Friday, May 8, 2009

Michelle got her burger on, too

First the President, now the First Lady.

Is there a burger competition afoot in the White House?

First Lady Michelle Obama and about 20 members of her staff slipped out of the Executive Mansion at lunch time on Friday for some burgers and fries at Good Stuff Eatery, a restaurant near Capitol Hill.

The visit came only a few days after President Obama went out for a burger with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Va., which prides itself on premium aged 10-ounce burgers.

No word yet on whether one visit inspired the other.

“It totally caught us by surprise,’’ said Micheline Mendelsohn, who is the sister of the chef, Spike Mendelsohn, and handles communications for the restaurant, which specializes in burgers. (They serve beef, turkey and chicken burgers, for those who are curious.)

The restaurant’s staff served the first lady and her aides several of their best burgers, including the Prez Obama burger, which comes with horseradish mayo, red onion marmalade, crumbled blue cheese and bacon. (No word on whether the first lady shares her husband’s taste for spicy or dijon mustard on her burgers.)

They also dined on fries and milk shakes.

Ms. Mendelsohn said that customers were delighted to see Mrs. Obama, who shook hands and stopped to say hello on her way out. A crowd gathered outside the restaurant to snap her photo and to cheer her on.

“They were shouting, “I love you,’’ Ms. Mendelsohn said.

Mr. Mendelsohn – of Top Chef fame — is no stranger to the White House. He was cooking it up at the Kids Kitchen – a child-friendly cooking demonstration that featured healthy foods such as turkey burgers — at the White House Easter Egg roll last month.

Oh, yeah, Top Chef is one of my favorite shows.

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