To Kasia Bober, the word "salad" is vague to the point of meaninglessness. What kind of salad, she would ask, perhaps because she serves 26 kinds a day at her deli. That's right. Two baker's dozen: five pasta salads, tuna, chicken, mashed beets with vinegar and 18 more sumptuous options, many with a Polish flair reflecting Bober's ethnic background. In addition to the salads, she offers 18 soups from Ukranian borscht to chicken noodle, and 10 types of pierogis ($3). And that's just in the first cooler. Move to your left and find yourself tempted by mashed potatoes, potato fingers, crab cakes and more meat options than a vegetarian would ever hope to see. We're talking head cheese, folks.

All of the customers know Bober personally and call her Kas for short. At age 70 she still works at the deli every day. She won't put a dish on display until she's tried it herself and feels satisfied with the outcome. The staff makes everything fresh daily, working from homemade recipes passed down from Bober's mother in Poland. Try the potato-stuffed cabbage. It's crispy on the outside, but when your teeth crunch past the cabbage, they sink into warm mashed potato goodness, with garlic consuming your every sense.

Bober knows she's done well for herself and her family over the past two decades since moving from her native homeland. In fact, she's received calls from families around the country claiming that she serves "the best pierogis in the U.S." Comments like those, Bober says, make her truly happy.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Emily Fiffer