“I’ll meet you any time you want, at our Italian restaurant.”
Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, had their first “date” since his historic election as president of the United States, stepping out in style Saturday night on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile to dine at their favorite eatery, Spiaggia.
The beaming Obamas enjoyed dinner in the pricey, four-star restaurant’s main room, surrounded by gaping customers – and a large Secret Service contingent.
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Spiaggia dining-room manager Ian Louisignau wouldn’t spill the beans on the first couple-elect’s meal, saying, “We don’t give out that information.”
But he did say the Obamas, who opted not to be seated in one of the restaurant’s private dining rooms, had “a good time” celebrating the Illinois senator’s victory.
“They always have a good time, and they keep coming back,” Louisignau said.
In fact, the next president and Michelle like Spiaggia – whose name means “beach” in Italian – and its striking view of Lake Michigan so much, they dine there every Valentine’s Day.
Last Valentine’s, they ordered the eight-course tasting menu, which can set a couple back as much as $700 when it includes wine pairings.
Spiaggia, ranked among the nation’s best Italian restaurants, is known for dishes such as seared scallops and wood-roasted guinea hen. Its celebrity clientele has included Princess Diana, Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, Paul Newman, Paul McCartney and Billy Joel, who wrote and sang “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”
The restaurant is owned by the Levy Organization, whose president, Lawrence Levy, donated $2,300 last year to Obama’s presidential campaign. But his brother and partner, Mark Levy, donated $2,300 to John McCain.
Today, Obama will visit President Bush to discuss the transition of power. Michelle will get a grand tour of the White House from First Lady Laura Bush.
Obama’s transition chief, John Podesta, said the president-elect intends to swiftly reverse a number of executive orders issued by Bush.
“I think across the board, on stem-cell research, on a number of areas, you see the Bush administration even today moving aggressively to do things that I think are probably not in the interest of the country,” Podesta told CBS’s “Face the Nation” yesterday.
Bush’s executive order limits embryonic stem-cell research.
Podesta said another Bush executive order that could be overturned is the authorization of oil and gas drilling in Utah.
Another Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “everything is a pos sibility right now” when asked whether the president-elect would consider retaining Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates.
Jarrett said Michelle Obama has no plans to be a “co-president,” but instead will focus on getting the couple’s two young daughters into school in Washington, DC, and moving her mother, Marian Robinson, into the White House.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Schumer thinks that when Obama takes office, things will get better for New York.
“He’s not going to do everything we want, but we’ll have a real open ear,” he said.
Schumer envisions more funding for homeland security in big cities, for putting more cops on the streets and for a state health-insurance program for poor families.