The Stand   

17000 Ventura Blvd
Encino, CA 91316
818-788-2707
www.thestandlink.com/

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For those who thought "high-end" and "hot dog" would never occupy the same sentence, time to open your mind and buns for this cheap, throwback thrill from the co-founder of Beverly Hills' Grill on the Alley. Nostalgic parents shuttle kids in bulk to this sausage-lovers heaven, with a white-picket fence, excellent outdoor patio and menu that's light year's from anything LA restaurateurs have yet to think up. Concocting such original recipes as the "Boston Dog" (a steamed dog with baked beans and Swiss cheese) and the "Polish Classic" (a garlicky pork sausage with raisin-onions), The Stand makes no attempt to hide its specialty, possessing more stylized "dogs" than the Westminster Dog Show. After you order at the counter, eat indoors in the art deco-inspired 1940s dining room or take your tray outside to the charming tree-shaded picnic area that feels more like Topanga Canyon than anything just off Ventura Boulevard. In addition to steamed "dogs" and more traditional sausages like bratwurst, The Stand appeals to those watching their waistlines, as well, offering an array of salads and specialties like the lemon-chicken sausage (a low-fat chicken sausage with red peppers, leeks and lemon on a 3-seed bun) and Murdog's protein plate: a sausage served with no bun. Blessed with the sheer audacity to open up a hot dog joint in a town legendary for its dieting, partners Richard Shapiro, Jonathan Smiga and Murray Wishengrad have seized on a brilliant theme here, one that works well with the "low-carb" contingency and parents looking for a perennial "go to" pick for the kids.