Call me a curmudgeon, but I find the current trend of glutenous food mash-ups completely baffling. Ramen burger? Don't get the appeal. Cronut? I'm sure it's good, but I don't really care enough to seek one out. Sriracha bacon pop? Um, no. There is and always has been an appropriate medium for this type of experimental gustatory impulse, and that is the hot dog. Hot dogs are meant for ridiculous toppings, or classic toppings, or whatever. Whatever you want to put on a hot dog, short of dessert items, I'm down with that.

So it was a happy expedition to check out Dog E Style, a new hot dog joint in the heart of Hollywood. The place provides another outlet for cheap food for tourists, and unless you're a die-hard wiener lover, I'm not sure why — other than tourism — you'd need Dog E Style's services. But it wouldn't be such a bad thing if you did find yourself in that position.

Unlike many hot dog spots, Dog E Style doesn't waste your time looking over a zillion combinations of toppings with funny names — instead, almost all of the toppings are set out, salad bar–style, so you can DIY however you want. You do have to choose what kind of sausage you want, and the guy behind the counter cooks it to order. There are about 15 types of sausage to choose from (including a couple of vegetarian options). Add-ons such as grilled onions, chili, coleslaw or a fried egg also are done to order — then he hands you the dog and you have at it with the 40-plus pickles, onions, sauces, mustards, etc.

We sampled the classic hot dog, which had the requisite snap, a spicy Portuguese linguiça sausage, as well as a bratwurst that was a little gray and gray-tasting. Our favorite, though, was the atomic hot link — juicy, spicy mystery meat. Yum. All of these came on a substantial fluffy white roll — far better for holding in the slop we piled on top than a regular hot dog bun.

Being let loose with so many sauces and toppings was a little overwhelming, but what better vehicle for shoving gross experimental combinations into your mouth than a hot dog? None, I tell you.

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