After a night of fine Northern Italian cuisine, I found myself back in the trenches of another apparel show, this one was held at the Rihga Royal Hotel.  Once again the hotel rooms and suites were converted over to become showrooms.  The rooms and halls were filled with buyers, merchandise men and salesmen.  The atmosphere at these shows is electric, because everyone knows that there is a finite amount of time to get everything accomplished.  Between actual appointments at certain rooms, you would fill in the “free” time looking in other rooms for new brands and discoveries that you hope, your competition may overlook.

After a full day of “shopping” I looked forward to another evening of dining, even though the dinners were still business, as you were being courted to cement deals and perhaps make a larger purchase then you had originally planned on.  I found myself at the restaurant in The Four Seasons Hotel, another landmark in Manhattan.  These grand hotels almost intimidate you with the fact that you are “a fish out of water,” at least that was the way I felt.  This was a different lifestyle than I was used to, and it truly felt good to be there if only for the moment.  This evening our host handled the menu as well as the selection of wine.  I remember having a wonderful seafood appetizer, a great salad (and I am not a salad person), and a remarkable filet with all sorts of sides.

What I remember the most was the selection of wine.  A wonderful bottle of Vosne-Romanee ’91, and as I have stated periodically I am a huge fan of the red Burgundy wines.  This wine was just perfect with my filet, and that I really did not want to see the end of the meal, or the bottom of the bottle.