Downtown

Dining Out in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Japanese Mexican Occasion
 

We define "Downtown" as the neighborhood centering around The Square and extending North into the Shake Rag District. This was the heart of Bowling Green before Scottsville Road was developed. Lately, there has been a renaissance downtown, with a new professional baseball stadium, new government buildings and other projects. So far, there are only eight restaurants downtown, two on The Square, one just off it, and five a few blocks away. But with the renaissance there will certainly be more. Meanwhile, the eight already there are excellent. They are all locally owned, all featuring contemporary menus and architecture, all very classy. Unfortunately, the two movie theatres on The Square are long closed. But the one is now a live performing arts theatre, and a block off the square the old Alley Playhouse (545 Morris Alley) has been renamed the Kentucky Public Theatre and still features good plays in an intimate setting. Or you could eat an early dinner, stroll down to the stadium and watch the Hot Rods play minor league baseball in a state of the art facility. The scene at right is a David Jones mural on two walls inside Mariah's depicting 1935 on The Square. Above is the stadium.

Brickyard
Mariah's
Micki's / 440
Verdi's
Shake Rag
You & Me
College Street Diner
Bistro
The Brickyard Cafe includes The Garden. a semi outdoors patio type addition seen extending down the street in the photo at right. It features Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. The Brickyard was created by Zeljko Simic and Robert Stupar, a restaurateur and baker in Bosnia and Croatia. They came here in 1995 to escape the war, bought the 1857 home in 1997, and spent a year renovating it. Of the appetizers, we like the Crab Cakes (served with chipotle aioli and topped with shrimp salsa) and Seafood au Gratin (shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, onions, peppers, celery, lobster cream sauce, monterey jack cheese and vegetable). Whatever their Soup of the Day, order a cup. Our experience has been it is always good. They offer four salads, of which we like the Greek and Mediterranean. The entrees present difficult choices. There are two steaks and Veal Marsala, Parmesan and Picatta. Chicken comes as Saltimbocca, Picatta and Blackened. They offer six pastas, of which we enjoyed the Prince Edward Island (steamed mussels over linguini in marinara), Voodoo (shrimp, scallops, mussels, peppers, onions and linguine with white wine cajun sauce), and Tortellini (four cheese tortellini with mush- rooms, prosciutto and sundried tomato sauce). There are also four pizzas.
Mariah's is the Grand Old Dame of Bowling Green restaurants. Built in 1818, the house in on the National Historic Register and is the oldest brick structure still standing in town. In 1979 the wood floors were refurbished, and as nearby buildings were taken down antiques were acquired and brought to Mariah's. The antique bar was built in 1888. The kitchen contains a wood fired brick oven. 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 Micki's, but they advertise themselves as TWO restaurants at the same location, the other being 440 Main. As seen in the photo at left, 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. The good news is they both serve good Cajun food and we have friends who love their mixed drinks and excellent 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).

Verdi's is right next to the old Capitol Theatre, now the Bowling Green Arts Center. Chef Mersad Osmanovic has created an eclectic cuisine with a taste of three countries. Among the appetizerts, we like the Hummus de Gallo (sweet red pepper pesto, lepina, pepperoncini, kalamata, olives and cucumbers), Tiki Shrimp (breaded in won tons and fried with orange marmalade),and Crab Fritti on Grilled Avocado. There are four salads, our favorites being the Greek and Mediterranean. Soup here is a real problem. We love a good soup and always recommend one. But of Verdi's three, we absolutely cannot pick a favorite : Potato Soup, Sweet Red Pepper & Gouda Bisque and Seafood Bisque. You'll have to use your own judgement, but you MUST try one of them. Among the four pastas, we lean toward the Scallops Verde (seared scallops in penne and lemon garlic sauce, green pappers, tomatoes and sweet red pepper pesto). Entrees are grouped into Greek, German and Sicilian. We like their Chicken Souvlaki, Schnitzel, Chicken Crab Scallopini, Grouper with Wild Rice Etouffe, and Osso Buco di Cola (marinated slow cooked pork shank in cola glaze with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes). Verdi's also offers three pizzas, which we rank among the best in town.

