3 Stars

3451 4th St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-895-2695

Serving everything in a bowl – or as many menu items as possible – is more than just a restaurant gimmick or an excuse for an endless series of pot-smoking jokes. It's a clear declaration of what St. Pete restaurant Bowled is all about.

You can put anything on a plate, except soup, but a bowl evokes a profound sense of comfort. Hands cupped around an offering. Birds' nests. That Campbell's commercial with the thawing snowman kid. A packed pipe. And although Bowled makes some fine grub, the overall effect is more about good, hearty food at a good price than fine dining from a bowl.

You might not get that feel, though, just from looking at the menu.

This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2009.