Well, we're in New York! I've adjusted to spending a bit of time here. Hopefully, we'll be getting on a plane for Rome on Tuesday. X your fingers, please.

Dinner at Balthazar was fantastic. The hostess and waitress were all smiles and they enjoyed our dramatic telling of our travails and treated us with extra kindness.

The table of course was small, which made for a perfect mood as we wanted to be cozy. The folks at the next table were all young restauranteurs, so they were appreciative of the food, fun and noisy, but still not obnoxious.

Oh, and the food. I started with grilled squid, which really hit the spot. I prefer the little leggy pieces but all were tender and smoky with arugula and roasted potatoes. Ira started with brandade de morue, a garlicky smooth cod concoction that went down smoothly.

For the mains, I had a terrific branzino with fennel, charred skin blending with the tender fish perfectly. Ira had the bar steak and fries, which—frankly— was mediocre. The fries, of course, were first rate. Ira had wanted to try the bouillabaise, which was perfuming our table from next door, but they had just run out.

Desserts were marvelous. Ira had a deep chocolate pot de creme, strong and forceful the way he likes it. I had a banana tart, with a seared top and creamy pudding inside.

This was an ideal way to get over our disappointment at not winging our way to Venice. Just a quick 3-block walk home and sleep.