My fellow Chowhounds have come through with a breaking scoop. The tipster, one meltedcheese, says that The Counter is opening their second O.C. location on 17th Street and Irvine Ave. (1104 Irvine Ave.) in Westcliff Plaza, taking the place of a defunct Pasta Bravo.
I confirmed this news with the folks at the Irvine The Counter store. According to the gent I spoke with, they are still working out the details, dealing with permits, etc.; but this one, like the one in Irvine, will be owned and operated by the same folks (Felix and Liam) that have made the Irvine burger shop a hit.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.