Feature
All the Presidents’ Meals
America’s laden tables used to wow queens and premiers. But is state dinner diplomacy as outdated as lobster aspic?
Frozen cheese with watercress salad. Calf’s head soup. Terrapin with cornbread sticks.
These were all on the menu when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt hosted Britain’s King George VI at a 1939 White House state dinner.
Today, they sound stomach-churning, but for an American in 1939, the goat cheese gateau with tomato jam that President Donald Trump served at his 2018 state dinner might have provoked the same reaction.
The White House state dinner menus show how American tastes have changed over time—and with them, the image that the country projects to the world. The choices, from starters to entertainment, made at the national banquets helped shape the way leaders such as the king of Hawaii and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev saw the United States.
From the time of the first Thanksgiving, the idea of the full dinner table has held a powerful symbolic value for the United States. The country’s abundant natural resources and ample arable land fueled an agrarian economy that persisted decades after Europe experienced its industrial revolution. For a nation of mythologized yeoman farmers and field hands, feasts were an ideal and a symbol of the country’s prosperity—the USA doing what it did best.
The U.S. state dinner is “a formal declaration to celebrate the fact that we recognize that head of state and that we welcome him or her in a show of civil hospitality. They are America’s guest of honor for that evening,” said Frank Ruta, a former White House executive sous-chef.
The state dinner is a dual-faceted diplomatic tool. On the one hand, the dinner is devoted to the guest of honor. The president and their spouse make their visitors, usually heads of state themselves, feel welcome and ready to reaffirm their relationship with the commander in chief. But they also show the tastes of the United States—and those who lead it.
In other words, that goat cheese gateau isn’t just supposed to taste good. The dish shows the world what the United States thinks tastes good, in 2018, as interpreted by the Trump administration. It’s not an entirely personal matter. If the state dinner menu were left entirely up to Trump’s tastes, French President Emmanuel Macron might have ended up being served 300 (or 1,000) hamburgers from McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s, along with a slice of beautiful chocolate cake, when the White House hosted him in April 2018.
Left: U.S. President Donald Trump has used the White House State Dining Room for just one state dinner, hosting French President Emmanuel Macron on April 24, 2018. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) Right: Trump has opened the State Dining Room up to less traditional meals, including the infamous fast food spread he offered to the national champion Clemson University football team amid the government shutdown on Jan 14. (Chris Kleponis/Getty Images)
The fact that Trump (or Melania Trump, to be more precise, as the first lady traditionally plans the state dinner menus with the chief usher, executive chef, and wine usher) opted to serve courses such as that gateau, a roast rack of lamb with burnt cipollini soubise, a salad of young variegated lettuces, and crème fraîche ice cream for dessert, instead of some of his favorite foods, shows that even a notoriously undiplomatic president can realize the importance of the subtle messaging at the table.
But each president’s interpretation of the state dinner menu has been different, shaped not only by their times but also by their view of America’s place in the world.
Is it better to serve the foods of the guest of honor’s country or to demonstrate a universal culinary language? Which types of wines are the best? Should jellied lobster ever be attempted? Sadly, for Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson through George H.W. Bush the answer to that last question was yes. Sometimes more than once.
Foreign Policy has collected menus for White House state dinners dating back nearly 86 years. Obtaining these menus required extensive research within presidential libraries, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress, as well as two Freedom of Information Act requests (for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush). We started with Franklin D. Roosevelt, because he was the first president to host multiple state dinners honoring a head of state. For the purposes of a more complete understanding of the White House’s culinary journeys, some menus for dinners not designated as a true “state dinner” (which must occur during an official state visit) were also included. Even though they were technically designated “official dinners” because the guest wasn’t on a state visit, these events were often still referred to as state dinners by the media and prepared similarly to a state dinner.
We arranged that data into graphs known as treemaps, in which data are represented by a series of boxes that vary in size and color depending on quantity. The more times a dish was served, the larger the box.
Changing Tastes
Compare the menus of more than 392 state dinners over 14 administrations.
