I was delighted when I first spotted the sign for a new restaurant, the Bistro, on a cold, rainy night a few weeks ago. I stopped in and they told me they’d been open a month. It is our policy to wait until a restaurant is open six weeks before we review it, so I waited.

I’m wondering now if excitement coupled with rain was a foreshadowing of things to come. Have you ever had a pleasurable experience, while at the same time feeling that something just wasn’t right? That’s how I felt at the Bistro.

The lobby is colorfully jazzy with painted walls, larger-than-life, gallery-quality artwork and a quaint little lounge to the right. Looking down the corridor at the white tablecloths, open space and social table-hopping made me feel as if a memorable evening was to follow. When I entered, however, the noise was overwhelming. The restaurant wasn’t full yet, but there was a large party in the corner and the noise carried so much that my dining companions and I could not hear each other.

We began with cocktails and wine. The waiter was semi-informed about wines, mainly because the staff had attended a wine class that day, which shows an interest in making sure the customer is satisfied. He quickly offered me a taste of the more expensive of the two pinot noirs they offer by the glass. His choice was to my liking.

We settled in with two appetizers. The goat cheese-filled artichoke hearts were a hit, the baked olives and feta cheese – just not right. The presentation of the latter was odd – random olives in a dish of marinara with a very small amount of feta in the center. It was served with toasted bread for dipping. There wasn’t much to dip except sauce and I didn’t like paying appetizer prices for that. I would have been fine with the bread and dipping sauce that came with the meal: olive oil, herbs and balsamic vinegar with soft bread. It was delicious. The artichoke hearts were eaten quickly. Soft, warmed goat cheese with herbs spooned into halved artichoke hearts have the potential to become a signature dish I’ve never had anywhere else.

The sociable, Casablanca-like atmosphere brought out the who’s who of Bowling Green for a jovial Saturday night out on the town. The noise level grew louder as the meal went on and we literally had to lean in, one at a time, shouting to talk, hoping to be heard. One couldn’t help be uplifted, despite the noise. I was with two people whose company I thoroughly enjoy, glad to be sharing an experimental evening coupled with an environment conducive to new stories, laughter and cuisine.

One of my dining companions chose the special: scallops in white wine with capers and olives. I confess I’m a great lover of olives, so I loved seeing them in dishes throughout the menu. The scallops were delicious. Tender and flavorful, they had soaked up the wine and the capers with olives added a delectable kick.

I ordered the chicken Bolognese because I am also a great lover of prosciutto. Somehow the chef had fused the prosciutto around the tender, boneless chicken breast. Coupled with the white wine sauce, every bite was an epicurean delight.

Another dining companion ordered my favorite comfort food, grilled salmon. Unfortunately there was so little salmon on the plate it was short on comfort and long on confusion. The plate presentation and serving amount was similar to what might be served in an upscale, gourmet establishment; however, served with the other dishes that offered an abundance of food, all three of us noticed the two, very small strips of salmon criss-crossed atop each other and said almost simultaneously, “Is that all you get?”

Another mind-boggling part of our meal was that we were all served the same starch and vegetable of the evening. That night it was cold pasta salad and green beans. I’ve never seen a restaurant do this and it was … you guessed it – just not right. Cold pasta did not complement any of our entrees and the green beans that my dining companions were served were steamed tender; mine were cooked to mush. I don’t know if this was inconsistent cooking or by choice depending on the meal ordered, but my mouth watered over the crisp green beans on the other plates and was not interested in eating in the overcooked beans I was served.

The salad dressings were also inconsistent. My dining companion opted to share the tangy sun-dried tomato that I had ordered and left her signature Greek with feta behind.

The wait staff was attentive and knowledgeable. The meal flowed well without too much chatter or too little attention, which may be the reason the atmosphere felt so relaxed and sociable.

The Bistro also has an enticing variety of pastas that definitely deserve a try, like capellinni Mediterranean with mushrooms, black olives and capers or several pastas with seafood. Reasonable prices make it easy to go back and try the variety of salads and pizzas as well, perhaps for lunch.

I recommend you give the Bistro a try, as long as you prepare yourself for the noise and the duality of some sunshine and some rain. Just like spring.

The Bistro

2341 Russellville Road – No. 106

Lunch Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday

Dinner Hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Specialties: Pastas, entrees, pizza

Price range for dinner: $9 to $24

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: No