Photos by Christy Chaney
Eating is a lifestyle for me. I chase local moments, travel gems, and any trendy bite I can find. My whole family knows the camera eats first. Welcome to Top Five Bites, where we take giant, delicious bites out of life right here in Owensboro, plus anywhere we find ourselves along the way.
Fire Bowl
3600 Frederica Street, Owensboro
The Tonkatsu Ramen with tofu is our favorite, though pork belly, seafood, steak, chicken katsu, and dumplings are all in play. A rich, pork-forward broth becomes the perfect swimming pool for noodles, edamame, microgreens, and a jammy egg. Add those little pillows of fried tofu and you could almost call it health, but delicious is the only label that really matters.
Sunda New Asian
592 12th Ave. South, Nashville
Paper-thin, nearly translucent snapper sashimi floats in bright yuzu juice, delicately topped with cilantro and dry miso. You scoop the fish onto a crispy lotus chip and, for a brief moment, transcend. Soft and crisp, sour and sweet, a multi-layered umami that makes you wish the plate would never end.
Roll Tide BBQ
corner of West 4th Street & Jeff Place
We’re currently fixated on what may be the finest bite of barbecue chicken we’ve ever had. Smoke-kissed and seasoned with confidence, it’s the kind of chicken that lingers in your memory long after the last bite. Watched over by pitmaster Greg Wallace, this is barbecue worth repeating, again and again and again.
La Campirana
724 N. Burkhardt Road, Evansville
Telera bread is slathered with refried beans and mayo, then filled with your choice of protein. Carnitas are our go-to, but don’t sleep on the birria. The sandwich is finished with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and Chihuahua cheese, then pushed over the edge by a salsa bar that lets you choose your own Scoville adventure.
Mangkok Filipino Cuisine
Food truck
Before you even get to the food, the smile in the service window is worth the drive. Order the No. 2 with pork and you’ll get pancit, a traditional Filipino noodle dish tossed with fresh vegetables in a savory sauce. Squeeze the lemon over everything. The noodles are topped with pork on a stick, glazed in a sticky-sweet sauce, and honestly, nothing ever goes wrong when meat is served on a stick.
