White Manna

[Holly Moore]

Suddenly I became curious. Why the name White Manna? Manna I know. And these burgers qualify. But white?

So I did a search. From the Catholic Encylopedia

The food miraculously sent to the Israelites during their forty years sojourn in the desert (Ex., xvi; Num., xi, 6-9). It fell during the night in small white flakes or grains which covered the ground and presented the appearance of hoar frost. These grains are described as resembling coriander seed and bdellium, with a taste like "flour with honey", or "bread tempered with oil" (Ex., xvi, 31; Num., xi, 7-8).

Aha, I never knew manna is white.

And their buns are indeed, "bread tempered with oil." - Tempered, oozing and dripping "oil" all over my shirt.

[Daniel]

Some interesting information.. I am having trouble finding Paramount Modular Concepts in Oakland New Jersey.. They might lend some help to the matter.. But it appears this site is saying the JC was the first place, but it appears they might be a bit bias..

My Webpage

Edited August 7, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[bigdawg33]

I ate at the White Manna in JC a few months ago and wasn't that impressed.. I mean the food was good for a 3 AM stop, but certainly not anywhere near the best burger in New Jersey.

My favorite, has to be Fuddruckers... while I know it's a chain, I still absolutely love their burgers and fries.

[Jason Perlow]

The fries are the shame of the Hackensack two-N Manna. While I haven't dined at the JC one-N Mana, I could have predicted with great confidence that any non-Hackensack two-N Manna burger place serving burgers and fries in a similar style would have had 1) worse burgers, and 2) better fries.

I can forgive the Hackensack Manna for having crappy fries. I mean, the fries are basically an afterthought and a distraction from the main event -- much like the fries are at White Castle.

[Jason Perlow]

I ate at the White Manna in JC a few months ago and wasn't that impressed.. I mean the food was good for a 3 AM stop, but certainly not anywhere near the best burger in New Jersey. 

My favorite, has to be Fuddruckers... while I know it's a chain, I still absolutely love their burgers and fries.

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Actually, I just recently tried the burgers and fries at the new Fatburger at the Palisades Center Mall, and I really liked them. Their "Double King" with bacon and cheese is really a very good burger for a chain, better than Fuddruckers in my opinion. They are broiled to order and are made with fresh ground meat.

And the fries -- which come in either "Skinny" shoestring or "Fat" steakfries versions are very good as well. Plus the shakes are made with real hand scooped ice cream, although I didn't get a chance to try them. The onion rings also looked very good.

Apparently, there is one in Jersey City as well.

Edited August 8, 2005 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Fat Guy]

First of all, what the heck is "hoar frost"?

Secondly, I can enjoy White Manna (Hackensack) despite the crummy fries, but I can't go all the way and forgive them. It would be so easy to serve superior fries, and they would so enhance the White Manna experience. I've often been tempted to get the burgers to go and eat them with McDonald's fries from directly across the street because the McDonald's fries are so much better.

[Jason Perlow]

I can appreciate that, Steven. But having crappy fries mean I just order more burgers. Yum.

[hitmanoo]

Actually, I just recently tried the burgers and fries at the new Fatburger at the Palisades Center Mall, and I really liked them. Their "Double King" with bacon and cheese is really a very good burger for a chain, better than Fuddruckers in my opinion. They are broiled to order and are made with fresh ground meat.

And the fries -- which come in either "Skinny" shoestring or "Fat" steakfries versions are very good as well. Plus the shakes are made with real hand scooped ice cream, although I didn't get a chance to try them. The onion rings also looked very good.

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Interesting. I had been told to check out an In N Out burger when I was out in California. Unfortunately, it just never happened. However, we did have time to squeeze in a Fatburger in Santa Barbara, and it was pretty good. While I found neither the fries nor the burger to be spectacular, I did think the burger was pretty tasty for a chain burger. I ordered a regular fatburger. The meat has a nice seasoning to it that separates it from other chain burgers, and it was prepared fresh to order.

Not bad for a quick and cheap burger fix.

[Theven]

I went to WM in JC and thought that the burgers were GREAT!, however I recently went to White Rose in Brunswick and that place has got a REALLY GREAT BURGER.

White Rose is now my favorite burger joint in Jersey.

[glenn]

The 2 times that I went to fatsoburger in jersey city you did not have a choice of the temperature. Have things changed? Anyways, I wrote about my experience here somewhere (which I can't find) and on jclist....

Yeah okay, I'll concede and give a couple of thumbs up to the shakes and fries and onion rings. But puleeze, the best? The burgers are another story. That is unless you like tasteless burgers burnt beyond recognition. Really, why do you think they offer all those toppings? Yep, to give it some taste. I really really and truly don't get this place, though I've tried my darndest. Everyone else seems get IT, including the almighty New York Times. If I wanna tasteless burger I could just as easily wander into MacBurgerWendy's. And I wouldn't have to miss half the Yankee game cuz of the endless wait. Not to mention all the money I'd save on earplugs. Jeez, you'd think they'd they'd give the cooks hearing aids instead of having to hire order takers/screamers with voices approaching sonic boom level.

[Jason Perlow]

I haven't been to the JC Fatburger location. I thought the one in Palisades Center was juicy, had good flavor, and the toppings did not detract from the experience even though I ordered mine fully dressed with everything.

As to choice of temperature -- it is my understanding that by law, at least in New Jersey and in New York, pretty much all fast food chains have to cook their ground beef to medium at a bare minimum, in order to kill any parasites or bacteria that could potentially make their customers sick. Its a anti-lawsuit and health department compliance issue more than anything else. So unless you go to a fairly liberal mom and pop type of hamburger place that is willing to look the other way and honor a medium rare burger order, you are going to get your burgers medium no matter what.

