Date night . . . with a taster!

Not missing a chance to aggravate Nicolas Sarkozy, the Obamas went out to dinner in a very public way.

As you may recall, Sarko’s staff had been trying to arrange for a dinner with the Obamas but got egg on their faces as the Obamas turned them down. The Obamas followed up with another very public event – one of their date nights, this time at La Fontaine de Mars (the fountain of Mars), which by the way, meant that French security in riot gear were paid by the government Obama snubbed. The amount of security for the Obama’s Paris outing (including their stop at the Pompidou, and the restaurant) was considerable, as you can see in this video:

On to dinner:
For the Obamas, date night in Paris

Ah, Paris. The city of love. And the city of this week’s presidential date night.

A week after flying to New York for dinner and a Broadway show, President Barack Obama and first lady, Michelle, dined at a cozy neighborhood bistro just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower.

The president and first lady were in France to join their counterparts from France, Canada and Britain to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of Normandy in World War II that led to victory in Europe.

La Fontaine de Mars dates back to 1908 and specializes in rustic dishes from France’s southwest region of Bordeaux Perigord and the Basque. Foie gras, duck and cassoulet are on the menu, although the White House has not said what the president and first lady chose.

The Obamas shared the restaurant with other diners, and other restaurants on the winding Rue St. Dominique were filled. Police, some in riot gear, lined the street. Crowds pressed behind barriers at the end of the street to glimpse the first couple, and about 100 people gathered there burst into applause as the Obamas left the restaurant. Clusters of people at street corners held up cell phones and cameras to snap pictures.

Apparently there were 20 30 cars in the motorcade. You can bet your fois gras that none of those were PUMAs or Smart Cars.

In case you are picturing a romantic dinner for two à la luer d’une bougie, the meal also was shared by one of their daughters and two other guests, plus Obama’s food taster (who probably had to remain in the kitchen with the help).

Sarko got in a dig

“Do you think our prime concern is what glossy magazine we’ll be pictured in, or what restaurant we’re going to go and spend an evening in, or whether we spend an extra night here or not?”

Sarko may not be; he leaves that to the Os.

In other cheerful news, the Louvre was closed to the public for Michelle’s sightseeing. So, let’s see, that meant closing the Pompidou, the Louvre, Notre Dame cathedral, and their surrounding neighborhoods. Parisians must really have enjoyed seeing the Obamas. Associated Press says the Obamas

touched lives in simple ways

and AP’s probably right. Nothing says “touch me” like a massive traffic jam.

AP and its reporters were much too starry-eyed to put Michelle’s shopping trip through the same scrutiny as a shopping trip by, say, Sarah Palin.

Now that we know there’s a food taster, will a court jester be next?

A question:
Does the taster get to go to Five Guys, or only overseas?