I think the media is too obsessed with the Obamas. It doesn't matter where they dined, everyone would have found a way to critique them. If they had went to Le Bernardin, they would have gotten blasted for choosing a French establishment instead of American. If they had went to Scarpetta, they would be called too trendy and unoriginal, etc.

who cares where they went to dinner? though i feel like BO needs to get his AZZZZZ back to dc and let gay people marry, women have access to abortions and poor people go to college. cmon dawg!

I think it's excellent that they're setting example for how people should be making dining decisions. I only hope that such an example will reflect on food policy in the form of actual change to the way the FDA, the USDA, and other federal organizations concerning food are run, and how they regulate the food industry. If their policy is congruent with their dining ethic, and their dining ethic promotes SOLE eating, than more power to 'em.

WHO CARES? Didn't they just get on him for having lunch at the burger joint a couple weeks ago? I think it's great that they went out, had a nice dinner, saw a Broadway show, even watched their daughter's soccer game earlier in the day. You know, like normal couples do. This poor guy is coming into office at a devastating time in our country's history, and as tough as that is, I'm sure it's equally difficult on his spouse. Don't they deserve a night out? They should be commended for showing the American public that, among other things: married couples still need date nights once in a while; it's OK to stimulate the local economy by going out to dinner, whatever your budget; and above all, you shouldn't put too much emphasis on what other people think. As for Ms. Hesser's comment regarding the First Lady and cooking: Does Michelle Obama have to revolutionize everything, all by herself, in one day? Although I'm sure the cooking thing is on her To Do list, in the meantime, there are plenty of others who could pick up the slack. Give her a break.

The media focuses WAY too much on the Obamas and their day-to-day life. If they had gone to Chili's and went to a movie, they would have been just as harshly judged. Actually, they would have been even MORE harshly judged than if they'd eaten at a sustainable/ecofriendly place. Let them have a night out and enjoy each other's company without being scrutinized every five minutes.

The Obamas support and are interested in places like Blue Hill... why wouldn't they want to dine there and experience it, politics aside? I know I would love to eat there. While they are making a political statement, the notion that it was thought out is a 50/50 kind of thing. maybe it was, or, maybe they ate somewhere they would want to eat, first family or not, and it inevitably becomes a political statement. most of all... given how into sustainable agriculture and local farming the obamas are, it doesn't seem suprising that they would choose to eat at such a place, so anyone making a big deal out of it sounds like a moron... an insane, irrational conservative that is desperate to spin anything the obamas do into a horror. they're supporting something they beleive in... hmmm... yes, there is a problem with that. (if it isn't obvious, i'm mocking said naysayers.)

oh wow. this is news? though i am interested in how they did security at a broadway show.

i don't care where they go, as long as they pay for it, and considering this date night cost taxpayers 10's of thousands of dollars, i would think we would all care. he just doesn't seem to get that he is president and in a time of recession like now, he should be setting an example. afterall, he has chefs at his disposal at the White House 24/7 and what could possibly be more romantic than than the South Lawn? But, if they really feel the need to go out, then he should be paying out of pocket for the expenses incurred by flying and transporting him - and using his scheduling office, the secret service and his advance team. but, thus far, those expenses have come straight out of all our pockets.

These expenses are part of the presidential perks....the man needs some time out....should we have ol W pay for all his trips to the ranch?

I know serious. W took 600 days of vacation, flying in and out of Crawford, going hunting etc...no one said a word. Clinton went constantly to Martha's Vineyard, H.W went to Kennebunkport, Reagan was constantly going to California (even in the middle of a recession). Why does it matter, the man gets paid 200,000 to run an entire country. Taking his wife to NY on a date has to be a permissible perk!

Partysugar and Spectra - I couldn't agree with you more!

this is so stupid.

I say Obama must be doing something right if the media has to dig this hard to find something to criticize.

And some people (*cough*FoxNews*cough*) are yapping about how dare they spend money and have a night on the town? Like every single president and first lady in the past haven't gone on vacations and such? Please. When they're reduced to criticizing Barack Obama for asking for spicy mustard on his burger, you know they're grasping at straws.

To all you hypocritical Obama supporters, no one be grudges the Obama 's time away from the White House even if you people didn't show the same tolerance to Bush and just like Bush who spent a couple of weeks in the summer out of Washington and stayed at his ranch and no President is ever just on vacation, they bring their work and the job with them, just like how the Obama's like to go every weekend to Camp David in Virginia to get way from the oppressive Washington environment. What people find disgusting is that the Obama's think it's perfectly normal to spend about 250 thousand of American tax dollars to eat and spend a couple of hours in New York for one of their ' date nights", and to use 3 gulf stream jets and two helicopters for the ' One ', his wife, staff and reporters, and his car, this is the same President who was lecturing Banks and Auto Companies who got bailouts, that they had to understand that the America people would not tolerant in a time of recession them receiving bailouts at the same time they are having junkets in Las Vegas even if it for business, maybe Obama can once live up to what he preaches.

"i know serious. W took 600 days of vacation, flying in and out of Crawford, going hunting etc...no one said a word"

No one said a word? did you read the news?

@familyfitness: "You know, like normal couples do." LOL! What?!

You mean to tell me that normal couples watch their kids' soccer game then get on a private jet that was bought with tax dollars and is fueled by tax dollars so you can fly to a city 4 hours driving time away just to eat dinner and watch a show. Yes, that is totally normal!!

I'm with Party and Spectra. The scrutiny over every dining decision is getting ridiculous.

I'll chime in on the who cares?

And I'm also curious about security, hipto. I would think a president this fond of comparing himself to Lincoln would be superstitious about going to the theater.

Why use Gulfstream planes at all? Why not just use Air Force One, which would likely have kept at least one of the other planes on the ground, instead? Perhaps the White House wanted to emphasize the non-official nature of the visit; I suspect they didn’t want AF1 to return to New York City’s skies so soon after the Scare Force One fiasco. However, AF1 is built to keep the President in close touch with the government in times of crisis. It exists for precisely that reason, and is meticulously maintained to ensure the safest possible flight.

But the real foolishness was the Gulfstream and helicopters for the media. Are we to believe that the national news media has no reporters in New York City? The BIg Apple isn’t exactly the Badlands of the Dakotas, or the remote peaks of the Rockies, in terms of media saturation. It looks like Obama wanted to make this a media event and didn’t mind using three planeloads of taxpayer money to stage it.

And can anyone calculate the carbon footprint of three Gulfstream jets, three helicopters, and all the stalled traffic in New York City? I’d say that it reaches Goracle-like levels.

Why not take Michelle out for a night at the Kennedy Center instead, where the President has a reserved seat and only needs to travel across DC? I know he promised her a Broadway play, but I’m pretty sure he’d still have her vote in 2012.

I think it was sweet and we shouldn't over-analyze the situation. A husband made a promise to his wife. He fulfilled it by taking her to a carefully chosen dinner and broadway show. Obama is behaving as a role model should - carefully making each move to lead by example.

That said - I do like the idea of the Obamas taking in some shows at the Kennedy Center!! Great idea there

Everything they do is overanalyzed by people on both sides. Yes, people are judging too harshly. However, people are also praising his decisions on where to eat too readily.

And to answer your questions Yum, no, they shouldn't be commended for making intelligent dining choices. And no, the media isn't coming down too hard on them. For every article I've seen criticizing them, I've seen at least two praising them. To focus on it at all is silly.

3rd vote for "who cares". If it happens every week, then we'll regroup, but a date night? Obviously, they can't just do a lot of things spur of the moment. Cheers to them, and I didn't vote for BO.