After creating these visualizations, some general trends quickly became clear. State dinner cuisine from the 1930s through the 1950s was relatively modest—almost like a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The menus for Presidents John F. Kennedy through George H.W. Bush were considerably fancier and more oriented toward French cuisine. Starting with Bill Clinton, the menus became more diverse, highlighting dishes from the guest’s country while also embracing local cuisine.
“American food had gotten a lot more sophisticated in the 1990s,” explained the food writer Michael Pollan. Starting with the famous Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley in the 1970s, Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, and other noted California chefs created a food revolution that “highlighted American ingredients and a kind of simplicity in cooking, that great cooking begins with great ingredients,” Pollan said.
No American menu has reached the heights—or lows—of the infamous banquet served to a visiting Soviet delegation by Mao Zedong’s China in 1954, where the centerpiece, “Dragon Fighting the Tiger,” consisted of a skinned cat and a python. The Soviets blankly refused to partake in the traditional festive Cantonese dish, while two secretaries were violently ill, and an already rocky relationship crumbled further.
America’s dinner-table diplomacy has been more sensitive. While Kennedy and Johnson paid tribute to their guests simply by naming desserts after them, such as the “Bavarois Sato” (a type of Bavarian cream) served to Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1965, 21st-century Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama often hosted leaders by offering a menu where almost half the dishes were inspired by the guest’s country, such as when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was served shikai maki, grilled chicken with koji, and a toro tartare and Caesar sashimi salad in 2015.
Other trends reflect 80 years of shifts in the American palate. The concept of a salad morphed from a cream-cheese-smothered-watercress monstrosity to a garden in a bowl. Another change: American wine was not served at a state dinner until the 1960s.
“Because most of it sucked!” Pollan said.
The charts also reflect each president’s quirks. George H.W. Bush, known for his hatred of broccoli, never served it at his state dinners. What he lacked in broccoli, though, he made up in mousse: His and Reagan’s menus seem to prove that nearly any food can be whipped into submission.
Nancy Reagan is served an orange surprise dessert during the dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone on April 30, 1987. (Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House Historical Association)
There were also nods to the presidents’ favorite foods. Harry S. Truman served watermelon pickles more than once, including to then-Princess Elizabeth of England. Nearly every state dinner under Johnson included beef or steak, whereas Clinton, whose presidency coincided with the low-fat-crazed 1990s, served beef only twice. Turkey, once a common state dinner course, was never seen again after Dwight D. Eisenhower. Pork (other than ham and one pork belly canapé in 2016) appears never to have been served at a state dinner.
“I guess veal, lamb, and beef seemed more sophisticated,” Ruta said.
“Generally beef has long been seen as the meat of aspiration, of striving,” said the food writer Adrian Miller, whose 2017 book The President’s Kitchen Cabinet describes the history of African-Americans in the White House kitchen. And, he added, “So many cultures have taboos about pork.”
But the state dinner’s future is uncertain. George W. Bush and Obama, both two-term presidents, hosted 13 dinners apiece. That’s as many as Richard Nixon threw his first year in office. Trump, who became president over two years ago, has so far hosted only one. The number of female candidates in the upcoming 2020 presidential election also raises another question: If the first lady traditionally oversees the state dinner, would the first gentleman take that responsibility if one of these candidates won? Or would he delegate that authority to someone else?
In the age before social media, a state dinner was one of the White House’s best opportunities to show the world America’s hospitality and form bonds with other world leaders. Now that heads of state can more easily communicate, or even see what the U.S. president is thinking in 280-character bursts, a multicourse meal can seem quaint in comparison.
“It seems to me that style and entertaining take a back seat to everything else that is going on today,” Ruta said.
Or, maybe attitudes have changed over time as much as the food.
“I think the public is more, let’s just say, anti-aristocratic about these things,” Miller said.
“I think if a president has a lot of these state dinners, they think, ‘Why is this president showing off?’”
Dig In: How the Graphics Work
Click on one of the six categories to get to subcategories. Click deeper for specific dish names. To go back and move on to the next course, click on the bar at the top. Leave room for dessert!
