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Obamas noshing their way around the Beltway
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Obamas noshing their way around the Beltway
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| Photo | Michael T. Regan |
| " ... and a double cheeseburger in the hand of every man, woman and child ... " |
Great Daily Beast piece this past weekend from Sandra McElwaine, who examines Barack and Michelle Obama's influence on D.C. dining. It's no secret that the President and the First Lady are, ahem, "foodies" (check Barry on Check, Please!) � but you should note that they've made it a point to ditch the fully kitchen-staffed White House and grace all manner of local spots, from high-end eateries to everyman lunch joints:
Whether out for date night or lunch with chums, the restaurant-hopping first couple exude a heady sense of glamour and excitement. Every maitre'd and restaurateur is hoping for a drop-by: After all, the Obama food chain means big bucks. Take Michel Richard�s award-winning but pricey Citronelle in Georgetown (dinner for two with wine can hover around $300). It was packed when it opened 15 years ago, but had recently become somewhat lackluster in both food and service. You could walk in and get a last-minute reservation on almost any evening�that is, until the Obamas arrived a few weeks ago. Now for weekends, reservations are required eight weeks in advance; for weeknights, better book one to two weeks ahead.
[snip]
The decidedly cheaper and more low-key Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia, is still another eatery to attain star status thanks to Obama [...] Things have changed since the president stood in that line to order a basic cheddar cheeseburger medium-well, with lettuce and tomato and then asked for fries and Dijon mustard. Neither were available. Now there is a sign inside warning, "due to media exposure, the wait may be a little longer than normal." Count on 20-30 minutes at lunch time on weekdays. As for weekends, who knows?
Obama recently caused yet another griddle-centric stir when he dropped in for some burgers at a Washington Five Guys while filming an NBC segment. (Clip after the jump.)
Should all this be interpreted we eat out a little more often to fatten up our asses the emaciated economy? I am in.
Well i certainly hope they'll make their way to Zaytinya for some Jose Andres style tapas! That place was delicious. And they probably won't have to wait an hour for a table like the rest of us common-folk.
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