Santé! Bon Appetit! The Finest Dining on the Queen Mary 2 !

Even if you’ve never been on a cruise ship, you probably know the tales of limitless buffets and great dining experiences from champagne brunch to Wagu beef entrees. Aboard the QM2, they take it to the absolute limit of the gastronomical stratosphere. So, for all you foodies out there, here’s the best of the best I enjoyed on my recent voyage on the world’s only ocean liner—in the Queen’s Grill dining room—the poshest of the posh.

Let’s start with breakfast!

A single eggs Benedict gets the job done beautifully.

An omelette to order–make mine tomato, spinach and Swiss cheese with multigrain toast.

Soft-scrambled eggs on toast rounds with American bacon. Creamy!

Knowing I was going to sleep in beyond breakfast hours I ordered continental breakfast in my suite. With a full pot of coffee to kick-start my day after late-night frolicking.

A mid-morning pick-me-up on a sea day following our northward course.

Latte with shaved chocolate at Sir Samuel’s, the chocolate bar.

Godiva chocolates,anyone?

It’s lunch time! Though not every day…keeping an eye on my waistline! I typically get an appetizer and salad or soup. Just right.

Chinese spring rolls with sweet chili and Asian slaw.

Creamy tomato soup to die for.

Crispy prosciutto and melon salad with herb dressing. One of the very best!

Apple and Gorgonzola salad with chicory and pecan nuts.

Vegetarian pad Thai with cashew nuts.

Cucumber panna cotta with citrus-cured salmon.

Happy hour at the Grills Lounge before dinner. A glass of Merlot and…

and tasty appetizers, including chicken satay and (already gulped) a tender wee meatball in tomato sauce.

And, by 7 or 7:30 p.m., it’s dinner time! (But only after a swim and walking nigh on four miles!) Once again, I go for two appetizers, and skip the entree, with dessert every other night.

And dinner begins with an “avant-goût” or “little taste.”

Salmon mouuse.

Prosciutto-melon wrap

Chèvre atop cuccumber topped with Greek olive.

Of course, wine with dinner, too! A glass will do.

I hadn’t had a Sancerre in eons, but it became my go-to glass of wine, with one exception.

Ahhhhhhh, a rare, rare indulgence: a single glass ($27) for a St. Emillion–heavenly

Always served by Nikola, our Queens Grill soommlier from Serbia. (Seated is my new friend and dinner companion Jo Robinson; not shown her equally delightful husband Nick, both from the UK.)

And now for the main course…which for me was often another appetizer or a half-portion of the day’s entree offerings.

Chickpea Dumplings with Curried Tomato Sauce

Lobster Ravioli

Sweet Onion and Goat Cheese Tart with Piperade of Vegetables

London Cured Salmon

And a few times I added dessert as a special treat.

Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Molten Volcano Chocolate Cake

Pears Flambe, with Chocolate Ice Cream–a Special Request–which they did for me twice!

Ahhhhhh! Pears Flambe!

And again: Pears Flambe!

White Chocolate Mousse with Creme Anglaise

Even if you skip dessert, there’s always a tiered tray of Godiva chocolates to help you finish your wine!

The happy diner!

And after dinner into the wee hours, there’s always a beverage to be had at one of the many bars. Here’s the bar staff of the Commodore Club shaking it up!