If the hamburger world has produced anything like a celebrity, it's George Motz. Motz has appeared on TV shows, taught university classes, written books, and even made a film about hamburgers. Now, the Long Island native has brought his wealth of knowledge to bear by founding a new restaurant - in Soho of all places - with the same name as his 2004 film, Hamburger America.
The place is designed like an old-fashioned luncheonette - a Formica counter with yellow stools snuggling up to a flat-top griddle, where Motz himself has flipped burgers in the opening days. (It also has luncheonette hours of noon to 8 p.m. for now.) A solid figure with mutton-chop sideburns, a blue baseball cap, and an affable manner, he hovers over a lake of grease, into which he vigorously doles out scoops of ground beef, heaps of shaved onions, and slices of American cheese, pressing and pounding with a broad spatula etched with his likeness.
The first is probably the best smash burger ($7.25) in the city, available with or without cheese at the same price. Why is it the best? The beef is scintillatingly fresh and seasoned; the (non brioche) bun is toasted; the crust is thick, and the diced onions are strewn underneath the patty, which don't slip out the way sliced ones placed atop the patty often do. Motz's obvious excitement adds to the finished product.
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