The Best Meal I’ve Ever Had

I was telling Michael and Larry the details on my cruise, and I was bummed to report that the food on the cruise wasn't very good, like I expected it to be.

They have both been on cruises before and told me that the food is always amazing, so I of course, had some pretty high expectations.  I love food, anyone that knows me, knows this.  So when the best food item on the cruise is the waffles I had every morning for breakfast, that's not exactly a good thing.  Sure, the waffles were awesome, but I paid all that money for awesome waffles?  Ugh, what a bummer.

After telling the guys this, Larry asked me what the best meal I've ever eaten before was, from appetizer, to main course, side dishes, drink and dessert.  I had to think about it for a little bit, but here's what I came up with:

The greatest appetizer I've ever had:  Calamari A La Mama from Marchetti's restaurant in Cranston, RI.  It is amazing.

The greatest main course I've ever had:  Hands down is the Cotoletta Pazza from Basta, also in Cranston, RI.  (I grew up in RI, can you tell?)  Let me tell you about this meal...first of all, I don't eat red meat, and I especially never eat veal.  I just feel too bad for the little baby cows!  This is my one exception though.  The first time I had this meal, I don't think I realized I was ordering veal.  'Cotoletta Pazza' didn't exactly spell out baby cow to me.  However, it was so unbelievably delicious, that I actually found myself thinking about it days later, wishing I could eat it again.  Basta is one of my favorite restaurants and I order that meal every single time I go, I just can't pass it up.  It's veal, stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese and lobster cream sauce.  It's $37, and I never spend that much on an entree...but for this, it is absolutely worth it.  Now that I'm done drooling over my favorite entree.  It's time for sides.

The best side dishes I've ever had:  grilled vegetables from XO Cafe in Providence.  As I've mentioned before, I am not a big vegetable eater.  I just don't like them.  Well, grilled vegetables came on the side of the meal I ordered at XO Cafe once, and I reluctantly ate them.   They were fantastic!  It's another thing I can't wait to have again the next time I go there.

A second runner up for best side dish to XO Cafe, is ART in Myrtle Beach, SC.  I just found this place last week when I was on vacation, and it was awesome!  They are known for their burgers and sushi, which is typically a weird combination, but for this place, it totally worked.  For a side to my dinner, I ordered mac and cheese (my guilty pleasure) and it was out of this world good.  I'm always on the look-out for great mac and cheese and this place didn't disappoint.

Onto dessert, the best dessert I've ever had.  It's a tough decision here.  I don't always get dessert, and when I do, I'm not always blown away by it.  I guess for this one, I can't exactly pinpoint a place, but I never seem to go wrong with Tiramisu.  That is my favorite dessert for sure.  I don't think I have ever been disappointed when ordering Tiramisu from anywhere.

For a drink, well, I'm not a big drinker, and typically order water, but I don't think I've ever had a mojito that I didn't like!

What about you?  What is your absolute favorite meal ever?