Lately I’ve traveled north to review restaurants in the perimeters of Bowling Green, so this week I made a point to go south. What I discovered is a restaurant with an imaginative menu and flawless dining atmosphere. I was not surprised though, because like its twin restaurant in Bowling Green, Brickyard Café on the square in Franklin offers small-town customers a big city eating experience.

The owners have intelligently combined the past and present when it comes to décor. The restaurant is located in the old Hatter Hardware and Franklin Carriage Co. building. The original wood floors are rustic yet inviting, the paintings on the wall bring cohesiveness to the present, painted by a local Bowling Green artist. A mural in the private dining room depicts both Franklin’s history and a European town where the owner once lived.

My dining companion and I started with a grilled shrimp appetizer with remoulade sauce. The presentation was lacking – shrimp on a bed of lettuce with a couple of cubed tomatoes and the sauce spooned helplessly alone on the side. The shrimp itself was dusted with seasonings that enhanced the flavor. It was, however, on the verge of being dry, so the sauce would have helped. Unfortunately, it tasted more like Thousand Island dressing than remoulade sauce. It lacked the kick of horseradish, capers and garlic usually found in remoulade. We had thought about having a capresse salad as an appetizer – tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette. While the shrimp was acceptable, the capresse probably would have been a better choice on this hot summer day.

Our entrees, on the other hand, arrived with an impeccable presentation and a variety of imaginative taste sensations. My dining companion had the grilled chicken with sun dried tomato and basil pesto. Both condiments where served tapenade style on top of the moist, grilled chicken. Tapenade usually consists of finely chopped olives, garlic and olive oil, capers and anchovies, but in this case the main ingredients were sun-dried tomatoes for one and basil for the other. It was a striking visual combination on the plate and added either a burst of sweetness or a pungency to each bite. The only downfall was the chicken was over-salted – leaving a less than pleasing final taste in my mouth.

I ordered a dish with sautéed chicken, prosciutto, provolone and sage in a white wine sauce. I expected intensity in smoky flavor with the prosciutto (Italian ham) and the sage, but sage was not detectable so the provolone won out. The white wine sauce had a gravy type quality that was unexpected. The taste combinations were, however, enjoyable and appetizing.

All was well until our waitress arrived. If you’ve read this column before, you know that I don’t expect perfection because any restaurant can be having a difficult night, and as long as the wait staff acknowledges and compensates, I’m appreciative. This, however, was a horse of a different color. From the moment she approached the table, she overzealously (and I don’t use that word lightly) began to apologize and, in graphic detail, explain the problems they were having that night. Interestingly enough though, we never would have noticed and her apologies and explanations, not the timing or service itself, began to negatively affect our dining experience.

One thing that she did apologize for, that was warranted, was not knowing the menu. When we asked questions, she was not informed and used colors to describe the food, instead of tastes. To give her the benefit of the doubt, apparently the menu is just a few weeks old. I would have preferred, however, less apologizes and that the staff take the time to learn the menu, mainly because it is so imaginative customers will more than likely need explanation and guidance.

Brickyard Café Franklin

205 W. Cedar

Franklin, KY 42134

(270) 586-9080

Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday; Dinner: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Cuisine: Italian and Mediterranean

Price range for dinner: $12 to $23

Specialties: Pasta, pizza, fine dining

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: Yes