I'm very late to this discussion, but I recently visited
White Manna in Hackensack, sat at the counter and observed the grill while I ate. My observations:
- Each burger is cooked to order, and starts with a lump of raw ground beef. Nothing special or artisinal, it comes from a giant commercial vaccuum packed bag (fresh, not frozen). A double is nothing more than a bigger lump of meat.
-The raw lump is pressed onto the griddle and flattened by the cook. If you want onions, he presses a handful of raw onion slivers into the raw lump. After a few minutes, the flattened lump is flipped, cheese is added, and the top of the bun is placed on top to steam. A few minutes later, the whole thing is flipped upright onto the bottom of the bun, and it's presented onto a paper plate with a handful of pickle slices.
-It's my opinon that reason these burgers are so damn fantastic has little to do with the meat. It's all about the soft potato bun, the onions cooked right into the meat, and the well-seasoned griddle.
-They do in fact have hard rolls. They're used for cheesesteaks. I can't imagine why anyone would EVER order a cheesesteak in this place, as they're nothing more than frozen Steak-umms, but one was ordered while I watched.
-The fries come out of an unseen location in the back room, and they are not worth your time.
This place is a gem. Hall of fame material. Roadfood personified. If I knew about this place way back when I got married in Hackensack, it would have been my first stop off the chuppah.
<message edited by Pigiron on Tue, 10/13/09 3:59 PM>
