Tucked within Nordstrom, the Marketplace Cafe offers a welcome respite from the rigors of retail,…read moreand a lunch that comfortably exceeds what one might expect from a department-store dining room.
I opted for the personal cheese pizza, a thin, hand-stretched crust with a pleasantly blistered, lightly charred rim. The mozzarella was generously applied and well browned, with a modest scattering of oregano lending some aromatic depth. It was not revelatory, but it was honest and well executed, the sort of pizza that knows precisely what it is.
My wife chose the Roma Tomato Basil Soup, a velvety, deep-orange purée with a gentle sweetness and a faint herbal finish. It arrived with a generous stack of golden garlic toasts, crisp and buttery, ideal for dipping. At $7.25, it is easily among the more gratifying values on the menu.
The setting is calm and polished, with warm wood, plush booths, and attentive service that never hovers. Neither dish quite reached the unforgettable, which keeps this a well-earned four stars rather than five. Still, for a refined and unhurried midday repast, the Marketplace Cafe acquits itself admirably. Until our paths cross again, I remain, with compliments to the kitchen,
Captain 619
