MARKETPLACE CAFE
By Brittany S. Candrian, '04, Editorial Intern
> THE INDOOR OUTDOOR CAFÉ
Amid aspiring accountants and buoyant business students lies a piece of metropolis foreign to BYU's scene. As you step up to the Marketplace Café, on the top terrace of the Tanner Building atrium, you feel like you've entered a bustling outdoor café in New York City. Okay, that may be pushing it, but the point is you don't feel like you're in Provo anymore.The Tanner Building's contemporary architecture provides a striking home for the café. The walls of the atrium draw your gaze upward through the glass roof to soft white clouds and an alluring blue sky. The umbrellas, trees, and shrubs surrounding the café further add to the sensation of being outdoors.But instead of city traffic sounds, you hear students chatting and the electronic hum of their laptops as they click away on their keyboards. Ethernet connections at each table allow Wall Street–bound students to do homework and surf the Web while eating lunch.The café, created in 1998, packs a surprising assortment of food into its stands, including quesadillas, salads, and sandwiches. But the sandwiches aren't just sandwiches—they're paninos, sandwiches with an Italian twist.On my visit to the Marketplace, the aroma of melting pepperjack cheese on toasted white bread makes its way to my table before the food arrives. Although I have eaten enough breakfast to feed half of Helaman Halls, my mouth begins to water and my stomach begs for more. Such is the power of the Marketplace Café's Montana panino. This tasty Italian sandwich consists of turkey, bacon, guacamole, and pepperjack cheese on white or wheat bread. It is toasted in olive oil and grilled just long enough for the cheese to melt its way out of the sandwich and into your mouth.A half hour later I stare at the empty plate in front of me. Yes, I really did eat every last morsel, and although I now feel like I could crawl into bed and hibernate for the rest of the year, I don't regret a single bite.The panino sandwiches are indeed praiseworthy, but the quesadillas are also worth mentioning. For a vegetarian alternative, the garden quesadilla is ideal: a delicate, crisp, spiced tortilla oozing with cheddar and pepperjack cheese and packed with fresh vegetables. For a meal with a kick, try the triple-pepper quesadilla. Although the three-pepper combination is fiery enough to satisfy devoted seekers of spicy cuisine, it's nothing that a cool drink won't fix.If you're coming from the west end of the Tanner Building, don't be daunted by the two flights of stairs you'll have to climb—it's well worth the trip. In fact, all that is missing from this out-of-Provo experience are pesky birds scavenging for crumbs under your table.RESTAURANT TYPE: sidewalk café
PRICES: $4–$6
HOURS: Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (closed for devotionals)
LOCATION: Tanner Building atrium, third floor
WEB: byu.edu/marketplace
TIP: Daily specials are listed online.
