Presidents on canvas
It’s no secret that President George W. Bush never inserted himself into Washington’s social culture. So it should also be no secret that when his term lapsed Tuesday, he became the first president never to dine at The Palm since it opened during the 1970s.
Maitre d’ Tommy Jacomo told us that yes, he was “very disappointed” the 43rd president never dined at their establishment, especially since George H.W. Bush “is good friends with the owner” and convinced The Palm to open its second location in the Washington area.
Jacomo is more optimistic about President Obama, saying he’s “definitely expecting him to visit.”
After all, his portrait is already up. The new president’s portrait was added to the restaurant’s famous wall on Thursday morning, sandwiched between George W. Bush and Vice President and Mrs. Biden.
Regulars may notice that Obama painting — painted by the chain’s full-time portrait artist Bronwyn Bird — is a little different than those of past presidents. Rather than having one portrait of Obama and a separate one for Michelle, both husband and wife are rendered together in one portrait.
Jacomo said he spent Wednesday being yelled at by a Fed Ex driver, who was unable drive to the 19th Street restaurant to deliver the portrait due to all the traffic and road closures.
Meanwhile, even closer to the White House, the Occidental Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street will hang its Obama portrait in the lobby today. The restaurant hung its first presidential portrait of Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
The Obama painting, which will hang in the lobby with the portraits of his immediate predecessors, was painted by contemporary realism artist Bradley Stevens, who said it was “difficult for me to professionally detach from the painting because I was so inspired by President Obama.”
