The Family That Eats Burgers Together, Stays Together

Someone in the White House obviously had a hankering for an Obama burger.

First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, stepped out of the Executive Mansion on Thursday for a hearty lunch of burgers, fries, onion rings and milkshakes at Good Stuff Eatery, a restaurant near Capitol Hill. It was Mrs. Obama’s second trip to the restaurant – she dined there in May — and a first for her girls.

The restaurant, which specializes in burgers, served the first family cheeseburgers and its President Obama burger, which comes with horseradish mayo, red onion marmalade, crumbled blue cheese and bacon. (Several members of Mrs. Obama’s staff also joined the Obamas for lunch.)

They also sipped milkshakes – including vanilla, chocolate, toasted marshmallow and the decadent Milky Way malt (with butterscotch, hot fudge, malt balls, custard and whipped cream).

Startled patrons snapped photos and called friends to report the news and the first lady shook hands on her way out, said Felice Robinson, the restaurant’s administrative coordinator.

“It’s really nice to see the girls,’’ said Ms. Robinson, who described the Obama girls as “very well-mannered.” “People are really enchanted by having such young children in the White House.’’

The restaurant’s chef, Spike Mendelsohn, of Top Chef fame, cooked turkey burgers during a child-friendly cooking demonstration at the White House Easter Egg roll in April. He said he was honored to have the first lady as a repeat customer. “I’m part of the family now, what can I say?” he joked.

More here.

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Obama Restaurant Watch

Seems that [F]irst lady Michelle Obama, is not sitting at home twiddling her thumbs, either.

A frequent diner at local hot spots, the missus was spotted downtown at Oyamel, an upscale Mexican restaurant, where she was breaking bread with White House sous chef Sam Kass.

Our loyal spy tells us "the Secret Service manning the front door (and frisking entering customers) were attracting a crowd, and passers-by were trying to get a glimpse through the window. She ate in the private dining room in the back."

Oyamel's good.

I'd have the table-made guac and the v cheap seared scallops with a pasilla chile and pumpkin seed sauce, orange segments, pumpkin seed oil and toasted pumpkin seeds and several St. George absinthe with Sauza blanco tequila, Chichicapa mezcal and fresh pineapple juice. And I don't even like pineapple juice.

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Obama Restaurant Watch -- Michelle And The Girls Edition

The Obamas like to eat out wherever they are.

On Monday, the Obamas startled and delighted the staff of The Audley pub in the Mayfair district across from the U.S. Embassy.

The Obamas made reservations for 25 people, although restaurant employees did not know in advance that the large party included the first family.

"We were all speechless when they walked in. I couldn't believe it," said Cintia Pinto, 24, one of the waitresses who served the Obamas.


The group arrived at 7 p.m. and was seated in a private dining room on an upper floor of the pub.

"They were all very friendly. Smiling and laughing. . . . the girls were so sweet and polite. They thanked us every time we brought them something. It was a real honor," said Pinto.

Michelle Obama ordered a sirloin steak while the girls both ordered a traditional pub meal of fish and chips, confirmed a restaurant representative.

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Obamafoodorama has more.

Obama Restaurant Watch

Michelle has been eating at Five Guys.


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You Go, Lady

Just keep on doing that for 4 years, glorious Demeter, and the world will be a different place. Thank you, Mother of Daughters.

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Obama Restaurant Watch

Looks as if the Obamas will soon have yet another reason to eat at home. Michelle Obama, who's been doing great work promoting local, sustainable produce, has decided to have a garden at the WH. Landscape Guy has been working on this project and I can't wait to congratulate him tomorrow.

The Obamas will feed their love of Mexican food with cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil. A White House carpenter who is a beekeeper will tend two hives for honey.

. . .

The plots will be in raised beds fertilized with White House compost, crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. Ladybugs and praying mantises will help control harmful bugs.

Cristeta Comerford, the White House’s executive chef, is eager to plan menus around the garden, and Bill Yosses, the pastry chef, is looking forward to berry season

Sam Kass, an assistant White House chef who prepared healthful meals for the Obama family in Chicago and is an advocate of local food, will oversee the garden. The White House grounds crew and kitchen staff will do most of the work, but other White House staff members have volunteered.

“First of all,” Mrs. Obama said, “there’s nothing really cooler than coming to the White House and harvesting some of the vegetables and being in the kitchen with Cris and Sam and Bill, and cutting and cooking and actually experiencing the joys of your work.”

Mrs. Obama, who said that she never had a vegetable garden before, said the idea for it came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet. Eating out three times a week, ordering a pizza, having a sandwich for dinner took it’s toll. The children’s pediatrician told her she needed to be thinking about nutrition.

And huzzah to the pediatrician who helped to inspire this!

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Obama Restaurant Watch

Dear Mr. Obama,

Maybe this weekend, you can take Michelle and your two lovely daughters to Kramer's Books & Afterwords. It's a DC institution. You can buy some books and, then, have Obama Family Chili for just $12. At Kramer's, they make it from Café ground beef shoulder, onion, pepper & red beans, cumin, oregano, turmeric, basil, chili powder, and tomato; topped w/cheddar, red onion, scallion, sweet peppers & sour cream. Kramer's serves it with seasonal green salad w/apple, onion & walnuts.

I was there today for lunch and had the Narragansett Baked ½ Lobster w/ crabmeat, brushed w/sweet butter & fired under the broiler, w/Café mac & cheese, corn & lima bean succotash; grilled fresh asparagus. You can walk next door to Marvelous Market for v good brownies for dessert.

Come on. You live here. Take the girls out to eat and buy books here.

More on the Obamas' trips to various restaurants in DC here.

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Obama Restaurant Watch

Dear President Obama:

You've been spending some time this week out West, which is really smart politically and, heck, at a time when America needs to change and flow and experience some optimism for a change, it makes sense magically, as well. And it only makes sense to go to an old-home favorite restaurant for a holiday like Valentine's Day. Course, Denver decided to push back it's Restaurant Week rather than compete with your appearance there to sign the economic stimulus package (May Ganesh and Green Tara make it work!) But, by all accounts, the city was delighted to have you.

Here in DC, we're used to presidents and we're not pushing back our Restaurant Week, which started on February 16th and runs through February 22nd.

Hopefully, you and the First Lady will be able to have dinner (or even lunch) out a few times during DC's Restaurant Week. You can try some great food at some economic prices and boost the economy of DC all at once. A three-course lunch will set the WH budget back a mere $20.09 and a three-course dinner comes in at an economically stimulating $30.09

I'm a big fan of Acadiana Restaurant, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 408-8848,

Bistro Francais, 3124-28 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007, (202) 338-3830,

Napoleon Bistro1847 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009 , (202) 299-9630 (have the frittes),

and La Chaumiere, 2813 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007, (202) 338-1784 (which is perfect for a cold, February night),

but there are tons of choices on the list.

Come on, you're here for 8 years (Goddess grant), may as well settle in.

PIcture found here.

Obama Restaurant Watch

My New Name For A Blog

Damn. I loved those gloves.