Unauthorized

Of course, like many Americans, I was stuck in France for several extra days, waiting for American air space to reopen and then for the backlog to get unclogged so that I could fly home. It could have been worse. I could have been stuck in Newfoundland, as I learned many other American and world travelers were when air space in the country was shut down. Actually, I spent most of the days working in my hotel room, taking long walks, and then having just one meal (unusual for me) at a favorite restaurant. Remarkable meals at La Régalade, the great bistro that was brought to my attention by my colleague, Pierre-Antoine Rovani, L'Ami Louis (of course, my favorite restaurant in the world other than Daniel in New York), and Pré Catelan in the Bois de Bologne were the three meals that stood out while I was in Paris. The best wines, admittedly drunk under duress, were a fabulous magnum of 1998 Chapoutier White Hermitage Cuvée L'Orée, terrific bottles of 1990 Montrose and 1982 Léoville-Poyferré, and sensational bottles of the 1990 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Mouline and 1990 Côte Rôtie La Turque.