The old myth that Bowling Green has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States turns out not to have any basis in fact. Kentucky, according to the National Restaurant Association, ranks 50th among states and the District of Columbia, and they don’t compile city-by-city statistics. We do, however, have a great selection of places to eat.

Diners can choose from dozens of locally owned eateries, ranging from chop houses like Wha-Bah to great barbecue restaurants too numerous to list, to a slew of Bosnian-Italian eateries, to American pub-style food.

Sure, Bowling Green cannot match the variety of New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta or Washington, D.C. We don’t need to. There is no questioning that this town has a pretty good restaurant scene, although there is room for improvement. So what follows is less a “restaurant review” than it is an entirely subjective description of restaurant “types” that would probably thrive in our town, and would add a great deal to our restaurant culture.

In 1994, Hops Grill and Bar opened on Scottsville Road, serving American pub-style food (think slightly upscale Cheddar’s or T.G.I. Fridays) and an uneven selection of beer until an outbreak of hepatitis A forced its closure. Since then, Bowling Green has been without a brewpub. As the local homebrewing club and the selections at Greenwood Spirits and Chuck’s attest, there is a pretty sophisticated group of beer drinkers in town who would support a small brewpub.

There are good examples nearby and nationally for the kind of brewpub/beer bar that could do well here. North, in Louisville, Browning’s Brewery sits near Slugger Field and serves excellent beer brewed on-site. Of more importance, the menu is good enough to bring people in for something besides the beer. They serve four different burgers – my favorite was the Portobello and Swiss. The cooks make the batter for the fish and chips using their own beer, resulting in a light, crispy, tasty strip of fish. For beer drinkers, the menu has Browning’s own lagers and ales, and beers ranging from the everyday Bud Light to the more exotic Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale.

South, in Nashville, Blackstone’s serves similar food and beer produced on-site. Brewers there have won national recognition for some of the styles. As with Browning’s, the cooks use their own beer in some dishes. They are well-known for their excellent menu – the grilled salmon and the steaks are very good, and their Yellowfin Tuna Sandwich is first-rate. Unlike Browning’s, Blackstone’s only serves their own beer.

“Upscale pub food” is a common menu theme for brewpubs, and I think a restaurant like that would thrive in Bowling Green’s tough environment. The menu speaks to local palates, and the wide range of beers (think a brewpub version of Double Dogs) would bring in people with a variety of taste buds.

With the merciful exit of Froggy’s at 13th Avenue and College Street, Bowling Green, and Western Kentucky University lost the only pizza joint close to campus. The food there was horrible, but every college town should have some kind of a sandwich joint near campus. It should, preferably, be the kind of place where students can carve their initials in the tables, and where the health inspector passes by with a knowing, slightly sad shake of the head. The menu should feature cheap, sloppy overstuffed sandwiches, pizza and greasy burgers and fries. All that isn’t a negative. The food at the best of these places is so good that nonstudent locals flock in. The beer is cheap, and usually comes in bottles served by the bucket.

A restaurant called The Chimes in Baton Rouge, La., just off the campus of Louisiana State University, serves some of the best po’boys in the world. Baltimore Avenue, near the University of Maryland, has a number of run-down joints near campus that serve good food. “The Hill,” bordering the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, has cheap food and beer. The walkup pizzeria Abo’s there sells cheap slices to passers-by. The Cellar in Blacksburg, Va., across the street from Virginia Tech’s campus, is renowned for its dozen or so sub sandwiches. The beer menu features local and national brands, and students and locals pack the place.

What binds this style of eatery, aside from the nature of the food, is that these businesses provide a place just off-campus for students to grab a bite to eat and blow off some steam. They also have the kind of character that students will remember for years after they graduate. What’s most important is these are places where locals will eat.

These are two subjective examples of the kinds of restaurants Bowling Green might be able to support. If readers have other ideas, feel free to express them. As this town’s population grows, and the number of restaurants expands along with it, we can look forward to a variety of new places. Hopefully, the choices will be as diverse as our population.

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Andy Dennis at 783-3262 or at adennis@bgdailynews.com.