Meal Plan: What's Fresh! Deli

In Meal Plan, The A.V. Club plays the part of your foodie friend, telling you what to order at area restaurants. This week, we plot out your meal at What’s Fresh! Deli (146 E. Juneau Ave., 414-273-5677).

To start off: Italian pasta salad ($1.65)
For a small delicatessen that can maybe seat 10 (skinny) people, What’s Fresh! offers a pretty wide assortment of homemade side options. There are plenty of soups and potato and pasta salads to choose from, but a good place to start is the Italian Pasta Salad, which is an oily quarter-pound amalgamation of radiatori pasta, cucumbers, onion, crisp green peppers, and Italian dressing. It’s as satisfying as it is cheap.

Main course: chicken-pecan-basil-salad sandwich ($5.55)
At a mere $5.55, the chicken-pecan-basil-salad sandwich is the most expensive item on the menu. (Half sandwiches and subs range between $2.50 and $3.25. Whole sandwiches and subs run from $4.10 to $5.55.) It’s also said to be the restaurant’s most popular sandwich, and with good reason. Hefty chunks of chicken are mixed with celery, basil, a dusting of crushed pecans, and a creamy mayo-based dressing. The rich, salty flavor of the chicken salad is countered with fluffy homemade bread and a bitter, yet fitting hint of Dijon mustard.

Wash it down: Sprecher root beer ($1.75)
While the beverage list at What’s Fresh! Deli is far from staggering, it’s perfectly equipped to quash any thirst brought about by the eatery’s delightfully salty sandwich fare. There are stock juice choices, along with Alterra coffee and (for the liquid luncher) alcoholic beverages such as Harp Lager and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. But since What’s Fresh is more of a lunch-break place, you might be better off with a bottle of Sprecher root beer. It’s a good, hearty drink, and yet compared to the rest of the meal, it’s relatively pricey. Still, it's rare that you get such a filling meal for under $10.