Sunday, June 21, 2009

Obamas Do Ice Cream

From Jeff Zeleny at the New York Times:
Who wants ice cream if you can have a scoop of custard from the Dairy Godmother?
President Obama made another stop on his culinary tour of the Washington region on Saturday, dropping by the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria for a cool afternoon treat. He walked through the doors of The Dairy Godmother with daughters Sasha and Malia in an unannounced visit that startled those inside the bustling neighborhood custard shop.
At this boutique on Mount Vernon Avenue, the sign indicates that the line forms to the right. But Mr. Obama and his small entourage went to the left, bypassing the crowd. No one seemed to mind, store employees said later, as people strained their necks to see what the Obama family was ordering.
The president had a small vanilla custard with hot fudge and almonds. Malia asked for vanilla custard in a waffle cone. And Sasha ordered a brownie sundae with vanilla custard. Bo, the presidential dog, was not along for the ride on this pre-Father’s Day outing, but the store employees sent a bag of “puppy pops” home with the girls.
Mr. Obama paid for the items and offered to leave a tip, according to Elizabeth van Gestel, who rang up his order. Mr. Obama was told that tips aren’t allowed at the Dairy Godmother, so he stayed for about 15 minutes, taking photographs and eating his custard. It’s the latest in a series of restaurant visits since Mr. Obama took office, which have included stopping for a hotdog at Ben’s Chili Bowl and hamburgers at Ray’s Hell Burgers and Five Guys.
He has told his advisers that getting out of the White House – even for a quick trip – is important to him as he tries to remain connected with the outside world and give his daughters a semblance of normalcy.

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