Sunday 17 January 2010

Restaurant Nora : Michelle Obama's favourite restaurant

Today was Michelle Obama's 46th birthday and as a gift her hubby, President Obama to you and me, took her out for a surprise dinner at her favourite DC restaurant, Restaurant Nora.

Being Nosey we've had a look at well.

The restaurant describes itself as

...America's first certified organic restaurant. This means that 95% or more of everything that you eat at the restaurant has been produced by certified organic growers and farmers all who share in Nora's commitment to sustainable agriculture....

Sounds very "green", is it the sort of place where you guaranteed healthy but not necessarily tasty food? Well what do the crtics say?

The Washington Post

The homey space is decorated with quilts and has a formal, but familiar feel. A bit over-traditional for hipsters, it's parent- and grandparent-friendly.

You'll pay for the quality. The tasting menu is $75 and $65 for vegetarians. A la carte entrees cost around $30.

Reviews from actual diners on the traveller review forum TripAdvisor was somewhat mixed but still good enough to rank 22nd of the 1000+ DC restaurant ranked.

The reviews ranged from

We had a nice bottle of pinot noir that he recommended. We loved the beef carpaccio that we had for a starter and we both loved our salads (his: spinach & arugula; mine: caesar). Ditto for our mains (his: beef; mine: veal curry). I never order veal due to the mistreatment of the animals - however, these are happy calves! It was quite a treat - many different flavors on one plate. We also ordered dessert (his: chocolate chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice ream; mine: the best apple pie I have ever had with rum raisin ice cream). It was an extraordinary meal. We lingered and did not feel rushed. Our check for all of this was $200 - a little pricey but comparable to other restaurants of this quality and style. I highly recommend Nora!
(Clearly appealing to the more "concious" diner)

to the somewhat unimpressed

I understand their focus on serving organic food, but they go a little overboard. Is it really necessary that the menu state that their waiters are dressed in shirts made of 100% certified organic cotton?

Bottom line: go here only if you're not price-sensitive. For my money, I'll go elsewhere to get the same quality of food at a much lower price.

Well if you fancy finding out what it like to dine like the First Family you can head over to Restarant Nora at 2132 Florida Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008


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