Franklin D. Roosevelt
March 4, 1933 - April 12, 1945 | 26* Dinners
The Roosevelts might have been American aristocracy, but when it came to the dinner table, the radical spirit of the New Deal was very much in play. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, especially Eleanor, wanted to rebuild social functions at the White House into something more purposeful and progressive.
State dinners under the previous president, Herbert Hoover, consisted of seven courses: a shellfish course (usually oysters or clams), soup served with celery and olives, fish, a meat course, salad, a dessert course accompanied by coffee and sometimes candy, and finally a fruit course. Guests would wash these down with a tall glass of water, because Prohibition. At Hoover’s April 29, 1931, state dinner for the king of Siam, according to the Washington Evening Star, Hoover served “an elaborate menu” of “a rare species of fish, cold lobster, cunningly devised baskets of beets, stacked with cucumbers, smothered chicken breast, endive in spring salad, fruits, ices and candy.”
From the data we’ve gathered, that was the last lobster served at a state dinner for 20 years.
“I was told there would be no waste, as in the Hoover Administration, and that Mrs. Roosevelt did not believe in elaborate dinners,” former White House head butler Alonzo Fields recounted in his book, My 21 Years in the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt cut two courses off of dinner, according to Fields: “If there was an entree, soup would usually be cut out. If there were an entree and soup, the fish course would be omitted. And no fruit course.”
But Roosevelt’s state dinners were still a far cry from today’s sensibilities. A look at the menus shows state dinners in the 1930s nixed the fruit but still maintained the other six courses (the seafood courses were dropped after 1942). We know little about what they drank, because it was rarely included on the menu and only described in general terms such as “white wine” or “sherry”—although, in the case of the state dinner for Cuba’s Fulgencio Batista in December 1942, they went for whiskey sours.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Terrapin
Sausage
Biscuits
Crackers
Corn
Toast
Rolls
Stuffing/Dressing
Cheese Pastries
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Casserole
Croquettes
Noodle Rings
Macaroni and Cheese
Broccoli
Lima Beans
Cucumbers
Peas
Tomatoes
Corn
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Cabbage
Celery
Olives
Carrots
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Beets
Cranberries
Asparagus
Figs
Spinach
Apples
Brussels Sprouts
Fruit Cocktail
Rutabagas
Green Beans
Hard Liquor
White Wine
Sauterne
Champagne
Sherry
Soup
Tomato Sandwich
Gelatin
Cheese
Cream Cheese
Frozen Cheese
Pineapple
Avocado
Grapefruit
Green Salad
Orange
Watercress
Combination
Coffee
Cream
Cake
Pastries
Cookies
Ice Cream
Sherbet
Bisque
Candy
Seafood Cutlets with Mushroom Sauce
Planked Shad and Roe - Swiss Dressing
Oyster on Half Shell
Oyster Cocktail
Blue Points
Clam Cocktail
Clams
Crabmeat Cocktail
Fillet of Fish
Fillet of Fish with Sauce Colbert
Fillet of Fish with Horseradish Sauce
Fillet of Fish with Wine Sauce
Fillet of Fish with Swiss Sauce
Fillet of Fish with Tartar Sauce
Broiled Fillet of Fish with Sauce Poulette
Fillet of Fish with Guaymas Sauce
Broiled Fillet of Fish with Tomato Sauce
Roasted Fillet of Beef with Game Room Relish
Roast Fillets of Beef
Roast Fillet of Beef with Mushrooms
Roast Beef
Broiled Chicken
Broiled Chicken with Currant Jelly
Fried Chicken Maryland
Fried Chicken with Mayhaw Jelly
Roast Turkey
Roast Turkey with Currant Jelly
Roast Stuffed Turkey
Roast Duck
Roast Stuffed Duck
Terrapin with Cornbread Sticks
Deerfoot Sausages
Sausages
Beaten Biscuits
Whole Wheat Biscuits
Crackers
Saltines
Whole Wheat Wafers
Toasted Cheese Crackers
Cornbread Sticks
Corn Pudding
Toast Fingers
Fairy Toast
Rolls
Dressing
Chestnut Dressing
