State dinner: German chancellor to be honored al fresco
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About 220 elites will dine al fresco Tuesday when German Chancellor Angela Merkel is feted at a state dinner, White House aides said.
First Lady Michelle Obama chose the Rose Garden for the gala dinner, the fourth of the Obama presidency.
The menu’s main course will be petite filet with Maryland crab ravioli and the dessert, a sweet nod to the honored guest: apple strudel with golden raisins and topfen.
The second course reflects Obama’s heritage, it being Hawaiian tuna styled into tuna tartare served with rye crisps and accompanied by pickled carrots, spring pea salad and shaved ham and ginger snaps.
The four-course meal will open with a garden salad, herbs and honey gastrique crafted with honey from the beehives at the Executive Mansion.
The first couple and their guests will dine at tables of 10 adorned with white sequined tablecloths that will be set with gold-rimmed china from the George W. Bush administration, yellow Calla lilies and other blooms, tall white tapers and votives.
Also on tap: separate performances by singer-songwriter James Taylor and the National Symphony Orchestra.
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