The 45-foot long, handmade copper fish hanging from the atrium ceiling is the attention-getter at the new Steamer Seafood restaurant in downtown Bowling Green. But delving into the 12,000-square-foot eatery deeper reveals a boatload of unique features.

Kentucky native and Western Kentucky University alumnus and benefactor Dale Augenstein has owned the Steamer Seafood restaurant in Hilton Head Island, S.C., for 25 years and decided to open one in Bowling Green. The venue he chose was the former location of Mariah’s restaurant built around the historic Mariah Moore House on the corner of Eighth Avenue and State Street, which he purchased early last year.

After working on the project for more than a year, Steamer has had a few services and is now open for dinner at 4 p.m. every day. It will be open this weekend and next weekend for lunch (at 11 a.m.) and dinner before fully opening seven days a week for lunch and dinner starting June 1. 

The renovation of the building took more than a year, although “renovation” may be inadequate to describe the effort.

“It was a total construction project,” Augenstein said. “Ninety days into it, we had a conversation: ‘Should we just tear it down and start over?’ ”

Augenstein decided against that option, but the massive amount of work opened up more possibilities for the space.

“As we began to peel back layers of the building, we saw a lot of opportunities to do even more creative things,” Augenstein said.

The most obvious is the massive copper fish head and skeleton that winds around the atrium ceiling.

Augenstein said the idea came during an early discussion about the building’s design.

“I thought, how cool would it be if when you walked in you saw a huge fish,” Augenstein said.

The fish was built by Bowling Green’s Rustic Nail & Co., which also contributed many of the restaurant’s unique features.

Those features extend throughout the building.

The kitchen is likely among the most high-tech in the country, Augenstein said. A kitchen hood is used to vent heat, smoke, odors and steam from a kitchen. In most restaurant kitchens, the hoods operate continuously. The Steamer hood has electronic sensors that detect where and when a vent needs to be turned on.

The kitchen also features a rarity for a restaurant: “I did something everyone said I shouldn’t do – put white tiles with white grout in the kitchen.” Why? “They know this is a clean kitchen,” he said of customers and staff.

The various dining areas – the restaurant seats 300 currently with plans to add 75 – and common areas feature reclaimed barn wood throughout; a wall near the bathrooms is made of stacked wood 26 feet high; there are displays of shells under glass in the floors; bar seating in a fish marketplace area faces individual steam pots where you can watch your meal being made; the bar in the atrium features individual USB charging ports, small lamps that make the space feel intimate even in the large space and an assortment of 250 bottled beers from around the world; benches are made of centuries-old beams; custom copper lighting fixtures are showcased throughout; and there’s even a light fixture made from an old wooden canoe.

Outdoor seating has been added in the front of the building and in a new second-floor deck. 

The walkway to the front door features crushed seashells imported from Hilton Head.

“From the moment a customer hits the front door, we give them that ocean feel,” Augenstein said.

Steamer has so many high-tech features, there’s an electronics-filled control room hidden away near the kitchen; an iPad is used to control lights, TVs, the sound system and other features.

But history is also showcased at Steamer Seafood.

The old Mariah Moore house, which dates to the early 1800s and is reportedly the oldest house in the city, is preserved in the corner of the massive eatery – the original brick walls and fireplaces have been exposed and a wooden floor installed to help differentiate the space. 

“We wanted to preserve the historical integrity of that space,” he said. 

The fish market is where customers will be able to purchase salads and fresh seafood that is delivered daily. 

“We wanted to add to the dynamic of downtown Bowling Green,” Augenstein said of adding the fish market feature.

The food, meanwhile, is 100 percent made from scratch. “I didn’t want to even put a freezer in here,” Augenstein said. “We offer unique dishes that you would not make at home.” 

A big hit so far has been the loaded gumbo, he said. Other menu items include shrimp and grits, Carolina crab cakes, Frogmore stew, burgers, seafood pastas, crab legs, oysters, fresh fish specials, salads, ribs, steaks and fish tacos. A lunch menu with smaller portions is also featured.

“The reaction has been phenomenal. I could not be happier,” Augenstein said. “At Monday’s dinner service, we had people drive from Hendersonville.” The diners told Augenstein they plan to make a visit to Steamer in Bowling Green a Monday tradition.

“We do think we’ve built a restaurant for not only Bowling Green, but the entire region,” he said.

Augenstein anticipates serving about 1,000 meals a day – or more than 300,000 annually. It has 90 people on staff, including 30 in the kitchen.

The restauranteur has lived in Hilton Head for 29 years, but will now split his time between there and Bowling Green. 

And when he is here, the best place to find Augenstein in the mornings is in the Steamer kitchen personally making the desserts. 

“I don’t sleep a lot,” he said. “But I really enjoy it. It’s truly a passion.” 

— Follow city government reporter Wes Swietek on Twitter @BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.