Best Meal of 2009

For the record -- the best meal I ever ate in my life happened in 2009. It was my first time at the Paducah, Ky. Quilt Show (American Quilt Society) -- and I went with my friend, Rhonda Pierce.


You really learn something about people when you travel with them. And -- thanks to Rhonda's great sense of adventure -- we discovered Patti's.


Altho, thousands of other quilt enthusiasts discovered it long before we did. Which meant a two hour wait. ugh. But neither one of us gives up easy....and, believe me -- IT WAS WELL WORTH IT. And the outside grounds are beautiful. There's a gazebo, and shops, beautiful flowers. Really amazing. And so unexpected -- in the middle of nowhere -- they feed hundreds of people every single night! Especially during the famous Paducah Quilt Show.


The pork chop dinner was so incredible -- and the company was so interesting (we sat with two women we met in the waiting line!).


We went BACK THE NEXT NIGHT. Oh, yeah -- even though it's 30 miles out of town. And we knew there would be a long line. That night, we took two friends with us. Nancy Zieman and Kaye Wood. Nancy was exhausted from a long day of teaching -- and she kept saying (from the back seat) -- "how far is this place?"


Turns out, Kaye is a longtime fan of Patti's. She has eaten there every year for over 20 years. (We figured it out when she ordered her pork chop dinner without even opening the menu.)

I asked, "do you get the same thing every year?" Kaye replied, "Rita -- I eat the same thing every time I come here. This is my third night in a row..."