Over the next three months, the option of outdoor patio dining will joyfully return. I can’t wait. In the meantime, the enclosed patio at Mariah’s offers sun without the elements.

The menu is an experience of variety and flair, with steaks that rival any steakhouse in town and eclectic cuisine for those with adventurous tastes.

If you’ve never been to Mariah’s, you really should treat yourself to the food and atmosphere. The restaurant has earned the title of a true, time-honored, Bowling Green gem, which will surely be around as long as the historical building it is housed in.

The downtown square wall mural is an open-air treat in the otherwise crowded main dining area. Tables at a diagonal between booths make dining an intimate experience, not just with each other, but with table neighbors as well. As I noted above, the enclosed patio is a sun-room luxury, not as crowded; however, the noise level is higher. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

My dining companion and I ordered a deep-fried mushroom appetizer and were served round balls of batter with a horseradish dipping sauce. The mushrooms were small for the amount of batter that was wrapped around them. We did, however, eat them all, because the batter was light, flavorful and not at all greasy. The problem was that each mushroom was lost in the batter, and the dipping sauce lacked that horseradish kick I was counting on.

The wait staff was pleasant, but we waited longer than usual at each stage of our meal. I did not see our waitress in between the times she came to the table and instead of engaging in conversations with suggestions, reflections or questions about how the food was, her standard line was, &#8220Is everything OK?” Fortunately, everything was &#8220OK,” but I missed the friendly banter I’m used to in local eating establishments.

I ordered the salmon with a side order of snow peas. The salmon was served plain and without flair. The dusting of seasoning (not specified on the menu) enhanced the true flavor of the salmon, without the need for a dipping sauce. The snow peas were a nice light touch for a healthy, appetizing Sunday afternoon meal.

My dining companion ordered the veggie wrap served in a spinach tortilla with portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts, yellow peppers, caramelized onions and a pesto mayonnaise. This clearly fell into the eclectic category and doubled in scrumptious. A few side notes, though – the onions were red and raw and removed by hand once served because they out-flavored the rest of the ingredients. There was also a small amount of white cheese – not listed on the menu, but enjoyable all the same. The ranch dipping sauce was an unnecessary added treat.

With generous portions, we ended up taking food home that could then be enjoyed on a sunny home balcony until the rest of the restaurant patios are again open for business to the perfect combination of sun and food – just as we enjoyed at Mariah’s.

Mariah’s Food and Spirits

801 State St. € 842-6878

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

Specialties: Everything!

Cuisine: American

Price range for dinner: $6.99 to $21.99

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: Yes