Let’s talk about cow patties.

They taste really good, especially with melted cheddar.

No, I mean patties made from cows, not ones that come out of cows.

I got a big, tasty cow patty from Back Yard Burgers, with fries and a drink for $5.93.

The other kind you can get for free, if you’re willing to sneak around a pasture. Wear gloves.

Back Yard Burgers is kind of a hybrid restaurant, promising ritzy-restaurant quality burgers with the price and speed of fast food. It strikes a good balance.

But their one Bowling Green location seems sadly under-patronized, given its position on traffic-crammed Nashville Road.

Perhaps that’s caused by the restaurant’s awkward entrance, an indirect drive that also serves Big Lots and the rest of the old Bowling Green Mall. The drive has been recently reworked, and the choice of access points probably wasn’t the restaurant’s, but it does create an annoyingly convoluted path to get to the drive-through.

Can’t fault the menu, though. In keeping with the restaurant’s relatively recent arrival, Back Yard Burgers’ menu display is state-of-the-art. All menu choices are well lit. A preview sign displays the current special promotion, and a second menu-in-brief describes the most popular combo meals. Then the full menu is posted within easy reading distance of the actual speaker box. Talk about attention to detail – there’s even a small canopy over the speaker.

Breaking news! I just saw a Reuters story that claimed a Pennsylvania meat-packer was recalling 94,000 pounds of “frozen ground beef panties” possibly contaminated with e. coli. Wow. I really, really hope that’s a misprint. And before you ask, it’s entirely unrelated to Back Yard Burgers.

Back to dinner. I pulled up right at 6 p.m. to find not a single other car in the drive-through. Order-taking was prompt, complete, correct and polite; I couldn’t ask for better.

I opted for a bacon cheddar burger combo with seasoned fries and root beer. Given my total, I pulled forward.

Through the window I could see Olivia, who took my order and appeared to be working the front of the restaurant by herself; she was rushing around to tend the counter and operate the drive-through.

Due to her speed, the wait wasn’t too bad. I spent just over three minutes between the speaker box and driving off.

My root beer came out first. It was a little watery, but not bad. It came in Styrofoam rather than paper, so no chance of it warming up before I got home.

The seasoned fries – I chose between them and plain waffle fries – were great. Fresh, hot and crisp, but not overly seasoned.

In fact, I got more than enough; there were more fries in my bag than could fit in the small cardboard carton.

And then, the restaurant’s reason for existence: the burger.

Back Yard Burgers uses Black Angus beef, which really does make a taste difference compared to your standard fast-food burger. Mine arrived well-constructed and wrapped. It wasn’t drippy or greasy. In fact, it was a bit dry, but that’s how I like it. The meat was very well-cooked and tasty.

It was topped with fresh leaf lettuce and enough tomato, pickle and onion to taste. The grated cheddar cheese was well in evidence, but there wasn’t much bacon.

Nevertheless, I proclaim it to be the best fast-food burger currently available.

Back Yard Burgers

2435 Nashville Road

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Speed: Middle of the road

Accuracy: Right the first time

Courtesy: Properly polite

Presentation: All together

Food quality: Leading the herd