Even presidents need to kick back once in a while. And when they’re not signing laws, leading wars and hosting elaborate state dinners, presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama have fled our nation’s capital for the dining capital — New York. In honor of Presidents Day on Monday, check out these places to dine like a commander in chief.
* BARACK OBAMA: BLUE HILL
75 Washington Place; 212-539-1776, bluehillfarm.com
President’s pick: Michelle Obama’s love for healthy eats made this NYU-area spot a natural for the first couple’s May 2009 dinner date. The pair dined on Blue Hill’s farm-to-table cuisine — personally prepared by executive chef Dan Barber. The Obamas sat at an out-of-the-way corner table, and although the restaurant was open, other diners were given Secret Service screenings.
Citizen’s visit: Considering President Obama’s weakness for seafood, try braised hake with New England clam chowder, bacon and Maine shrimp ($34). Pair it with a side of Brussels sprouts and pistachios ($8) — the nuts are an Obama fave. According to reports, the couple enjoyed a 2007 Hirsch Sonoma Coast pinot noir — it’s no longer on the wine list, so try the label’s East Ridge pinot noir ($165).
* GEORGE WASHINGTON: FRAUNCES TAVERN
54 Pearl St.; 212-968-1776, frauncestavern.com
President’s pick: Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his troops here Dec. 4, 1783, upstairs in the Long Room. The long table in the room is set with three tall candlesticks and pewter drinkware — true to the period but not original to the tavern.
Washington didn’t linger at this hotbed of revolutionary activity. “He only said a few lines and asked each man to come forward,” says Fraunces Tavern Museum education director Jennifer Patton. “And there was probably some food and drink items.”
Citizen’s visit: Follow in Washington’s footsteps up to the Long Room, and the rest of the museum. Then belly up to the long bar on the ground level and sip one of its 20-plus draught beers, such as a Porterhouse oyster stout. Washington was especially fond of fish, so order the pan-roasted cod with braised cabbage and butternut squash ($21) in the main dining room. Dubbed the Tallmadge Room for one of Washington’s officers, try imagining dining here — at one of the long, communal mahogany tables — in America’s early days.
* RONALD REAGAN: ANGELO’S OF MULBERRY STREET
146 Mulberry St.; 212-966-1277, angelosofmulberryst.com
President’s pick: It wasn’t morning in America, but lunch in Little Italy for Reagan, who grabbed some grub here with Sen. Al D’Amato just two weeks before he was wounded in an assassination attempt in March 1981. After making a few remarks to the throng gathered outside, Reagan headed in to mangia on a spread that included fettucine braciole, spiedini mozzarella, baked clams and shrimp sauteed in a white wine sauce.
They were tipped off about Angelo’s by then-Mayor Ed Koch, says the owner’s daughter, Tina Aprea, who was 11 at the time of Reagan’s visit. “I was so overwhelmed — the streets were packed, there was Secret Service all over,” she recalls. “[Reagan] was very sweet, very cordial.”
Citizen’s visit: The group sat at No. 14, a round table near the front of the eatery. When you dine there, check out the photo of Reagan and D’Amato, which hangs on a wall near the table.
* RICHARD NIXON: LE PERIGORD
405 E. 52nd St.; 212-755-6244, leperigord.com
President’s pick: Richard Nixon was never known as an adventuresome eater. But he was a regular at this UES French institution, dining here before, during and after his presidency (1969-1974). His table, No. 4, was also the table of choice for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Nixon preferred sitting at that table because it was away from the window — and hecklers. “We sat him at that table so [people] wouldn’t be aggressive from the outside,” recalls owner Georges Briguet.
When the first President Bush was US ambassador to the UN, he was also a regular, enjoying lunch at table 35, and a few years later Ronald Reagan broke bread here with Charlton Heston.
citizen’s visit: Don’t miss the Dover sole ($45 lunch, $50 dinner,), which has been the restaurant’s most popular dish for decades. It’s served with a lemon butter meunière sauce, or grilled with mustard sauce.
* ABRAHAM LINCOLN: McSORLEY’S
15 E. Seventh St.; 212-473-9148, mcsorleysnewyork.com
President’s pick: President Lincoln was known for his debating skills — and a debate rages on today about whether Lincoln actually did stop by for a brew.
Here’s the story, you decide: Industrialist Peter Cooper invited Honest Abe to speak in Cooper Square in February 1860. The audience was so impressed by his antislavery speech that it’s credited with getting Lincoln the Republican presidential nomination. Afterward, the pair, according to McSorley’s legend, strolled over to the nearby watering hole for a pint.
“This was the closest place at the time that wasn’t a flophouse where you could invite people in for a couple of drinks,” says bartender Joe McKiernan.
But McSorley’s may not have even existed in 1860: The bar claims to have opened in 1854, but historical documents show the space was a vacant lot as late as 1861 — well after Lincoln’s speech.
Citizen’s visit: Admire Peter Cooper’s chair, which sits atop the old icebox, as you quench your thirst with a pint of McSorley’s Ale. The bar tends to get packed at night, so swing by on a weekend afternoon.
* THEODORE ROOSEVELT: KEENS STEAKHOUSE
72 W. 36th St.; 212-947-3636, keens.com
President’s pick: Pre-theater, presidents used to enjoy a smoke here, now and then. Just past the main entrance, pipes used by presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover — both of whom dined at the mahogany-walled chophouse before nights on the town during their respective presidencies (1901-1909 and 1929-1933) — are displayed. “We came about because Herald Square was the heart of the Theater District,” explains service manager James Conley.
Citizen’s visit: You can’t smoke like a president here today, but get the chief executive vibe with a dinner reservation upstairs in the Bull Moose Room — dedicated to presidents and named for Teddy Roosevelt. Look for an invitation from Roosevelt’s inaugural dinner, which hangs on the wall, as you cut into Keens’ mutton chop, the restaurant’s defining dish ($48). Pair it with string beans ($10) or steamed asparagus ($11), which were two of Roosevelt’s favorite veggies. (Who knew the larger-than-life prez had favorite veggies?)
On the way out, you’ll pass through the Lincoln Room, where the playbill Abraham Lincoln was holding when he was assassinated hangs on the wall among other Lincoln memorabilia.
‘21’ CLUB
21 W. 52nd St.; 212-582-7200, 21club.com
President’s pick: With the exception of George W. Bush, every president since Harry Truman has dined at this New York landmark, which began life as a speakeasy. President John F. Kennedy (left) dined here on the eve of his 1961 inauguration. And in the wine cellar, there’s a bottle of 1961 Dom Perignon from Richard Nixon’s wine collection.
Citizen’s visit: We like the ‘21’ burger ($32), and so did Jimmy Carter. Try one in one of the three dining areas. Before heading out, take a peek at the model PT-109 — the boat Kennedy heroically commanded in the Pacific that was sunk by the Japanese in WWII — hanging above the bar. JFK gave it to the club after one of his many visits.
FDR goes Hot Doggin’
Until King George VI’s visit to the US in June 1939, no British monarch had ever visited America. So how did his host, President Franklin Roosevelt, welcome him and his royal entourage? With hot dogs from Nathan’s during a picnic at FDR’s Hyde Park, NY, estate. In addition to being the first royal visit, it was also King George VI’s first hot dog — he washed it down with a local beer.
christina.amoroso@nypost.com