Cheese Crescents
Cheese Biscuits
Cheese Straws
Triangles of Cheese Pastry
Potato Cones
Potato Balls with Parsley
Potato Balls
Duchess Potatoes
Sweet Potato Cones
Sweet Potato and Pineapple Cones
Casserole Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallows
Sweet Potatoes Casserole with Nutmeg
Casserole of Sweet Potatoes and Apple
Casserole for Potatoes with Cheese and Crumb
Seafood Croquettes with Wine Sauce
Noodle Rings
Macaroni and Cheese
Broccoli Butter
Baby Lima Beans
Cucumbers in Sour Cream
Sliced Cucumbers in Cream
Sliced Cucumbers
Peas
Green Peas
Sliced Tomatoes
Spanish Corn
Scalloped Corn
New Potatoes and Parsley
Pan Roast Potatoes
Potatoes au Gratin
Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Sour Red Cabbage in Sour Cream
Celery
Curled Celery
Celery Hearts
Ripe Olives
Assorted Olives
Olives
Buttered Carrots
Carrots
Carrots with Buttered Parsley
Creamed Cauliflower
Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Beets
Harvard Beets
Cranberry Jelly
Asparagus
Asparagus with Crumbs
Brandied Figs
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Brussels Sprouts
Fruit Cocktail
Rutabagas
French Beans
Beans
Whiskey Sours
White Wine
Sauterne
Champagne
Sherry
Cream of Celery
Cream of Almond
Cream of Clam
Cream Green Pea
Clear Soup
Clear Soup with Sherry
Clear Soup with Cream Garnish
Clear Soup with Sherry and Egg Garnish
Clear Soup - Marrow Balls
Soup Julienne
Vegetable Consommé
Chicken Soup with Marrow Balls
Soup Velouté
Calf’s Head Soup
Soup Imperial
Clear Bouillon with Sherry
Tomato Sandwich and Cress Salad
Jellied Bouillon
Pineapple and Cheese Salad
Lettuce with Cream Cheese Balls
Lettuce Hearts, Cream Cheese Bar le duc
Frozen Cheese and Watercress Salad
Pineapple and Cheese Salad
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Orange and Avocado Salad
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Grapefruit Salad
Grapefruit and Orange Salad
Green Salad
Green Salad with French Dressing (herbs)
Orange and Cress Salad with Garlic Dressing
Orange and Cress Salad
Orange and Avocado Salad
Grapefruit and Orange Salad
Orange and Cress Salad with Garlic Dressing
Orange and Cress Salad
Tomato Sandwich and Cress Salad
Frozen Cheese and Watercress Salad
Combination Salad
Coffee
Strawberry Cream
Cake
Cakes
Silver Cake
Gold Cake
Angel Food Cake
White Pound Cake
Pound Cake
Strawberry Shortcake
Sand Tarts
Cookies
Sponge Drops
Coconut Balls
Nut Crescents
Caramel Ice Cream with Salted Almonds
Strawberry
Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce
Peach
Maple and Almond
Maple and Toasted Almond
Maple
Ice Cream with Crushed Strawberries
Ice Cream with Crushed Raspberries
Ice Cream and Crushed Pineapple
Ice Cream with Crushed Peaches
Maple Ice Cream Molds
Strawberry Ice Cream Molds
Chocolate and Raspberry Ice Cream Molds
Ice Cream Molds
Ice Cream Molds, Macaroon and Raspberry
Ice Cream
Raspberry Sherbet
Rum Bisque
Raspberry and Bisque
Candy
Dig in: How the graphics work
The food served was also rather modest in comparison to what previous presidents provided. Fancy feasts would have been a bad look in the middle of the Great Depression—and then positively treasonous during the (limited) rationing of the United States in World War II. (Across the pond, that didn’t stop British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose accumulated debt to his wine merchant reached the equivalent of $75,000 today.) And Eleanor Roosevelt believed that it was more important for food to be nourishing for the lowest possible price than for it to taste good—a message she ardently conveyed to America’s housewives with recipes for mushy spaghetti casserole and prune pudding. Outside of state dinners, she—with the help of her housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt, who oversaw the kitchen—transformed the White House kitchens into a model of economy, to her husband’s dismay, priding herself on keeping meals under 10 cents.
