There are two times a year when a window of opportunity allows us to enjoy patio dining in Bowling Green: In the spring between the cold and hot, and in the fall between the hot and cold.

Rafferty’s hosts one of the most pleasing patios in town. But is Rafferty’s a sports bar that also serves fine food, or a fine dining restaurant that also offers sports and libation? It took me two visits last week to come up with an answer.

My first visit was with friends after a tennis match. We sat on the patio, enjoyed appetizers, the evening atmosphere and watched the end of a tennis match at the U.S. Open. Yes, that’s right, we watched on the patio because Rafferty’s has a new, large, flat screen television visible from the tables on the right side of the patio.

We ordered drinks to quench our thirst and calm ourselves after a hard-fought match, and opted for supreme nachos – a sports bar favorite.

Everything seemed to come in twos. We had to beg for two minutes to sit on the patio, because we arrived just minutes after it closed at 9 p.m. Sunday evening. Then we were blessed with two servers who promptly served us our drinks and our appetizers in record time. Frankly I think they were working as a team to get us out the door as quickly as possible, but we could have moved into the bar that was open until 1 a.m. This made it feel like Rafferty’s is primarily a sports bar.

The drinks my dining companions ordered, however, were that of a fine restaurant – an effective balance of mixes to alcohol. Even the glitches came in twos, when the second Manhattan came with a lime instead of a cherry and the lime for my Corona arrived on a plate when I was halfway finished with my beer. Better late than never, I guess.

Served with my Mexican beer was a Rafferty’s-created new twist on an old Mexican favorite. The nachos, instead of being served on a long plate, came as a tower in a bowl with tortilla chips on the bottom, smothered and stacked (and I mean smothered) with refried beans, meaty chili, sausage, a combination of cheeses, tomatoes, sour cream, lettuce and jalapeno peppers.

I was able to get a little bit of each ingredient on practically every tortilla chip I ate. Yes, this was definitely a sports bar to beat all sports bars.

A few days later I was trying to think of somewhere to get a light meal – preferably fish – when Rafferty’s came to mind again. I didn’t choose to eat on the patio, mainly because it was too hot. The service was slower, but not inattentive – just a comfortable pace. The dining room was clean and well-lit. I’ve noticed this Rafferty’s always seems to me to be more crisp, clean, open and inviting than some of the other Rafferty’s I’ve visited in the state. Maybe it’s because the chain originated here in Bowling Green and the employee-owned company takes pride in that fact.

I ordered salmon, which is served grilled after being brushed with olive oil, or blackened. I choose blackened. Blackened is a combination of powdered seasonings that can include garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, crushed red pepper, basil, cumin, oregano, thyme, etc. The blackened seasoning was like a rub that completely coated both sides of the fish. Rafferty’s blackened seasoning was not spicy, as many can be, but offered a crust-like, seasoning-filled taste with every bite. It was deep, rich and smoky on the outside, moist, tender and fresh on the inside – just like fine dining.

My meal was served with a dinner salad. This was one of the best dinner salads in town. It included bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, carrots and small slices of tortilla chips. The salad dressing choices are like that of a fine restaurant and I chose the sweet orange. The sweetness and zest of orange were flavorful, but the texture thick. It was more like a whipped cream dip than a salad dressing, so I didn’t pour it on, but scooped it over the salad. It was served with Rafferty’s well-known croissant.

I had my choice of one side item, and choose the stuffed tomato. This was a great complement to the fish and a hint of basil in the bread-crumb dressing complimented the hint of basil in the blackened seasoning. Sounds like fine dining, doesn’t it?

I said I would reach a conclusion and I have. The name says it and it is true – it is both. To elaborate, though, I think Rafferty’s is a tale of not just two possible experiences – but many. You can visit in tennis attire, order appetizers and enjoy the sports bar atmosphere, or dress up for that special occasion and enjoy fine dining. And if that isn’t enough, for part of the year, you can sit on the patio and enjoy the afternoon sun or a meal under the stars.

Rafferty’s

1939 Scottsville Road

842-0123

Hours: Dining: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Bar: Appetizers only until 1 a.m. every night

Specialties: Salads, steaks, seafood, sports bar

Cuisine: American

Price range for dinner: $8.99 to $19.99

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: Patio and bar only