In the 21st Century, downtown Bowling Green has experienced a renaissance, with a professional baseball stadium, performing arts center and government buildings. The culinary scene has also been rejuvenated. All restaurants are within walking distance of each other, the baseball stadium (above), the professional playhouse, the performing arts center and the Square, and just down College Street from Western Kentucky University. The mural at right, depicting the Square in 1940, covered an inside wall at the original Mariah's. Bistro, Anna's, Mariah's and Thai Thai are four of the state's top 25 restaurants and 440 Main is in the state's top 50. Neither downtown Lexington nor Louisville has as many highly ranked restaurants. |
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| Anna's |
Bistro |
Kentucky Grand |
Lunch Box |
Mariah's |
440 Main |
Mellow Mushroom |
Soul Favorites |
Thai Thai |
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Anna's is one of Bowling Green's great restaurants. It's located in an old church, and the stained glass windows and soaring interiors provide a spectacular ambience. Service is meticulous and the food is consistently good. Located on State Street just one block up from the Square, Anna's features Greek, Italian, German, French and Turkish cuisine. To start with there's an extensive wine list, and you have to try the Avgolemono (chicken lemon rice) Soup. Appetizers include Stuffed Grape Leaves, Spanikopita (spinach and cheese rolls) and Saganaki (flaming cheese on grilled pita bread). The Classic Greek Salad is almost mandatory. Entrees include Chicken, Pork, Pasta, Beef, Lamb, Vegetarian and Seafood dishes. Among the dishes you or someone at your table must try are the Shrimp Saganaki (shrimp sauteed in liquor, tomato sauce, feta cheese and tabasco); Arni Youvetsi (slow cooked lamb with orzo pasta in a light garlic tomato sauce with tabasco and cream); Mousaka (roast egg plant, potato, zucchini, ground beef and herbs in a bechamel sauce); Four Cheese Rigatoni; Rigatonio Bolognaise; and Schnitzel Viennese. If, to try all these you must come back several times, so be it. |
The Bistro is on College Street two blocks up from the Square. It may be in an 1893 house but the menu is cutting edge, including the finest wine list in town. Among the appetizers the Crab Meat Beignets and Toasted Ravioli are our favorites. There are six salads plus a Soup Of The Day, which is usually a bisque of some sort. They offer three steaks but the Filet Pappato (8 oz. filet rolled in crushed peppercorns served in a Gorgonzola cognac cream sauce) is the best. The Salmon Stuffed With Crabmeat, Shrimp Scampi, and Mediterranean Tilapia are all really good, but the stars of the dinner menu are their Lobster Ravioli (one of two best versions of this entree in Kentucky) and Shrimp & Grits (one of the five best versions of this in the entire South). The Drunken Chicken is braised in red wine with pan roasted vegetables. We think their Gnocchi Bolognese (potato dumpling with a meat sauce) is the best version of this in the state. In all, they've got four types of Chicken and seven Pastas, of which we like the Tortellini Alla Pan. If you're just stopping by for Pizza, there are four, including Tomato Florentine and Rustic Potato and the only Diavolo Pizza in the state (it has angus beef tips, mushrooms and onions in a red wine sauce). Save room for dessert so you can savor the Baklava, Spumoni or Cannoli. |
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The Kentucky Grand Restaurant is in the Kentucky Grand Hotel on College Street near the Hot Rods Stadium. The menu is very brief, with only six Appetizers, four Salads and six Entrees and one of those a burger. Top appetizers are a charcuterie board and olive/cheese/hummus board. The top entrees are the Shrimp & Grits, Bourbon Glazed Salmon, Lemon Thyme Chicken, Filet Mignon and a Pasta dish. |
| If you're in a nostalgic mood, stop at The Lunch Box Cafe one block west of the Square at 824 Center Street. This is as pure 1940s as you can find. It was opened by Red Cox in 1941 and hasn't changed a bit even though it's changed ownership three times. Don't let the outside appearance deter you. The inside is spacious and clean and the extensive menu offers classic comfort food. Signature items are the Fried Catfish Sandwich, Potato Soup, Chicken Fingers, Wings and Barbeque. They make a very good Salad --- no wilted greens here --- and whichever dressing you request comes in a teacup so you'll have plenty. Sides are excellent. Somebody at your table must order the Mustard Cole Slaw. It's unique and delicious. Their Sweet Tea is the best in town and the desserts are very good, although entree and side portions are quite generous so you might not have room. Bring cash; they don't take credit cards. Prices are very reasonable, with $7 entrees. Staff at the surrounding government complex flood the place over lunch, so try to come at 11 or 1. On baseball evenings the dinner hour can be busy, but otherwise evenings are quiet. |
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Mariah's has moved from State Street to the HitCents Complex, its windows now looking out on right field of the the Hot Rod Baseball Field. The menu remains the same. Of the appetizers, we like the Baked Brie Wedge (brie wrapped in phyllo dough and baked, then served with an apple caramel sauce) and Quesadilla (wheat tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken, jalapenos, cheese and chiles, then toasted). The Baked Potato Soup (with cheddar, onions and bacon bits) is excellent. They offer five salads, of which we think the Santa Fe (greens, cheddar, jack, tomatoes, corn, grilled chicken squares, black bean salsa, ranch dressing) is best. The eight entrees include five steaks (filet mignon, New York strip, prime rib, Hawaiin ribeye and top sirloin), but we really like the Bourbon Glazed Salmon and Mahi (grilled mahi basted in jerk seasonings and served with a mango salsa). There are seven pastas, of which our favorite is the Tomato Basil. Six pizzas and a page of sandwiches, including Hot Brown and French Dip, offer alternatives. Desserts feature Cheesecake, Ice Cream Pie, and Bread Pudding. The Lemonade is great, but so are the teas and flavored fruit drinks. |
