A healthy meal you can sink your teeth in

The free-range burger at Tasteatery in Fort Lee is everything you could possibly want: built on a roll that doesn't fall apart, from Balthazar Bakery in Englewood, and too fat to fit into your mouth, with beef juices dribbling on the organic salad greens you substituted for fries. The big bonus: no steroids, hormones or antibiotics.

Tasteatery serves burgers in three sizes -- sliders, one-third pound and one-half pound -- and lists eight styles, plus two vegetarian burgers. I had the half-pound West Coast Burger with basil, organic greens, tomato, avocado and hummus ($11.25, plus $1 for the side salad). Even the ketchup is organic.

The restaurant serves fresh, natural food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and says better ingredients yield better taste. I couldn't agree more. It's bare bones, though. You order and pay at the counter, and if it's not busy, an employee will bring the food to your table. You get a cold drink from a cooler.

The owners put most of their effort into sourcing good food: artisanal bread, natural meats, cage-free eggs, organic greens and more. When they opened about two years ago, they were one of the first food places in North Jersey to adopt this healthy approach. Here is the link to their Web site: http://www.tasteatery.com/