My Lunch at the White House

When I told you about my visit to the White House, I left out one little detail: our lunch in the Navy Mess Hall, the West Wing’s Private dining room.  Kind of ironic, seeing as this is a food blog.  I suppose I owe you an exclusive review.

Since the late 1800’s, Navy Stewards have been utilized to provide food service to the President of the United States.  The White House Mess was established in 1951, and continues to be operated by Naval officers.  The menu is fairly short and simple, and believe it or not the calorie count was not Mrs. Obama’s doing – it dates back to the Clinton Administration, when the White House Mess revamped the menu to offer more healthy options.

You won’t forget where you’re dining… even the butter has the White House seal!

I finally know what Chuck Todd is talking about when he announces the White House soup of the day.  When we visited, it was a very tasty Tomato Basil.

I went with a basic turkey club (the Grant Park) with a very generous serving of fruit salad.  They must want to keep POTUS’ top advisors healthy!

Courtney ordered the crab cake, a great choice.

And for dessert, we had Freedom.

Or so they call this warm chocolate melting cake served with vanilla ice cream in a cone bowl and drizzled with chocolate and caramel.  How can you pass up a dessert called freedom?

The only thing missing from our meal?  A pint of the White House brew.

Johanna