White Rose System

Cali Bacon Burger- Cheese, bacon, and the whole shebang. ($5.10)

Leave it to Glen to discover the best burger in Jersey. I have to admit- at first I was skeptical. How could any burger possibly match up to Shake Shack’s? Even Alex testified that it was the best burger he’s ever had. After three months of dreaming about White Rose, we finally made it happen this weekend. It’s like 25 minutes from where I live, and I still don’t know how to get there.

I’ve always wanted to take one of these pictures (like they do in the movies when they zoom in through in the diner)

So we get to White Rose and it’s totally not what I expected. First, the place looks like some sort of converted supermarket that went cheap on the paint job (perhaps gray paint is cheap)? When you walk inside, it’s literally a rectangle, with stools that form an adjacent “L.” It’s sorta like a take-out diner, like those greasy burger joints that you see in the movie.

Initially, I wanted to get one of those combo meals to be cheap. They sell a cheeseburger, side of regular fries, and a soda or coffee for only $5.10! But Glen said that I just had to get the Cali burger with the bacon since it was my first time. So, I splurged on the extra $1.20 for the side of small fries.

Sans bacon, but with cheese + fries + soda ($5.10)

How was it? It was everything I could ever hope for in a greasy, satisfying, burger. I’ll break it down into a list because I only recently realized that as an analyst, things are easier to absorb when it’s in either a graph, chart, or list…

• I was surprised at how great the burger tasted with a kaiser roll instead of the usual potato bun.
• I really appreciated the shredded lettuce instead of the usual lump. It assures everyone of equal probability of getting some greens. With my luck, I never get the healthy, leafy greens. I always get stuck with the stalk end of the lettuce leaf.
• Bacon? SO GOOD!
• I appreciated how the burger itself was the perfect. I can already see most of my friends complaining that it’s too thin, but the burger itself is just so juicy and flavorful.
• Yes, it does come with mayo!

Small side of fries ($1.20)

I’m not sure why I didn’t take a picture of the onion rings, but they were so giant and perfectly fried. They give you a substantial amount, so order with caution. I liked how the onion rings remained crisp after 20 minutes and never got soggy. The fries are equally as delicious. When you order a combo, you get a regular side of fries, which is noticeably bigger than the small size. We were so full in the end that we had to play a game to finish up all the food because it was just that delicious (and er, we don’t like to be wasteful).

So did it beat Shake Shack? No. But I think that I’ve elevated Shake Shack to this immortal status that even if I did find a burger better than a Shack burger, I couldn’t even admit it. But White Rose is undoubtedly the best burger I’ve had in Jersey thus far (not that I’ve had many in Jersey though…).

MENU
154 Woodbridge Ave
Highland Park, NJ 08904
(732) 777-1881

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Photo du jour: People on flickr are obsessed with bokeh, those dots of bright lights that you see in this photo. They’re amazingly easy to produce on a camera, but yet, they’re also simply beautiful.

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• Tops Diner in Newark
• Trip to Newark: Hamburgao & Riviera Bakery Cafe
• Rodizio at Fernandes Steak House
• Keum Ho Jung Restaurant
• The Office