taste OF DINING
The Market Cafe Makeover The new expansion didn’t just add to the offerings at this south-end staple – it revealed long-hidden beauty behind the shelves. BY BARRY KAUFMAN
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You may not have noticed the wall that once separated past from future at Michael Anthony’s The Market Cafe. It was shiplap, painted to blend into the room, with a small blackand-white photo hanging where, years ago, a musician named Olivier used to sit and play guitar. It was easy to miss, obscured as it was by a rack of wine for sale. But then, up until recently, that was just how The Market Cafe was set up. All around the retail offshoot of the popular south end restaurant, wide windows and stonework were obscured behind coolers and dry good shelves, hiding the beauty of this space. Today, those coolers and shelves are gone, that archway now inviting diners into the annex they now call home. And in their absence, the true beauty of what the crew at Michael Anthony’s always envisioned has been finally revealed. “This whole wall was cooler banks,” said The Market Cafe 16
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PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN
manager Kat Waters, basking in the sunlight of the wide wall of windows that now line her eatery. “You couldn’t see these windows, and how beautiful this glass was behind it, and all the natural light. You couldn’t see those wonderful design elements that were already in here. Just by removing that stuff, it really changed the whole room.” Removing the coolers, shelves and wine racks didn’t just reveal the dazzling architectural of the space and invite in lush natural light. It also extended The Market Cafe into a full-fledged expansion: a new kitchen, a deli counter, an enhanced coffee program, and a brighter, more flexible dining room that reflects both the restaurant’s Italian roots and the welcoming experience they were always trying to create. “What we were looking to do was to provide something to the entire south end that we felt was lacking,” said Michael Anthony’s