We lucked out this time in New York, because the weather was fantastic. It was a bit chilly, just perfect for a sweater. But the gorgeous sunshine enabled us to walk, which is what one has to do in NYC.

After a lovely morning of shopping, we visited our "grand-dog" in Brooklyn, since he lives there now. Our son, Matt, had gone sailing with a group of friends. Rather than miss a chance to see Mr. Cooper, we trekked over to Brooklyn and then took a lovely walk through the Williamsburg area with the dog.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were pretty hungry. Fortunately, the Four Seasons came to the rescue again. On our last visit to the Four Seasons, the concierge had recommended a great place in the Bowery, Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria. They had scored us seats at the chef's table, and we had a wonderful time. So since we were going to meet Matt's girlfriend for the first time, we decided that this would be a great place to rendezvous. And fortunately, the Four Seasons' concierge was able to get us a table at a very reasonable time, even though there is a 3-month waiting list for the restaurant.

Il Buco is a great spot to have a dinner with super food but a more casual atmosphere. The front of the space is a store where they sell meats, cheeses, breads, and gelato. The back is the restaurant, which also has an upstairs. Long wooden tables enable people to sit family style, lots of great scents emanate from the kitchen, and wine flows.

Since Ernie and I arrived first, we got a table, and we ordered a tray of salumi along with a couple glasses of Saetti Lambrusco 2012. Our Italian friends always laugh at us, but we really like Lambrusco. Especially with mortadella, pancetta, finocchiona, and the like. The saltiness of the meats goes so well with the sparkling red wine. And no, good Lambrusco is NOT sicky-sweet. It is fairly dry with a great sparkling bite. On a warm day, it is fantastic. And it is a great ice-breaker when meeting someone.

Matt and his girlfriend, Chelsea, arrived. She is very nice, so we felt comfortable immediately. We snacked on the salumi (and added crispy artichokes) while they told us about their sailing trip up and down the Hudson River (where it was much more chilly than walking in the city!). Il Buco has a very nice wine list; we ordered a Marina Cvetic' Trebbiano d'Abruzzo "Masciarelli" 2009. This is a beautiful ruby-red wine - lots of fruit, lots of spice. It's a medium bodied wine, soft tannins. And this wine called for red meats or earthy pasta.

Matt and Chelsea each ordered a great pasta dish, Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, which is flavored with pecorino romano and, of course per the name, black pepper. Ernie and I enjoyed a great Roasted Short Ribs dish that is perfect for sharing. The ribs are fall-off-the-bone perfect, and they are seasoned beautifully to compliment the olives, walnuts, celery and horseradish that accompany the meat. Both sets of dishes went great with the wine, bringing out the spiciness.

We had a great conversation, talking about family, living in NY, job aspirations, and that type of thing. Another party along the table ordered dessert - and of course, we followed suit. A sampler of various ice creams and sorbets - a perfect end to a lovely dinner.