Hence the plethora of simple chicken and turkey state dinners matched with an odd assortment of vegetable courses—lima beans, rutabagas, and generally whatever Nesbitt found on sale at the PX, the military’s department store.
“Though the food was good and wholesome,” Fields wrote, “Let us say its presentation was poorly done, with no desire to please or excite the appetite.”
There are few records of what the honored heads of state thought of these meals, but a letter Ernest Hemingway wrote to his mother-in-law in 1937 about his dinner at the White House is rather illustrative. “We had a rainwater soup followed by rubber squab, a nice wilted salad and a cake some admirer had sent in. An enthusiastic but unskilled admirer.”
* This number excludes state dinners held before World War II under the original definition, which referred to three dinners held every winter for the cabinet, U.S. diplomats, and the Supreme Court, respectively. Some official dinners for non-heads of state, such as leaders’ wives and Gen. Charles de Gaulle, were included because of the special circumstances surrounding the war and to flesh out the dataset.
Bolivian President Enrique Peñaranda signs the United Nations Declaration beside U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during a state dinner at the White House on May 5, 1943. (George R. Skadding/AP)
Harry S. Truman
April 12, 1945 - January 20, 1953 | 6* State Dinners
This is not a joke: Truman served both Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill Fritos.
Truman presided over a major renovation of the White House, which meant all of his state dinners from 1947 to 1952 were held in various hotels around Washington. Because they weren’t held in the White House itself, few records were kept. Anything before 1947, such as his state dinner with Prime Ministers Clement Attlee of Britain and William Lyon Mackenzie King of Canada in November 1945, is lost for good. But from what we do know, thanks to numerous luncheons and dinners with smaller guest sizes, the food stood in the tradition of Roosevelt, albeit with better preparation and a Missouri twist thanks to Truman’s home state. And it came with a certain corn chip, although to cut Truman some slack the Fritos were served at luncheons—in January 1952 for Drees and April 1951 for Churchill—not dinners.
Harry S. Truman
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Sweetbreads
Ham
Biscuits
Crackers
Corn
Toast
Yorkshire Pudding
Rolls
Breadsticks
Apple Fritters
Sandwiches
Stuffing, Dressing
Cheese Pastries
Potatoes
Wheat Hearts
Canapes
Fritos
Steamed Rice
Onion Rings
Casserole
Melons
Cucumbers
Peas
Tomatoes
Corn
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Pickles
Celery
Olives
Carrots
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Beets
Cranberries
Asparagus
Lemons
Spinach
Eggplant
Oranges
Green Beans
Hard Liquor
Juice
White Wine
Red Wine
Champagne
Burgundy
Sherry
Tossed
Soup
Cheese
Fruit Cup
Lettuce
Gelatin
Cream Cheese
Artichokes
Avocado
Grapefruit
Green Salad
Orange
Watercress
Endive
Aspic
Palm Hearts
Peaches
Cream
Cake
Nuts
Cookies
Coffee
Fruit
Liqueur
Ice Cream
Sherbet
Cigars
Cigarettes
Candy
Pudding
Petits Fours
Filet of Sole with Tartar Sauce
Panned Fillet of Sole with Tyrolienne Sauce
Panned Fillet Sole with Tartar Sauce
Blue Points on Half Shell with Cocktail Sauce, Lemon Wedges
Lobster Thermidor
Shrimp Cocktails
Curried Shrimp in Rice Ring with Condiments
Crabmeat Cocktail
Broiled Pompano
Broiled Boned Shad and Roe
Roast Beef
Fillet of Beef
Prime Ribs of Beef
Fillet of Beef with Mustard Sauce
Roast Fillet Beef with Wine Essence
Veal Birds Smothered in Mushrooms Wine Sauce
Broiled Filet Mignon with Wine Essence
Chicken a la King in Pattie Shells
Boned Breast of Chicken with Cream Gravy and Currant Jelly
Breast of Guinea Chicken on Prune Dressing with Currant Jelly
Fried Breast of Chicken with Cream Gravy and Currant Jelly