[Holly Moore]

I'm not sure if that law is laid down by a regulatory agency or by the insurance company. My suspicion is that Jersey would hold back on such rules after their short term and ill fated "no eggs sunny side up" law.

That said, it's pretty much impossible to cook an 8 or 10 to a pound anything less than medium.

Edited August 8, 2005 by Holly Moore (log)

[glenn]

If it was medium, I'd be a happy camper. I either order it that way or medium-rare. But this was extra well done, like burnt. Really.

As far as any laws go, I'm not familiar with a requirement to cook meat to a certain temperature. I suppose I should be since we serve burgers at Melt ). Then again, I am -- at least according to the certificate hanging on the wall -- a food service manager.

Not to go off on a tangent, but I can't help thinking about the lack of oversight and training in Jersey City for restaurant operators. I wonder if it's the same throughout Jersey. It sure is a world of difference in NYC. All I had to do was attend a 3 hour course to get my food handling certificate. And I honest to goodness fell asleep. Sorry, I was tired and it was boring. The test at the end was not graded; it was a self-test and anyone who attended and stayed throughout the entire session received their certificate, whether they snoozed or not. There are only 2 inspectors for the entire city here - our inspection was a complete joke. For example, the inspector asked if our bathroom was clean. He never even looked at it much less anything else. But I digress...

[John]

White Rose is much better than White Manna, White Mana, or White Diamond.

[Jason Perlow]

White Manna: The Video (Google Video)

[TongoRad]

White Manna: The Video (Google Video)

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Nice video. I'll have to bring a camera with me next time to make sure I get the full complement of onions Man, they really loaded you up!

[Jason Perlow]

By the way, I just wanted to mention that I did not eat ten double cheeses all by myself. Rachel and I had four each for dinner, with fries. The two left we had for breakfast today.

[hitmanoo]

By the way, I just wanted to mention that I did not eat ten double cheeses all by myself. Rachel and I had four each for dinner, with fries. The two left we had for breakfast today.

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"HAMBURGERS!!! The cornerstone of a nutritious breakfast!"-- Jules Winnfield

[Rachel Perlow]

I only had two that night!

[Jason Perlow]

Ah, right. I had two for lunch the next day. We had two leftover for breakfast.

[froggert]

stopped by white mana in jc last night for the first time to see what it's like compared to white manna in hackensnack. i've probably been to the hackensack location several dozen times, but moved from that area to jc about 6 months ago.

white manna has great burgers (i usually get double cheeseburgers with onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard and hot sauce), mediocre fries and not a whole lot else. i believe they recently extended their weekend hours as well.

white mana is open 24/7, has an extended menu and more seating capacity. the burgers are just decent though. better than the fast food places, but not a top-10. the seasoned cheese fries are good. didn't have a chance to try anything else.

i'll stop by again because it's convenient and not a bad place, but i'll go out of my way to stop at the one in hackensack.

[Lima Bean]

we recently did the same thing and went to the JC location.

I think the Hack one wins hands down.

It was obvious other people think the same thing because the JC location was empty and I've never been to Hack when the line isn't out the door....ever

Lima Bean

Edited May 21, 2007 by Lima Bean (log)

[bartl]

we recently did the same thing and went to the JC location.

I think the Hack one wins hands down. 

It was obvious other people think the same thing because the JC location was empty and I've never been to Hack when the line isn't out the door....ever

Odd; I pass there on my way home from work every evening around 6, and there's never a line.

Bart

[abooja]

After leaving Hackensack more than six months ago and never having visited White Manna while I lived there, I finally tried it last week on the way to Queens to buy a used car. I have to say, I was unimpressed. The burgers seemed completely unseasoned, as in no salt whatsoever. I had a cheeseburger and a regular burger, both with onions, and they tasted identical. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, and the place was loaded with high school students. I sat right in front of the grill and witnessed everything the grill chick was doing. Plop irregular sized balls of ground beef next to one another on grill. Squish down with spatula on top of razor thin onions. Flip. Repeat. It all looked very promising, but I just wasn't wowed. I guess I could have added my own salt, but didn't think to. I was too busy scarfing them down anyway. We waited quite a while to get them.

I'm no longer so disappointed that I don't live in the area. I'll make my own sliders soon and they will put White Manna's to shame. I use a combination of home ground chuck, short rib and brisket for my regular burgers, and will use that same combo for the sliders. Homemade buns, too. Yum.

[docsconz]

Suddenly I became curious.  Why the name White Manna?  Manna I know.  And these burgers qualify.  But white? 

So I did a search.  From the Catholic Encylopedia

The food miraculously sent to the Israelites during their forty years sojourn in the desert (Ex., xvi; Num., xi, 6-9). It fell during the night in small white flakes or grains which covered the ground and presented the appearance of hoar frost. These grains are described as resembling coriander seed and bdellium, with a taste like "flour with honey", or "bread tempered with oil" (Ex., xvi, 31; Num., xi, 7-8).

Aha, I never knew manna is white.

And their buns are indeed, "bread tempered with oil." - Tempered, oozing and dripping "oil" all over my shirt.

←

I stopped by the White Manna in Hackensack yesterday with my 8yo son on our way down to Philly for a b-day party. We thoroughly enjoyed the cheeseburgers and the fries, which came directly from the fryer - I don't get the disrespect shown here, but that is another question). As for the name, I'm curious as to which came first, White Man(n)a or White castle? There are a number of similarites, though clearly Manna is better. The significance, though is that one is a takepff on the other. "Manna" is how someone from NJ would pronounce the word "manor." So instead of "white castle," we have "white manor" or vice versa. Either way, I think it is a clever pun by whoever came second (I suspect WC) and a nice nod to the inspiration.

Edited August 3, 2008 by docsconz (log)