Bella's Burger Shack: Sliders and super onion rings

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5 tk0511eatwithpete genoves.jpg Ed MurraySliders glisten under a sunny mural at Bella’s Burger Shack.

Bella’s Burger Shack: Sliders and super onion rings

Sliders are hot, which may come as news to everyone except White Castle, which has been making them since Warren Harding was president.

Pulled pork sliders, Reuben sliders, meatball sliders, veggie sliders, tuna sliders, crabcake sliders, lobster sliders – the variations these days are seeemingly endless.

Along comes Bella’s Burger Shack in Basking Ridge, and the first question that comes to mind is not what kind of burgers are on the menu or who’s Bella, but a shack? In blueblood Basking Ridge?

No need to worry; said shack is a casual-hip joint with roughcut-pine walls, two surfboards, seven tables and a mural – painted by two Ridge High School students – of an idyllic beach scene.

You’ve got to love a place where the password to the free Wi-Fi is “handcut fries.’’
Bella is the daughter of one of the original investors, and Will Barry is the general manager. He goes through about 350 pounds of ground beef a week. Nothing sitting under heat lamps here; all sandwiches are made to order.

7 tk0511eatwithpete genoves.jpg Ed MurraySurfboard chic is the decor at Bella’s Burger Shack.

But start with the onion rings. They’re the best I’ve had in years – supremely crispy and crunchy, with no flaky/ mushy/droopy breading or onions. At $3.25 for six or seven jumbo-sized rings, they could serve as lunch – start the diet tomorrow.

The two-ounce sliders are sold individually or in a three-pack. The plain sliders are $1.99 each and $5.50 for a three-pack; the bacon or chili slider $2.25 each and $6.25 for a three-pack; the tuna slider $3.25 and $8.25.

Tip: order the burger your way; they’re generally cooked medium well. Highly recommended: the plain or cheese slider. The chili slider, meanwhile, features pretty decent chili, the pulled pork slider dried-out/overcooked meat. Wish the BLT ($4) were on toasted bread. And the cheese in the Three-Cheese Grilled Cheese ($4) was not fully cooked through.

Nice touch: the Martin’s potato rolls, a slider’s best friend.

Free toppings include lettuce, tomato, onions, mushrooms, chipotle BBQ, pickles, peppers, mayo, ketchup and mustard.

Regular burgers incude the Bella Burger (cheese, bacon, sauce, onion ring [cq]; $5.25);
the Crazy Horse (half-pound burger. cheddar cheese sauce, red onion and BBQ sauce; $7) and the tastier-than-expected Breakfast Burger (Taylor ham, fried egg, cheese and beef, $5.25). It’s breakfast and lunch in one tidy package!

Another nice touch: No Coke or Pepsi. The only soda here comes from Bernardsville-based Wild Bill’s Soda.

“You can get Coke or Pepsi anywhere,’’ Barry said. “If you want to bring it in (Bella’s), go for it.’’

Now, that’s refreshing.

The sliders are guilty little pillowy pleasures but whatever you do, order the onion rings. They’re colossal white onions sliced by hand; the breading is a mixture of flour, buttermilk and panko. It’s a dynamite combination, and the rings may end up being the top reason why you’ll love this shack.
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BELLA’S BURGER SHACK. 52 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge; (908) 340-4545. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Web site: bellasburgershack.com.

Peter Genovese: (973) 392-1765 or [email protected]. Twitter: @NJ_Munchmobile and @petegenovese.

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