President Obama had dinner for more than four hours on Sunday at one of Hawaii’s elite restaurants, according to a White House pool report.
“The Obamas are dining at Hoku’s at the Kahala Hotel and Resort,” wrote New York Times White House correspondent Gardiner Harris. “We have arrived in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in several time zones.”
“To get here, the motorcade cut across the island and through the Ko’olau mountain range and several micro-climates — sun, fog, rain,” Harris wrote. “The mountains here look like teeth on a long-dead horse: ridged, steeply-sloped, top-worn and dark green.”
Obama arrived shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday night local time, and left a little after 10:30 p.m.
“After dining for nearly 4.5 hours, POTUS, FLOTUS and friends have emerged,” Harris wrote.
He said the dinner included delicacies from around the mainland U.S.
“Hoku’s Restaurant bills itself as one of the finest restaurants on the island, and ‘is heralded for its innovative fusion fare which melds Hawaiian, Asian, Mediterranean and European flavors,’ which covers about three-quarters of the globe,” the pool said. “The dinner menu included local fish, Maine lobster, Denver bison and Texas wild boar.”
Harris said he and others it the pool also ate well.
“You will be pleased to know that after a hard day staring at the great vastness of the Pacific Ocean, your pool was well fed,” Harris wrote. “There was chicken in black truffle sauce, mashed potatoes with sautéed mushrooms and onions, and an unusually good bread pudding. Your pooler fears the entire pool may have ingested gluten. Several tested the hotel’s wine cellar.”
“The bill for this fare could be considerable, but your pooler’s conscience is clear, given the day’s challenging circumstances,” he added.
