Can I put it out there that this has been one of the best, fastest summers ever? Maybe because it’s my last real summer (studying 24/7 for the bar next summer doesn’t count) or maybe it’s because I had a great internship with some of the most awesome people ever (it should be noted that they are probably reading this right now). Either way, I can’t believe my last day at my internship is tomorrow. Major sad faces. To counteract the sad faces my coworkers and I spent a lot of time together this week.

During lunch on Tuesday we explored a bakery in Korea Town called Paris Bakery.

Paris is right around the corner from work. It’s a good thing I found it Tuesday because otherwise I would have been there every day.

Wouldn’t you?

I loved all the strawberries! I think 75% of the desserts incorporated strawberries. They were also super inexpensive! I paid $1 and got this treat…

The cream was very light (similar to whipped cream but not as sweet) and the pastry was a bit sweet but not too sweet. Very refreshing! If I had found this place earlier in the summer I would have been in big trouble.

And the coworker bonding didn’t end there! Tuesday night my coworkers and I went to The Counter for dinner.

I’ve wanted to try The Counter for a while. The Counter is a burger chain in LA and also in other parts of the country too! Chicago people, pay attention! This is one you can go to too because they have a location in Lincoln Park. Of course, there won’t be a palm tree in front of your restaurant. I’m. So. Never. Leaving.

Obviously we were there for happy hour because I aim to live every hour like its happy hour.

I really liked the layout of The Counter; it was very open and spacious with a bar.

The Counter is known from their burgers that you get to build from the bottom up. I heard good buzz about the beef, turkey and veggies. There were SO many options!

It was hard to narrow down what I wanted from the list but I managed to make some good decisions. As you can see, I had a hard time determining which meat I wanted.

Another good decision? Le Freak beer.

It was hoppy with orange notes. Hops are growing on me and they make me hoppy. Ha.

I also taste tested my coworker Jo Ann’s “adult milkshake”.

The milkshake was thick and minty. Very tasty.

The fries arrived quickly and my coworkers got to experience the joy of dining with a food blogger. Any by joy I mean eating with someone who says “wait! Don’t eat! I need to take a picture!” They were good sports.

We ordered sweet potato fries with a chipotle aioli and parmesan fries.

My (first) portion.

The sweet potato fries were very tasty. They were salty, not sweet just the way I liked it. However the parm fries stole my heart, probably because they were smothered in cheese. I could eat these forever!

Then my burger arrived.

My beef burger came on a multi grain bun with mixed greens, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and a wasabi aioli! I was very, very excited about the wasabi aioli and yes, I planned my entire burger around it. If you dine with me you know I frequently will plan my entire meal around a side dish. When wasabi aioli is in play can you really blame me? I love the spiciness it added to the burger. The bun was perfect because it wasn’t too much bread and the burger was meaty.

I only wish that there was white cheddar as an option. Clearly that isn’t a real complaint. While I don’t think this is the best burger in LA (Father’s Office still has that title in my book) it was damn good. At least on the same level as Umami. I really need to create some kind of burger ranking. I need to update my “to do” list.

And for the protein lovers, you can order your Counter burger in a bowl like my coworker Andrea did:

Overall it was a fantastic final group happy hour with my fellow interns! I find it rather upsetting that I don’t get to hang out with my awesome group of coworker’s everyday all year. I’m going to miss my ‘not rough around the edges summer 2011 crew and there better be a fantastic reunion at some point. The sooner the better.

It’s been real summer 2011 and thanks to my fellow interns for making this a summer to remember!