Fried Boned Breast of Chicken on Broiled Slices of Ham with Cream Gravy and Currant Jelly
Barbecued Breast of Chicken with Barbecue Sauce
Barbecued Breast of Chicken with Barbecued Sauce and Currant Jelly
Roast Turkey with Brown Gravy
Fried Spring Turkey with Cream Gravy
Fried Breast of Spring Turkey with Cream Gravy and Currant Jelly
Broiled Breast of Duck with Currant Jelly
Broiled Breast of Duck with Wine Essence and Currant Jelly
Broiled Breast of Duck with Orange Sauce
Stuffed Sweetbreads with Sauce de la Real and Crab Apple Jelly
Stuffed Sweetbreads with Sauce de la Real and Guava Jelly
Fried Boned Breast of Chicken on Broiled Slices of Ham with Cream Gravy and Currant Jelly
Baked Old Missouri Ham
Hot Biscuits
Toasted Triscuits
Assorted Crackers
Crackers
Saltines
Oysterettes
Wheat Wafers
Corn Sticks
Corn Pudding
Corn Fritters
Melba Toast
Whole Wheat Melba Toast
Fairy Toast
Yorkshire Pudding
Hot Rolls
Dinner Rolls
Rolls
Hard Rolls
Breadsticks
Fried Apple Fritters
Apple Fritters
Brown and White Sandwiches
Whole Wheat Sandwiches
Cucumber Sandwiches
Oyster Dressing
Breast of Guinea Chicken on Prune Dressing with Currant Jelly
Cheese Crescents
Cheese Straws
Brown Potato Balls
Fried Potato Balls
French Fried Potato Balls
Shoestring Potatoes
Wheat Hearts
Canapes
Fritos
Steamed Rice
Fried Onion Rings
Casserole of Squash
Melons
Honeydew Melon
Watermelon Balls in Mint Lime Rickey
Mint Watermelon Balls in Gingerale
Persian Melon
Cucumbers and Sour Cream
Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumbers
Parsleyed Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumbers
Stuffed Cucumbers with Bread Crumbs
Buttered Peas
Scalloped Tomatoes
Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumbers
Parsleyed Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumbers
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes with Mushrooms
Grilled Tomatoes
Spanish Corn
New Potatoes (Browned)
New Potatoes (Parsley and Buttered)
Buttered New Potatoes
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Pickled Peaches
Watermelon Pickles
Pickled Beets
Celery
Curled Celery
Celery Hearts
Olives
Assorted Olives
Glazed Carrots
Julienne Carrots
Candied Carrots
Cauliflower in Mustard Sauce
Cauliflower au Gratin
Cauliflower Au Hollandaise
Mushrooms
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes with Mushrooms
Broiled Mushrooms
Smothered Mushrooms
Buttered Beets
Harvard Beets
Cranberry Sauce
Fresh Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus with Lemon Drawn Butter
Buttered Asparagus
Hot Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Asparagus Hollandaise
Asparagus Au Hollandaise
Lemon Slices
Lemon and Lime Wedges
Baked Spinach
Spinach Goldenrod
French Fried Eggplant
Baked Oranges
Green Beans
String Beans
French String Beans
Buttered Green Beans
Buttered String beans
Old Jack
Martinis
Daiquiris
Scotch
Old Fashioneds
Orange Juice
Tomato Juice
White Grape Juice
White Wine
Red Wine
Sauterne
Champagne
Sparkling
Sherry
Tossed Salad
Cream of Mushroom
Minestrone Soup with Parmesan Cheese
Minestrone Soup
New England Fish Chowder
Oyster Soup
Clear Soup
Clear Soup with Marrow Balls
Clear Soup with Egg Balls
Soup Julienne
Consommé - Egg Drops
Beef Consommé with Cream Almond Dumplings
Vegetable Soup
Almond Soup with Chopped Parsley
Blue Cheese
Gruyere Cheese
Pineapple Salad with Cheese Balls
Camembert
Brandied Fruit Cup
Brandied Mint Orange Cup
Lettuce with French Dressing
Hearts of Lettuce with French Dressing
Lettuce Salad with Roquefort Dressing
Shredded Lettuce with French Dressing
Hearts of Lettuce with Russian Dressing
Hearts of Lettuce with Roquefort Cheese Dressing
Hearts of Lettuce with Roquefort Dressing
Gingerale and Peach Salad
Jellied Madrilene with Horseradish Sauce
Cream Cheese Balls Rolled in Parsley and Carrots Shavings with Wine Dressing
Green Salad and Artichoke Hearts with Herb Dressing
