0 0 0 "0 s ""4 " I $B The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 17, 2008 New look, same taste bile the new Hill Din- ing Center Marketplace promises more choices, the only variety to set it apart from past dining halls is in the number of stations: seven. Apart from a few creative dishes, the "marketplace"- style cafe has done little else but categorize and reintroduce the din- ing system's old menus. Six of the stations - Grill on the Hill, World Palate, Homestyles, Hill Pizzeria, Good Grains and Just Desserts - are aesthetically placed around the exterior of the dining hall. Palmer Avenue Deli takes center stage in the thick of the lunchtime bustle. The combination of large windows and an open-air design provides diners a pleasant view of the activity on Palmer Field and the adjoining tennis courts. But the most disappointing ele- ment of the new dining facility is the lack of innovation. A look at the campus dining website shows that there are only a handful more dish- es on the Marketplace's menus than on other residence halls' menus. For a dining hall heralded as the revitalization of the University's diningsystem, I would expect more options. And quality of the food ranges from hospital fare to moderately innovative, but much of it fails to rise above other the dining halls. The salad bar has similar and possi- bly fewer choices than when I dined daily in West Quad three years ago, which had Jello and syrupy fruit cocktail in the offering. The same whole fruits are also available, including many red delicious apples whose commercial wax coating still has not yet been washed off. Despite much of the same old mediocrity, there were some stand out dishes. Starting with the Palm- er Avenue Deli, where the walnut, red onion and raisin fusion salad combines flavors and textures for a satisfying crunch. The strength of the onion and sweetness of the raisin were mir- rored in another salad with shred- ded carrot, mandarin orange and sliced radish salad. Although I found some of the soups to be too salty, the pea and French onion soup with large pieces of cracked black pepper were very good. But skip the chicken noodle, whose lacking flavor is only com- pensate If th about,i its very from cl slices, t third fl roasted Th( offi with ro zucchin rooms ; pesto cl slices o pesto, tl For1 impress Homest resemb want to d with too much salt. and chicken dishes. Unfortunately, ere is any station to rave though, the dishes reveal them- it's the Hill Pizzeria and selves to be the typical dining hall. own hearth oven. Aside fare I've tasted many times before. heese and pepperoni pizza The pasta was overcooked and he Hill Pizzeria features a soggy, and the tomato-basil sauce avor combination daily. The tasted like it was slightly past its vegetable pizza stands out expiration date. A new feature of the Market- place worth of praise is the chicken rotisserie, which makes drumsticks e M arketplace tender and juicy. The browned skin adds a lot of flavor and moisture. ers a view, but But one piece of advice to the rotis- serie crew: if you're going to show- a W case the chicken alongside a strand new flavors of rosemary, it should taste as if rosemary had actually been used in the preparation. For those of you who would be happy with a burger and fries for unds of summer squash and every meal, you're in luck. The Grill ni, chunky tomatoes, mush- on the Hill's menu barely changes. and scallions, but it's the The World Palate station does a hicken pizza, with its thick decent job of showcasing other cul- f tomato and fragrant basil tures' foods. It basically takes the hat wins the day. vaguely ethnic dishes you'd find the most part, I was not scattered around any other cafete- ed with the Marketplace ria and puts them in a corner. There tyles dishes. This station was nothing new about the taco sta- les the type of food I would tion, butI did enjoy a tofu dish I put eat with my family - pasta together with Asian-style rice and a spicy soy garlic sauce. Just Desserts scored above aver- age - except for the chocolate mousse, which tasted as if it had been diluted with whipped cream. The three-layer strawberry cake had a surprisingly good strawber- ry-cream filling and the lemon bars showcased an appropriately sour lemon curd on top of a crumbly but- tery crust. The cookies, which are baked fresh on the spot, are still warm when you bite into them. Two additional features worthy of recognition are the spice rack and the self-service system. Across from the salad bar you will find a rack of twenty spices and an array of con- diments like olive oil and red wine vinegar. The new self-service idea of the Marketplace allows students to control for portion size and taste preferences. Perhaps we'll find that regular Marketplace diners waste less and avoid a few pounds of the freshman fifteen because of it. The Marketplace wins points for style and a few new dishes, but in the end it's still a dining hall -Kara Morris is a critic for The Michigan Daily's food blog The Table Thy Mallulet CLOTHING*WAREHOUSE SALE ES A Review of the Supreme Court's 2007-08 Term SIX EMINENT LEGAL SCHOLARS FROM MICHIGAN LAW EXAMINE SIGNIFICANT CASES FROM THE 2007-08 TERM UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW SCHOOL HUTCHINS HALL, ROOM 250 WED., SEPTEMBER 17 4- 6 PM SPONSORED BY U-M OFFICE OF THE PROVOST 990 MEN-LADIES 99, 4-5 ITEMS PER BAG LADIES' FROM FAMOUS MAtt STORE I LADIES' MENS&LADIES' ELEMENT $59 -Ii599 &PUMA FROM MIENS ELEMENT,QUICKSILVER, LEVI'S HURLEY 1 MP9 NIKE£ LADIES' LADIES' ROCKET DOG & UNIONBAY FROM5 MENS & LADIES' POLO FROM MENS LADIES' PUMA THEORY ZOYR&DRESSES $799 $59 LADIES' JEANS GEAR T-SHIRTS 19M A 990 FROM 2nd Floor Ballroom (Sponsored by Union Arts & Programs) 11 LAUIES Tues., Sept 16th PURSES FROM Weds., Sept. 17th visa HANDBAGS BACKPACKS .. ..