What can you get for $10 at Stalzy’s Delicatessen?

The New York deli is possible to export, as Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles proved long ago. Madison isn’t overrun by NYC deli incursions, but the city is not innocent of them either; both Gotham Bagels and Ella’s Deli nod, in their own ways, to the New York deli. Stalzy’s Deli opened on Mother’s Day with a bid to buff out Madison’s deli deficiencies, not exactly recreating a mythical Tom's Delicatessen—much of its food is not kosher, for example—but rather drawing on that form as inspiration while pulling from other traditions like Polish cuisine and the American ’50s diner aesthetic. “We’re building on the New York template, but taking it though a Midwestern filter,” principal Neil Stalboerger explains. The A.V. Club took a wallet full of $10 bills (no credit cards accepted) to scope out Madison’s newest purveyor of pastrami and pickled beets in the hope that the deli might become a Seinfeldian hangout, where acid humor can mingle with buttered bialys.

Corned beef reuben
Even at a “come on, man” price point of $9, this is the best reuben The A.V. Club has eaten in Madison. Everything is right: delicate anointments of Russian-style dressing and sauerkraut, thinly shaved Swiss cheese, and golden-toasted rye bread with butter fused into the outer layers of tangy peppered pastrami.

Hot pastrami on rye
For serious pastrami fans only, this $9 behemoth is just pastrami and bread. (Mayo and mustard come on the side.) The union of rye and beef brisket, soaked in spiced brine then smoked, is simplicity incarnate. Though some other Stalzy’s sandwiches lie well above the $10 price point, you get what you pay for with the $15 Stalzy’s Triple, an absolute monster.

Pickled beet salad
This classic deli appetizer ($2) is mellow and subtle. Traditionally served at the onset of a deli meal, the beets provide a quick sugar rush to stave off hunger as well as a textural and color counterpoint to potato chips and big dill pickles (even the pickles here are sensational), the best sides for these sandwiches. Even people who don’t like beets should try this pickled delight, a taste from another era.

An array of side dishes
Potato pancakes, coleslaw, sauerkraut, sausage, bratwurst, and macaroni salad range from $1.50-$5 and reflect the Polish emphasis in play. Hot dogs and burgers serve to hedge bets, and daily sandwich specials come in well under the higher prices for menu standards.