The History of New Jersey Burger Restaurant White Mana Owner Mario Costa | Eater NY
"A two-story L-shaped concrete block building across the street functions as a Portuguese bar-and-restaurant combined with a boxing clubhouse: walls covered in Portuguese tile and boxing memorabilia, jumbo screens broadcasting opening bouts, and a jukebox and loud music (on one night, 50 Cent’s “In da Club” blared). The bar serves crowd-pleasing, boldly seasoned plates and cocktails — garlic shrimp arrives in a clay dish “swimming in garlic sauce spiked with paprika and Louisiana hot sauce,” served with buttered toast for dipping (the writer agrees: “The shrimp is the move”); garlic chicken appears in a thick brown sauce (unlike traditional pollo al ajillo); an unwieldy paella overflows with crab legs, scallops, mussels, and shrimp, mostly obscuring the rice. Drinks are theatrical and large: a 32-ounce quart container called Liquid Marijuana, a drink called the AK described by a patron as “a Sex on the Beach with a can of Red Bull,” 40 personal punch bowls called “buckets,” and a house trick of equal parts red and white wine mixed with a straw. Celebrations get loud and silly — a bartender carried a giant dildo candle and a sparkling cake while chanting, “Go, shawty, it’s your birthday.” Regulars describe the owner’s stabilizing role in the neighborhood: “I’ve been rolling with Mario since day one,” said Kevin Barnett, a forklift operator, who recalled throwing a big Pittsburgh Steelers tailgate from 11 a.m. until game time; Mikey Lee, a pro boxer, said, “My sister got killed a few years ago. Mario was always a person to talk to, with a place to escape the drama. We have a father-son bond.” Richard Williams added, “When my brother died, Mario was at all my nephew’s basketball games.” The rooftop houses pigeon coops labeled “Tyson’s Corner,” part of the lore linking the place to Mike Tyson; the owner recounts a quiet moment with Tyson: “One spring, Mike showed up here in a T-shirt, flip-flops, no phone, no money... When he woke, he raised his arms and shouted, ‘I’m rich!’”" - Mike Diago
