Hot dogs get a makeover

Now that burgers have gone haute, why not the humble hot dog? At least that’s the thinking behind the Stand, a jazzy new hot dog stand in Encino.

Despite the name, the Stand is an Art Deco hot dog palace that seats several dozen with brown-and-white checkered tablecloths. There’s lots of shiny brass and a sinuous copper hood over the massive grill. A shaded patio offers al fresco dining.

The look is movie-set perfect -- no surprise considering one of the owners is Richard Shapiro. He also designed the Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills, which looked as if it had been there for decades the day it opened.

The Stand’s mission: to give the all-American hot dog some respect, along with an international array of sausages that includes German bockwurst, Polish classic, Portuguese linguica, New Orleans andouille, Texas turkey -- and a deli-style kosher dog, which may be the best dog in the house.

Cooks in snowy white hats tend to the sizzling sausages or chop beautiful red and yellow peppers, onions and tomatoes for the various toppings, which include glazed onions, peperonata, coleslaw and sauerkraut. I’m hoping raisin-onions is a typo. A case holds bottles of old-fashioned sodas in flavors such as black cherry, cream and celery.

The serving system is a bit odd. First, you go through the line, the better to get a look at the various dogs, sauces and fixings. You order, get your food, and once you sit down, a waiter will be over to ask if you need anything else.

He might suggest that the smokin’ red sauce is awesome with the fries. It goes one better than ketchup, that’s for sure. I like its kick but wish it weren’t so sweet. Fries come with skins on, but in the end, they don’t really have any more taste than the usual fried frozen sticks.

The Basic Dog at $2.75 is priced to please. It’s perfectly respectable, juicy and bland, the bun soft and squishy. The more gourmet options sometimes push it.

Do I really want to try a Big Blue Dog ($3.80) with blue cheese, grilled onions and tomato on a poppy-seed bun? Even my fairly simple Kraut Dog ($3.50) came with so much sauerkraut, I couldn’t find that skinny dog anywhere. Midtown Dog ($3.50) sounds embellished, but not too much, considering its yellow mustard and New York onions on a plain bun. But those New York onions are a heap of onions stewed in tomato. My New Yorker companion took one bite and dispensed with them.

Instead of the ghastly fluorescent orange chili served at local hot dog dives, the Stand’s is a much more muted, tweedy blend of hand-cut Angus beef and vegetables. They’ve also kindly included a green chili option made with roasted turkey breast.

I love the fact you can have a New York cheesecake after the dog, or a Greek salad, and sip a Dr. Brown’s cream soda or Nehi black cherry.

Not to mention a superior hand-squeezed lemonade that gets the balance of tart to sweet just right. And as fast as you drink it, it’s refilled. Adults who simply must pair a Chardonnay with their corn dog can do it here. But a better choice might be a premium draft beer.

Knishes are also inexplicably part of the menu, and you can order them “loaded” (that is, with any of the Stand-made toppings). Though the knishes are purportedly flown in from Brooklyn, they’re quite awful, greasy and tasteless.

Stick to the basics, though, and the Stand is the place to reacquaint yourself with the all-American hot dog.

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The Stand

Where: 17000 Ventura Blvd., Encino; (818) 788-2707

When: Open daily for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Cost: Salads, $6.75 to $7.25; dogs, $2.75 to $3.95; sausages, $4.95 to $5.75; sides, $2.25; desserts, $3.50 to $4.75.

Info: Beer and wine. No reservations. Free parking.