The First "Foodies": Michelle and Barack love to eat out

Very entertaining (and mouthwatering) piece from Sandra McElwaine at The Daily Beast on the Michelle and Barack Obama's penchant for eating out:

Since moving into the White House four months ago Michelle and Barack Obama have made one thing crystal clear: they have no intention of staying home. Not even in those luxurious digs. As devotees of good food and fine wine they have decided to shake up the conventional Washington scene by stepping out, having fun—going out on the town. And not to traditional boring embassy functions or the well-appointed homes of desperate hostesses either. The Obamas are genuinely enjoying city life, corralling friends for impromptu forays at an eclectic mix of DC restaurants—cutting a wide swath from downtown to the Capitol and DuPont Circle, to Georgetown and even Arlington, Virginia—leaving a gaggle of star struck proprietors and fellow diners in their glossy wake. (Quite unlike the Bushes, who preferred to hunker down with Tex-Mex inside the confines of 1600 Pa. Ave.) …

[At pricey high-end restaurant Citronelle] Michelle and the President indulged in straight-up martinis garnished with olives and soft-shell crab tempura. When Michelle requested a lobster burger not on the menu, chef Richard quickly obliged: “It was impossible to refuse the queen of this country,” he explained. The Commander in Chief opted for 72-hour-aged beef and a single fry. Both ended their meal with crème brûlée left a 20 percent tip, then headed home for that romantic hand-in-hand stroll around the White House grounds. . . .

Michelle is also a spur of the moment fast-foodie. She says she likes to sneak out of the White House with the girls and swing over to DuPont Circle, causing temporary gridlock, for a Five Guys burger. Another quick Michelle-stop: Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill, where she recently sat upstairs in front a large TV screen and chowed down on an assortment of gourmet burgers with a dozen members of her staff. “It was her idea,” said her press secretary Katie McCormick Lelyveld. ”Sometimes you just need a burger.”