My day is pretty nice so far:
The glorious sun is out, and so is my very first miracle tomato of the year. I call it my miracle tomato plant because it sprouted from a pile of my compost. We’ll see what variety it is soon.
For breakfast: some kale and ginger with yellowing mint leaves from my new herb garden. Blackcherry pomegranate chia pudding, greek yogurt and a local honey drizzle.
Also, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on vinyl.
A happy day to you.
Yuki Japanese Restaurant is in my opinion the best restaurants in Bowling Green, Ky. They have some of the freshest, tastiest sushi I’ve ever had. They might honestly have the best sushi in all of Kentucky.
I’ve been here many times, but while visiting decided to finally try a few things I’ve heard about from workers and regulars (that are not on the menu.)
I love smelt roe, so someone recommended getting a quail egg on top. Talk about legit, I would eat 10 of these if they weren’t $3.75 each. Definitely worth a try to get a few.
Then I got the Japanese Steak Appetizer. It would be nice to share as an appetizer, but makes for a great meal. If you are in the mood for a steak, go to Yuki and get this. It is cooked perfectly and comes with shaved green bell pepper and cabbage. Whatever sauce they serve it with is crave-worthy. My server said it was the best kept secret in Bowling Green.
Yuki is a restaurant worth making a trip for.
I went to Bowling Green this weekend to visit my dad for a late Father’s Day. Also, to ride around Nolin lake on a boat. It was wonderful.
Saturday night I wanted to visit my friends so I went to my favorite spot, Tidballs. I guess you could say I was a regular while I lived there. The doorman/ bartender JimBo is like my big brother.
Anyways, a new band was playing- Sol Cat.
I actually bumped into them right before they played while I was at 440 in the square. I was at the bar getting a drink before Tidball’s, and they were there to grab some grub before their show. I recommended the hot brown since they were Nashville natives. They never had a hot brown before. And it just happens to be one of the best creations ever. Later at Tidball’s they agreed.
Well come to find out if everyone wears a loudly printed shirt and dons long hair- you make up a band.
Just kidding, that was true, but these guys rocked. I listened to their CD for the rest of the weekend. They really know what they’re doing. A very talented band with a funky SOLful vibe. Definitely check them out if they happen upon your area.
Oh, and Tidball’s has a Shogun food-truck now? Way to get even cooler once I leave guys.
Friday night at Mercury Ballroom I saw one of the best shows to date.
The smell of Nag champa filled the venue as it burned onstage along with the occasional whiff of Mary Jane.
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood absolutely jammed out. Tons of Grateful Dead covers.
You’ve got Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the Black Crows while they’re on a hiatus. Guitarist Neal Casal who played with Ryan Adams in the Cardinals. Mark Dutton on bass who played in a psychedelic glam rock band. Super talented drummer of Tennessee, George Sluppick. Adam MacDougall the replacement keyboardist of the Black Crows.
I mean, I’m not sure what more you could really want in a band. Or a show. Amazing.
Friday night I went to Garage Bar for their oysters.
Backstory: I haven’t had oysters since I was 8. At a buffet. I cried because I thought they tasted so bad. Also pretty sure my feelings were hurt that my grandma let me try something so horrible.
I haven’t been scared to try them this entire time- you just don’t come across fresh oysters much in Kentucky. Much less my previous town for the past 5 years, Bowling Green.
So the consensus is: I can appreciate them now- I didn’t start crying or anything. However they may just not be my thing. I tried uni once, and it was a little much. A lot much because I almost threw up right there at the table. (I’m waiting until I get the hankering, will order it sashimi style ((smaller,)) and I’m sure I’ll fall in love.) But the slimy, gooey texture of the oysters reminded me of the uni. And the fishy taste. Briny salt water was present in the oysters for sure, and the grainy bits reminded me of sand.
I don’t know man, I feel lame for a foodie. It isn’t like I’m a picky person by any means. Maybe it will grow on me.
Anyways, their house salad was better than any house salad I’ve ever had. And the guy sitting to my right got two orders of the smoked ham, Let me tell you- pigs make for amazing food. So thinly sliced it melted in your mouth. Similar to prosciutto but possibly better.
In the future, whenever I go to the garage bar, I will always order the ham. Each order is $6 and they give you a nice slab of bread with a sweet orange sauce and a killer garlic aoli (no one makes it garlicy enough for me.) You can try different types of ham, I think there were 4. Same with the oysters which were $3 a pop. Those came with vinegar, fresh horseradish and cocktail sauce, but you should ignore that last one. Pairing the ham with fresh horseradish was pretty good too.
I also got their lavender honey lemonade cocktail. Quite delish.
Garage doors keep the restaurant open when the weather is nice. Unique faux-grass seating outside, and hard to miss because of the two crashed cars out front. And if you’re in the mood for pizza, that is what they are known for. A great spot, folks.
I visited the Grale Haus addition of Holy Grale the other day. My gosh, what a spot.
Ontop of their beer garden, choir loft and awesome bar they implemented another building behind the beer garden- the Grale Haus. You will find retail beer for sale to take home, more wonderful food, craft beer and also Intelligentcia coffee. You can get a beer and shot of espresso for $5. It is, in my opinion, a great addition to the rest of their bar.
Walking in it is very cozy and aesthetically pleasing. The dark wooden floors and tables/chairs tie in with and match the Holy Grale. The picnic style seating and tables are all topped with succulents. Their signs are all handwritten with and burlap-sack drapes. It dons an upscale DIY type of decor, which I personally love.
Lets not forget to mention most importantly that the food and drink is amazing.
Now when I went, I ordered the following things in the Holy Grale. I don’t remember if they were served in the Grale Haus. I had to show you how pretty though, and they tasted even better than they looked.
The pickle plate and the cheese plate. Perfect accompaniments for your beer, because taking a sip after trying each item makes your beer taste different every time. Get a group of your friends together, and try each item with different beers.
My refreshing saison went perfectly. A lot of the pickled items made it taste like a sour, which I love.
Allison Goodan 
