White Manna

Made a White Manna run last night. They used to close at 9:30, which made it impossible for late night runs; I can't get out of the house before 10:30 or 11:00. So I could only get over there if I was running an errand in that part of town.

But recently they decided to stay open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays so score! Although in reality it's more like 11:30 since after that they get more and more grumpy with every customer that comes in. They really don't mean to stay open till midnight; it's more that they want to be cleaned up and closed by midnight.

So last night put the wife and baby to bed, waited till they fell asleep, and then in the car by 11:10 and a half hour drive due East. I pulled up just in time to see them turn off the big sign. But the door still said "open" so in I went and placed my order with no grumpiness from the grill-guy.

If you've never been there, it's a tiny place, U shaped counter seating about 12 surrounding the grill, space in the back for fries and supplies. So intimate, so filled with the smell of burgers and onions. I recently read someone else's review and they said they felt the double had a better meat-to-bun ratio than the single. Usually I order singles 'cause I like buns. So this time I order two singles and two doubles (all with onions and cheese and pickles). And some fries. Fries often come out quick so I can munch them while watching the grill-guy do his thing.

I thought it likely I'd be the last order of the night but then one guy came in soon after me and put in a small order. Then while I was eating they put up the "closed" sign, about 11:50. A guy comes in anyway and wants to order. The grill-guy begrudgingly lets him. In my opinion, if they want to stop serving at 11:45 they should just say they close at 11:45. But for my part I'm willing to do it their way and just try to get there early enough.

So what's my take on single vs double? They were both good. The doubles also had twice the cheese and were quite goopy. It was all good though and I don't know how I'll order next time. Mmmmm. Tasty just thinking about it. :P