You and Me has moved to Chestnut Street. Their new building is Down Town Class all the way, with glass, walnut, brass and a European menu adapted to Southern Kentucky tastes. Actually, we think they've adapted too much. Bosnian food is a blend of Middle East, Mediterranean and Eastern European. We'd rather see more Slavian, Armenian, Serbian, Croatian dishes. Instead, You & Me offers mostly Chicken, Pasta and Pizza. We like their Egg Plant Polenta (lightly fried, with marinara sauce) among the appetizers. Loyal followers consider their Margherita Pizza the best in town, and there are 24 other Pizza flavors, many of which you can't get anywhere else in town. You MUST try the Goulash, National Dish of Hungary and standard fare in Bosnia. Chunks of prime beef are simmered in a rich, dark sauce and served over mashed potatoes. And someone at your table MUST try the Sarma (rice, ground beef and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes). Of their pastas, their best is Macaroni Calabrese (penne pasta topped with chicken, mushrooms and a white cream sauce). From the Mediterranean side there's a Greek salad and a pretty good version of Baklava. And the Bosnian Coffee is worth a try.

The College Street Diner, just a few doors off the Square toward Campus, is the pride of Craig Bloom, who worked at a dozen restaurants, studied at The Texas Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts College, and spent a decade managing restaurants in Ohio. He went to work for Smuckers, which brought him to Scottsville. Now he's back in the restaurant business. He's got 2885 square feet redone in tasteful brick and wood with a large mural of the Barren River and lower Bowling Green stretching across one wall. Bloom's intent is to offer elegance and an upscale menu at middle class prices. His menu certainly delivers, although the appetizers are all fried. He compensates for this with a whole page of Soups, of which our favorites are the Italian Sausage (vegetables, Italian spices and sausage in a tomato bisque), Potato (cheeses, bacon, scallions and potato slices) and Ham & Bean (white beans, celery, onions, spices, bisque and pulled from the bone ham). The soups are fresh and come with salad and bread for a fine lunch. Bloom offers seven very ample Salads, of which we particularly like the House (bacon, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, cheeses, onions, tomatoes, croutons and lettuce) and Italian Chicken (grilled chicken, romaine, iceberg, cheese, carrots, tomatoes and croutons). Understand these are BIG salads. If you're in for lunch, he offers seven melts, seven Sandwiches, eight Subs and eight Burgers. Then there's dinner. You can pick from six Pastas, six Spaghetti combos, and eight entrees. The New England Cod is fried, but Craig aims to please and might be talked into grilling or broiling it. Ribeye and New York Strip are standard but are priced at only $8 and $9 (6 and 8 oz.). We think The Stuffed Charbroiled Pork Chop is his signature entree. It comes butterflyed with salad, two sides and bread for $8.
The Bistro is on the right on College Street two blocks up from the Square. It may be in an 1893 house but the menu is strictly cutting edge 2010, including what may well be the finest wine list in town. Among the appetizers the Crab Cake and Stuffed Artichoke Hearts are our favorites. There are seven salads plus a Soup Of The Day, which is usually a bisque of some sort. They offer the usual steaks but the Filet Pappato (8 oz. filet rolled in crushed peppercorns served in a Gorgonzola cognac cream sauce) is the best of the lot. There are Stuffed or Grilled Salmon, and Shrimp Sauteed in Mushrooms, Artichokes and Sherry Cream Sauce, but the Mediterranean Tilapia is hard to beat. They've got four types of Chicken and 10 Pastas, of which we like the Baked Zitti, Manicotti and Tortellini Alla Pana. If you're just stopping by for Pizza, there are five, including a very good version of Chicago Style. Save room for dessert so you can savor the Baklava, Spumoni or Cannoli. Many of the downtown professionals consider this their favorite restaurant so expect a crowd during lunch or early dinner hour.
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