Jan 15, 2009 9:37 pm US/Central
Hail To The Eats
The First Family's Favorite Chicago Restaurants
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Mom said if you eat right you just might grow up to be president. For Barack Obama, that apparently meant appreciating a whole assortment of flavors.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole serves up the varied tastes of Chicago that please his palate – and the foods and restaurants that he'll be longing for when he settles in at the White House.
Barack Obama has shown a love of foods as diverse as the country he now represents. Here's where you can find them near your house.
Chicagoans have been sliding their tray down the line at Manny's Delicatessen since the '40s, and the owners are proud to say Mr. Obama is no exception.
"He's a regular guy, too," Ken Raskin says. "But now, he's the No. 1 regular guy
Obama caused quite a stir when he showed up in the days just after his election for takeout. He ordered some sweet cherry pie, crispy potato pancakes and Manny's signature corned-beef sandwich spiced with salt and garlic. Talk about a mouthful.
For a dressed-up date night, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, have for years enjoyed the upscale Mexican cuisine at River North's Topolobampo.
"They're very adventurous diners," chef owner Rick Bayless said. "They always want to know what's new on the menu."
Bayless says you can often find the Obama's seated at a cozy table right by the kitchen where apparently they like to linger. Their choices always include the delicate flavors of Tortilla soup and the guacamole served with sliced cucumbers, not chips. Then the kitchen gets to dazzle them with whatever's new on the menu.
It is said the foods of our childhood have a big impact not only on our palette but what we regard as comfort food. For island-raised Obama, nothing says Hawaii more than a mix plate.
It starts with scoops of steamed rice and macaroni salad --- topped with marinated meats or Asian fried chicken. He's ordered it along with spam musubi -- a brick of steamed rice topped with the much-maligned Spam and held together by seaweed. You can order it all at Lincoln Park's Aloha Eats.
Thin and crispy, the pies at Italian Fiesta Pizzeria in Hyde Park were Michele Obama's reward for a good report card when she was growing up. She has confessed they remain an Obama family favorite, but they place their orders now anonymously.
"The Secret Service has been in here a couple of times ordering pizza, so we're not sure if they're sneaking it to him or eating it themselves," Patti Harris Tubbs says.
Italian food doesn't get tonier than Tony Mantuano's Spiaggia on Michigan Avenue. The Obamas order the full-course Italian dinner, from antipasto, to pasta, meat dish and dessert. They've dined here for Valentine's Day and after Obama's election victory.
"Well, it was just the two of them and a really large group of Secret Service agents," Mantuano said.
It seems the Obamas enjoy many different flavors on their plates. And that pleases the food world.
When the word gets out that the Obamas like your food, it means a bump in business, too. Both Topolobampo and Spiaggia say those making reservations frequently ask if the Obamas will be dining there that evening.
The owners of Italian fiesta Pizzeria have already been approached by investors who would like to open up a sister operation in Washington, D.C.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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