What the simple name lacks in creativity and abundance, The Deli, 113 Hiester St., more than compensates for in menu and atmosphere.

Once through the doors we were seated quickly, although I would be prepared to take advantage of the benches lining the front wall on busier weekends that might cause a wait.

When the weather is nice, sit outside under a colorful umbrella. For a more casual experience, opt to sit and have a drink in the bar area or in one of the plush surrounding booths. Dimly lit, the walls of this front section are covered with vintage signs and brightly colored lamps hang from the ceiling.

The back dining room, where we were seated, has a warm, slightly more upscale feel, although I was perfectly comfortable sitting there in my jeans and sweatshirt. The floors, walls, and tables are all polished wood. Plants and vines line the walls and hang from the gold lampposts set throughout the room. The back wall and focal point of the spacious room, is a large lightly-colored brick fireplace mounted with the head of a shiny gold hippopotamus. The ceiling is covered with brightly-colored tapestries, many with an Asian theme.

The room is beautiful, but the decorations all seemed very random to me. Then I opened the menu and it all started to make sense.

Just as I couldn't place one particular theme to the atmosphere, the menu was equally full of variety: vegetarian dishes, low-fat options, Mexican dishes, Italian entrees, sandwiches, seafood, chicken, steak and pork chops, just to name a few. There is even an abundance of drink choices, offering 15 different kinds of soda and an equally impressive bar menu.

After reading over the extensive menu, my accompanying friend and I decided to start our meal with nachos. We went vegetarian, with black beans and salsa on ours, but ground beef is also available. The plate was big enough for several people to share, and I'd recommend it as a good crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Our side salads and meals arrived shortly after we had begun digging through our appetizer, and although it created a cluttered table, it saved me from eating too much of one thing, and getting too full too fast.

For dinner, I ordered vegetable lasagna, and as I began to eat it, I was certainly happy I passed over the remainder of my salad and nachos. The lasagna consisted of noodles layered with spinach, broccoli, peppers and mushrooms, then covered in cheese and a delicious chunky red sauce full of tomatoes. It was perfect for the vegetable lover, and a very pleasing meal.

My friend also opted for an Italian- inspired dish, and enjoyed penne pasta with chicken and sun dried tomatoes.

The portions were, again, more than filling, and left me a good share to take home.

When the bill came, we were happy to find that the prices were not extreme, and for the quality of the meal, very reasonable.

I left The Deli with a full stomach, and a slightly overwhelming but very pleasant experience.