a review by Mary Stagaman

A COLLEGE DORM IS HARDLY THE FIRST PLACE I'd look for first-rate cooking with a contemporary flair, but that's exactly what the University of Cincinnati is serving up in Siddall Hall's new dining facility. Modeled after successful "marche" concepts, such as FoodLife in Chicago's Water Tower Place, and ahead of national trends in college dining, MarketPointe offers fresh food prepared before your eyes. No steam tables filled with "mystery meat" here. Instead it's the snap, crackle and pop of fresh vegetables stir-fried in a wok, the yeasty aroma of a thick-crust pizza straight from the oven and the homey comfort of a china ramekin overflowing with macaroni and cheese.

	MarketPointe at Siddall opened in the fall of 2002 and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner during academic quarters. Cash and the Bearcat Campus Card are accepted. Visit the MarketPointe Web site for details.
UC
	Siddall dining hall's $3.3 million renovation offers continuous food preparation at eight stations, a concept new to college residence halls and one that executive chef Rosemary Pavinski thinks will make UC a national leader. photos/Dottie Stover

Nevertheless, MarketPointe is more than food. Taking a cue from hip restaurants across the country, the semi-industrial decor -- heavy on the stainless steel and galvanized aluminum -- creates a dynamic gathering place where students, faculty, staff and campus visitors converge. And all have figured out MarketPointe's greatest selling point: tremendous value. Sure, you'll have to bus your own table, but where else can you get a lunch this good, complete with a drink and dessert, for $5.50?

MarketPointe is an all-you-can-eat restaurant with a difference. Unlike chains that fill customers up with carbo-laden, low-nutrition foods, MarketPointe emphasizes healthy eating. Every cooking station displays a binder with the calorie and fat counts for each dish. If a student really wants to avoid the "freshman 15," this is the place to start.

Overseeing it all is executive chef Rosemary Pavinski, who's got the chops to roll out this new concept in campus dining. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Pavinski honed her skills in first-class restaurants in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Florida beforecoming to UC to work in the catering department. Now, when she's not planning menus, she's visible supervising the cooks and other staff at the dining hall's eight taste stations.

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