What are the colors of the living room that its passed through to? I'd guess you'd also want to tie that in somehow, right?

Melamine certainly gives you the most options, and has come a long way since the 70s. I'm not sure if they will attach a countertop to a granite underlayment because the polished surface of the stone won't take an adhesive well.

it's hard to tell colors from the picture but you might consider a stainless top. You can easily make an MDF or plywood top and have it clad in steel or aluminum and it won't be that expensive at all. look for aluminum or steel fabricators; someone on this board is sure to know someplace that can do it.

Tie it into the kitchen by mounting a stainless backsplash completely covering the opening between the cabinets and the counters.
If you go the stainless route, consider getting a frame made for the pass through out of stainless to finish off the space. and then get a couple of funky metal stools.

while you're at it...those cabinets would make me a little claustrophic. You might consider switching out the two end doors for the same model but with glass panels (frosted or clear), or removing the doors from the two end units, painting the inside a great color and neatly displaying whatever you've got that looks good -- stacks of matching plates, or pottery, or your canned goods or whatever. You could also strip and stain the whole thing the espresso color...very mod. The honey tone looks a little dated and "builder's choice."
You could also paint them something beautiful and funky like a high gloss red, with stainless backsplash and /or counters...would look cool. kinda glamourous. Or paint them with blackboard paint and keep your grocery list etc on it...i have a prejudice against random cabinetry of the sort that's in most kitchens. just kind of stuck on the walls with no relation to anything around them, and not that attractive as wood pieces to boot. you'll be most happpy with your kitchen if you think about this holistically, rather than just the c ountertop. Whatever you decide about the countertop, make it part of a grand scheme.

I'm not entirely on board with the idea of introducing a new countertop material option in such close proximity to the kitchen counters... I think it may give you a chopped up look.

I'd vote for Melamine the color of the surounding walls, or the same counter granite, even though it is not your favorite. I think it will yield the most "finished" look.

Thanks everyone. These are all really good points to consider. Here's the spin. We purchased and moved into the apartment six months ago, so there’s still a lot to do. Our focus is on creating a dining/kitchen eating area, installing solar film on the windows, choosing paint colors then furnishing the living room.

We almost decided to get a counter top height dining room table. Then we realized that it just took up too much room and became an obstacle to walk around. We decided to extend the pass-through countertop into a half-moon shape to extend the dining space without taking up too much of the living room area.

All of the walls are white throughout the apartment. We plan to pick out wall colors after we figure out the dining/kitchen eating area. The countertop pass-through seems to be a focal point that defines the next steps. My preference is to replace both the kitchen countertop and pass-through counter top with soapstone or absolute black granite. So, until we figure out which way to go and workout a budget we thought that we’d look for a short-term inexpensive counter-top alternative.

We’re really experiential folks and find it easier to try ideas out before making final decisions. The only purchase that we’ve made for this area is on the Cameron couch, chair and ottoman in a neutral color from Crate and Barrel that leaves us with paint and accent color flexibility.

So finding someway to include an inexpensive countertop gives us the perfect trial and error type of experience we need at this point. I’ll check-out the suggestions and see where it leads us. In the meantime, as far as colors we chose a bunch of colors and painted swatches throughout the apartment. It’s really fun! We love having the colors around the apartment and living with them.

CHINA TWOWIN STONE COMPANY EXPORT Granite Counter Tops,Kitchen Granite,Bathroom Counter Top,Granite Kitchen Island,Bar Counter Top,Bathroom Counter Tops,Vanity Counter Top,Granite Tiles & Marble Tiles,Granite Tiles,Marble Tiles,Granite Slab & Marble Slab,Granite Slab,Marble Slab,Tub Surround ,Bath Tub Surround,Stone Wall Panel,Stone Wall Tiles,Window Sills,Window Stool,Stepping Stone,China Stepping Stone,Paving Stone,China Paving Stone & Cube Stone,Curb Stone & Mushroom Stone,Mosaic Tile,Mosaic Tiles,Mosaic Table,Medallion,Floor Medallion,Granite Table Tops,Granite Table,Marble Table Top,Mosaic Table,Stone Fireplace Mantel,Marble Fireplace Surround,Granite Fireplace Surround,Cultured Stone Fireplace,Decorative Column,Roman Column,Marble Column,Tombstone & Headstone,Tombstone & Gravestone,Stone Carving,Garden Stone Sculpture,Marble Sculpure,Granite Sculpture,Slate Tiles,Floor Slate Tile,Roofing Slate Tile,Pebble And Stones,Pebble Stone Tile with good quality! http://www.china-stone-export.com

Adding a slight raised piece and then a half moon of glass is another option.