This meatloaf is making me thirsty.

I met my friend Marianne for dinner at Besaw's last week. I picked that particular restaurant because they were participating in the Tap Project and I wanted to pitch in. Also, I heard good things about it - mostly that it had been around a long time and that they have a killer breakfast.

The waiter was super friendly when we sat down - He was very enthusiastic about the food - "Oh my gosh - you'll love this... or that..." I love that in a waiter. It's very endearing and makes me really want to order one of everything.

We started out with the warm beet salad with goat cheese. So tangy. So warm. So red. There was plenty for both of us to share and then some.

I knew what I wanted. I've always been a meat and potatoes kind of girl. And anything with mashed potatoes usually pulls me in. Besaw's was no exception. I ordered the meatloaf, with bacon gravy, collard greens and mashed potatoes. Marianne ordered the roasted pork loin with brussel sprouts in a maple reduction. We agreed that we would share our food, so that we would each get to taste both of them.

The problem is, once I got my meatloaf and started eating it, there was no going back. The pork loin was nice and all, but it didn't have gravy. Or potatoes. It was in fact, a bit dry. And pork and brussel sprouts, well, they just don't compare! We traded for about 1 minute and we both decided that we liked our own dinners the best. Thank heavens. I missed that meatloaf the minute it left my hands. It was tender and flavored well - crispy bacon popping up to say hello every now and again, simply delightful.

The meatloaf was a tad salty. Usually a restaurant errs on the side of not enough salt, so I was a little surprised. It wasn't too salty to eat, but it was noticable and with each bite I heard my tongue say in a weak little voice: "water... please..." I drank a lot of water that night. Good thing! Because I was paying for my tap water that night for the Tap Project!

All in all, it was lovely - the service was great, the waiter was adorable and friendly and the food was packed with flavor. I'd go back. Definitely.