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The Standard, a hamburger and hot dog shop from chef Matt Ralph, has opened in the Pizitz Food Hall in Birmingham, Ala. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)

Guests at Birmingham's new Pizitz Food Hall have their choice of dishes from around the globe -- everything from Nepalese dumplings and Ethiopian injera to Puerto Rican mofongo and Hawaiian poke.

Now, they'll also be able to get a burger and a dog from Birmingham.

The Standard, a hamburger and hot dog stand from chef Matt Ralph, is the latest food stall to open in the Pizitz Food Hall. It opening today.

"My idea was to do on an update on the classic Birmingham hamburger and hot dog shop," Ralph said in an interview with AL.com. "The idea is to grind our own meat, a select grind, and do all of that in-house. Keep it really simple but really tasty."

The burger menu features a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and American cheese ($7); a "little" burger with American cheese ($5); and a veggie burger with spicy mayo, Muenster cheese, lettuce and tomato ($8). All of the burgers are served on a potato roll.

Customers also may add an extra patty ($3.50), extra cheese (50 cents), or bacon jam, pimento cheese or a fried egg ($1 each).

"We took the time to come up with a burger we are really happy with -- down to the size of the grind and the meat included in it, to the bun and all of the components," Ralph said.

"If you want an affordable, really tasty burger, we've got that. And if you want to build on that, have at it."

Hot dogs include a traditional Birmingham-style hot dog with beef sauce, kraut, onion and mustard ($5); a slaw dog with house-made coleslaw, onion and spicy mustard ($5), and a Nathan's Famous all-beef dog ($3.50), with add-your-own condiments.

In Birmingham, Ralph knows he can't serve just any ol' hot dog and get away with it.

"Dogs are a sensitive subject in this town," he said. "I've spent many months talking to people about dogs. . . . We are pretty happy with where we're at in the dog spectrum, but it's a sensitive subject among Birmingham people."

The Standard menu also features a patty melt with two burger patties, pimento cheese and pickled onions ($8); a fried bologna sandwich with tomato and Duke's mayonnaise ($6); and a grilled cheese with Muenster and American cheeses ($5).

Sides include french fries and tater tots ($4 each, or $2 with any sandwich), and Zapp's potato chips and coleslaw ($1.50 each).

Ralph, who grew up in Nashville and attended culinary school in Charleston, S.C., worked in restaurants in Boston for about nine years before coming to Birmingham.

"I moved here with the goal of opening a restaurant," he said. "Boston's real expensive, so you can go a little further with your money down South. This was probably five and a half years ago, something like that, so it was a good time to be young and ambitious and try some interesting stuff in Birmingham.

After working as a line cook at Bottega, Ralph opened the Airstream-trailer-turned-courtyard-restaurant Hotbox at Parkside with fellow chef Ryan Champion in 2014, and he subsequently opened the Asian-inspired Wooden Goat, which closed last fall after less than a year in business.

Wooden Goat, Ralph told AL.com at the time, did not close for lack of business.

"It didn't work out," he said then. "Wooden Goat was never a great fit for the location."

Befitting its name, The Standard will be a more back-to-basics operation, Ralph said, with a menu that is both approachable and affordable.

"I've taken heat before for being too fancy," he said. "We definitely got some heat for that at Wooden Goat in Avondale. So this time, we wanted to just be approachable, and The Standard is a humble, kind of underdog name.

"I want people to walk up here and see our space and understand what we do very quickly," he added. "This is a non-corny Johnny Rocket's type of place, (with) a classic look and feel. That's kind of the idea."

For now, The Standard is a two-person operation, with Ralph as the chef and his girlfriend, Annie White, as the manager. White has worked at Chez Fonfon, Bottega and Wooden Goat.

"We are kind of a food team," Ralph said.

The Standard is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

The website is www.thestandardbhm.com.