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Either the city's most informal restaurant or its fanciest hot-dog cart, The Landing is a wiener stand and a couple of picnic tables in one corner of an open-air parking lot walled in with cement. In other words, despite the grand, nautical name, the closest thing to a yacht mooring at this inland space is the long-term parkers' hybrid cars. Still, the eager-to-please owner, a four-decade DUMBO resident, entertains by spinning tales about currywurst's origins or explaining his plans to build a theater and fancy eatery more appropriate to the high-falutin' name. Maybe his enthusiasm is the secret ingredient in the Berlin currywurst, a sliced bratwurst served with a generous squirt of curry-tomato sauce and flatbread (and a reasonable facsimile of the German original), or the Brooklyn Bridge dog, a Vienna Beef frank with sauerkraut and red onions that surpasses cheaper versions trolling Times Square. Unfortunately, the owner, a vegetarian, doesn't dust spices on meat-based dogs so much as scoop them on. Worse: This unique experience won't last long. At The Landing, hot-dog season ends October 31, and the theater-cum-restaurant may begin construction as soon as late 2009. — Michael Y. Park

Berlin currywurst, $5; Brooklyn Bridge dog, $3