made with care.
As for the drinks, Pacific Counter offers two wonderful saké slushes at checkout, along with beer on tap and a row of rectangular beverage dispensers along the north wall, where there’s a colorful array of refreshing concoctions. Try coconut basil lychee lemonade, sparkling pineapple ginger lemonade, a honey hibiscus Arnold Palmer, coconut matcha limeade, pineapple mint aloe limeade, or a flowing bin of slimy green that’s actually unsweetened matcha tea. You serve yourself, so I try a sip of each before settling on the honey hibiscus. When it’s your turn, you decide.
The only “sweet stuff” to end your visit is the whip of Dole pineapple soft serve in a cup or as a float with some juice. Sadly, the machine is broken.
As we finish our bowls and roll, I’m thinking Pacific Counter is a fair deal. It’s easy to see why these casual restaurants have proliferated. Fresh and affordable is always a welcome combo as long as you remain discrete with your wallet.
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the eatin’s done
CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system, or email him at food@creativeloafing.com.
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This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2018.