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Delicious, hearty fare and country style at Bowling Green's Cafe on Main Street Date published: 7/23/2009
Linda Salisbury
for the free lance-star Historic Bowling Green has an active downtown area filled with shops, businesses and good local restaurants. One is the Cafe on Main Street, complete with red-and-white-check vinyl tablecloths, festive farm (lots of chicken art) decorations--and hearty blue plate specials that woo hungry families on a budget. My Dining Partner and I visited the cafe with friends (retired farmers) and were immediately impressed by white boards lining one wall that listed more menu options than a Chinese restaurant features. Those were just the specials and daily offerings. The printed menu had more. Our server, Gloria, provided the right amount of hometown warmth and fun. We started with fried green tomatoes ($5.95) and fried corn nuggets ($1.95), and our friends added fried okra ($1.95) to the mix. The delicious vegetables were served with dipping sauces--one apricot ginger, the other a smoky chipotle. We couldn't decide which we preferred. The batter was delicate and the veggies were piping hot. The corn nuggets were a hit: a cluster of sweet corn kernels in a batter that was so good I ordered them again as a side to my meat loaf ($8.95). I declined the gravy because I like meat loaf with ketchup, and added homemade potato salad as my second side. The thick slab of meat loaf had homemade texture. MDP ordered a 16-ounce porterhouse steak ($15.95) with coleslaw and squash and zucchini, and it came with green beans and redskin potatoes. We think his request for rare was confused with our friend's order of medium-rare N.Y. strip with bacon-wrapped scallops ($16.95). Both steaks were tender, however. Our other friend ordered the farmer's special: baked Virginia ham ($9.95), sweet corn on the cob and a variety of vegetables and corn muffins. While we ate, we marveled at how the cafe was filling up within an hour of closing. The owner told us that this often happens and she won't turn last-minute diners away. From where I was sitting, I was facing a large homemade raspberry cake with white frosting covered with a glass dome on the counter. I knew I would have to have a piece ($3.95). The slice revealed a berry-pink interior, almost like a red velvet cake, sweet and moist. The frosting was cream cheese, one of my favorites because it it's not overly sweet. MDP selected the chocolate lava cake, a syrup-filled mound covered with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream ($4.95). Luscious! One friend ordered apple pie à la mode, and the other an ice cream sundae. All were enjoyable. The Cafe on Main was worth the drive for hearty, filling food and friendly service. Linda Salisbury is the author of an award-winning adventure series for kids.
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 7/23/2009
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