Obama's night out in Paris
by Lupin
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Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 04:57:24 AM PDT
Our local rag, here, in the South of France, LA DEPECHE DU MIDI, was proud that the restaurant chosen by the Obamas for their dinner in Paris, LA FONTAINE DE MARS, belongs to a "local son" (from Tarbes), Jacques Boudon, and his wife Christiane Landes (also from Tarbes), who've owned and operated it for 17 years.
LA DEPECHE interviewed the owners today. This is
a link to the original article in French (with photo) but I'm providing a summary with translated excerpts below for the language-impaired :-)
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According to the interview, the US Embassy called to reserve two private salons, but the owner had no clue that it might be for the President and his family. They only found out on Saturday morning when the Secret Service came to inspect the restaurant.
The Obamas dined with two friends, an American woman writer who lives in Paris and her unidentified guest. One of the salons was used by the President and his guests; the other by the Secret Service. They arrived and left through the service entrance, while the immediate neighborhood was patrolled by the local police.
The Owner said:
"Mr. Obama and his guests behaved like ordinary customers and ordered dishes à la carte. Barack Obama insisted to eat in a relaxed atmosphere. He did not want any protocol. [The Owner greeted the President] in French, as he'd asked, and he answered in French."
The President ordered a leg of lamb and "ile flottante" for dessert (meringue, vanilla cream sauce, caramel). Mrs Obama and the children had steaks and creme brûlee.
The table ordered a bottle of Sancerre, although the President doesn't drink wine. As is typically the case, the Owner had himself photographed with Obama, and hopes to frame and display the photo in the restaurant. He added:
"Mr. Obama was delighted. His guest said to me, in French, that he had spent an excellent evening and that he had enjoyed the food. Since then, the Fountain of Mars has been getting emails from all corners of the world. We were already fully booked every night before. That [kind of attention] won't be easy to manage."
Interestingly, the President uses a food taster. A member of the Secret Service sat in the kitchen and tasted every dish before it was served to the President. (The article doesn't mention tasting Mrs. Obama's dishes?) A waiter said:
"For the cooks, it was not very pleasant. But in fact, he [the Agent] turned out to be very relaxed/laid back, and therefore it went very well."
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