| We list this restaurant as 440 Main, but they advertise themselves as TWO restaurants at the same location, the other being Micki's. As seen in the photo at right, they occupy adjacent spaces, hang matching awnings and offer matching sidewalk furniture. Micki's is the bar and daytime grill; 440 Main opens at 5 and is the classy dinner restaurant. They both serve good Cajun food with excellennt mixed drinks and wine list. We like the two seafood appetizers : Carnivale (shrimp, scallops and crawfish baked in sun dried tomato sauce and jack cheese) and Cosmopolitan (tuna and shrimp served chilled with cusabi and cocktail sauce). Louisiana Gumbo is one of the best soups in town. Jambalaya, Blackened Salmon and Open Faced Crab Cakes are a powerful trio of entrees, all of which are delicious. Of the five salads, our favorite is the Bayou Chicken. If you're in at lunch and only want a sandwich, you'll go away happy with Grilled Cheese/Chili, Blackened Catfish, or Muffaletta. Over in the 440 for dinner, we especially like the Day Boat Scallops (in white wine bacon butter sauce with green apple slaw), Cajun Salmon (in crawfish butter sauce with jalapeno cheddar grits) , Trout Charleston (stuffed with crabmeat, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, meunierre sauce), and Southern Style Crab Cakes (with roast corn and black bean salsa). |
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Mellow Mushroom, in a former car dealership on Chestnut Street, is the best Pizza restaurant in Bowling Green. As Appetizers they offer Cheese Bread, Hummus, Pretzels, Wings and Meatballs. Their Mushroom Soup (shitake, button and portobello plus cheese and chives) is one of the city's finest soups. Of their five Salads we like the Greek. If you're not up for Pizza their Calzones, Hoagies and Sandwiches offer a fine alternative. The Ritz Burger is one of the finer burgers in town. But eventually you get to their Stone Baked Pizzas. They offer 14 standard pies, all very creative, all delicious. Or you can build your own from a page long list of Cheeses, Meats and Veggies. There's a full service bar if you want some alcohol with your order. There's plenty of parking and your choice of tables, booths and counters. |
| Sherry and Danny DeWalt have moved their Soul Favorites from College Street to Chestnut Street, but the menu is the same. Catfish remains their signature item, and the rest of their menu is brief : Meat Loaf, Pork Chops, and Fried Chicken with outstanding sides. The okra, turnip greens, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans and others are among the best you've ever eaten. There are no exotic items here, no hog jowls or hoppinjohn, no African or Caribbean entrees. This could be called Southern Country as easily as Soul Food. But they keep it simple so they can do it well, and they do it very well indeed. |
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Thai Thai at 712 Chestnut (a block above the square) is an outstanding restaurant. It's not only one of the best Thai restaurants in Kentucky, but it's one of the best restaurants of any kind in Bowling Green and is in a beautifully remodelled and restored 1870 residence that makes dining there feel like a very classic experience. To start with, you need to order a pot of Tea. Their best flavor is Pomegranate, but there are several. Thai teas have a very delicate taste, so you need to allow the pot to steep for several minutes after it arrives at your table. The tea is served in exquisite cups and one pot should last one person for a meal, but each diner should order his or her own. Appetizers include Satay Chicken, Crab Rangoon and Fish Cakes. There are six Soups, of which the Tom Kha (coconut milk, herbs and curry) is the star. Tell the waitress to tell the kitchen to hold all the vegetables so they don't dilute the rich flavor of the broth. Of their eight Salads the stars are the Yum Nue (thin steak slices, red onion, green onion, cilantro, lettuce and Thai sauce) and Som Tam (papaya, shrimp, peanut, garlic, chiles and lime). Noodle/Rice dishes include Pad Thai (fried noodles, chicken, shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, onions, chopped peanuts), Crab Fried Rice (jasmine rice, crabmeat, onion, peas, carrots, egg) and Pineapple Fried Rice (jasmine rice, pineapple, shrimp, chicken, onion, cashews). Their signature Entrees are the Basil Eggplant (stir fried chicken/beef, onion, eggplant, broccoli, carrot, zucchini, chiles and basil), and Sweet & Sour (spicy sweet and sour sauce, chicken/beef, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, scallion, zucchini and onion). Despite its name, the Basil Eggplant includes as much beef as eggplant. The eggplant is not fried but baked. You might ask the waitress to ask the kitchen to hold the broccoli, as thay are very generous with it. However, they also serve the Classics : Masaman Beef (braised USDA London Broil in masaman curry sauce, onion, potatoes), Lamb Basil, and Roast Duck. They can adjust your spice level on a 1-10 scale. On a first visit start with a 1; anything above a 3 is blazing hot. Allow time for very slow service.
Thai Thai faces Chestnut Street but the parking and entrance are in the rear, off the alley. |
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