Green Salad with Artichoke Hearts
Green Salad and Artichoke Hearts with Herb French Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad with Honey Dressing
Grapefruit, Avocado, Cress, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Herb Dressing
Avocado, Grapefruit, and Orange Salad with Honey Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad with Honey Dressing
Grapefruit, Avocado, Cress, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Herb Dressing
Avocado, Grapefruit, and Orange Salad with Honey Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad
Orange, Grapefruit, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Honey Dressing
Green Salad with French Dressing
Green Salad and Artichoke Hearts with Herb Dressing
Green Salad with Artichoke Hearts
Green Salad and Artichoke Hearts with Herb French Dressing
Green Salad with Hearts of Palm and French Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad with Honey Dressing
Avocado, Grapefruit, and Orange Salad with Honey Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad
Orange, Grapefruit, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Honey Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad with Honey Dressing
Grapefruit, Avocado, Cress, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Herb Dressing
Stuffed Endive and Cress Salad with Herb French Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, and Cress Salad
Stuffed Endive and Cress Salad with Herb Dressing
Stuffed Endive and Cress Salad with Herb French Dressing
Stuffed Endive and Cress Salad with Herb Dressing
Tomato Aspic Ring
Grapefruit, Avocado, Cress, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Herb Dressing
Orange, Grapefruit, and Hearts of Palm Salad with Honey Dressing
Green Salad with Hearts of Palm and French Dressing
Peach Basket Salad
Bavarian Cream with Strawberry Sauce
Cup Cakes
Coconut Cup Cakes
Sponge Cake Ring
Angel Food Cake
Angel Food
Strawberry Shortcake
Coconut Cake
Nuts
Ladyfingers
Sponge Drops
Vanilla
Demi-Tasse
Brandied Peaches
Macaroon Ice Cream Mold and Brandied Peaches
Brandied Marrons
Brandy & Liqueurs
Liqueurs
Liqueurs and Cocktails
Vanilla Ice Cream Mold
Vanilla Ice Cream and Orange Ice Molds
Vanilla Ice Cream Melon Molds
Vanilla Ice Cream Molds with Crushed Strawberries
Coffee Ice Cream Molds with Butterscotch Sauce
Strawberry
Strawberry Ice Cream Ring Mold with Orange Sherbet
Chocolate Ice Cream - Miss Margaret
Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce
Macaroon Ice Cream Ring Mold and Brandied Peaches
Macaroon Ice Cream Ring Mold
Macaroon Ice Cream Ring Mold with Sliced Fresh Peaches
Macaroon Ice Cream with Rum Sauce
Ice Cream Snowballs with Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Orange, Raspberry, and Lime Sherbet Molds
Strawberry Ice Cream Ring Mold with Orange Sherbet
Cigars
Cigarettes
Candy
Candies
Frozen Pudding Molds with Maple Sauce
Frozen Pudding Molds with Maple Syrup
Frozen Rum Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
Petits Fours
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In 1945, the Trumans fired Roosevelt’s cook, Nesbitt, and kitchen supervision passed over to their old personal chef, an African-American woman named Vietta Garr who had been a servant for the family since 1928. She instructed the White House kitchen how to cook “the Missouri way.” This meant lots of fried chicken or fried turkey and a remarkable amount of melons and pickles—sometimes pickled melons. Then-Princess Elizabeth of England was served baked Old Missouri ham, french fried potato balls, and watermelon pickles along with the lobster thermidor at her state dinner in October 1951, shortly before she became queen.
The wine still goes largely unmentioned. President Elpidio Quirino of the Philippines was served a dry sherry, Sauterne, and a red wine at his August 1949 state dinner, which aside from the lack of Champagne seems to fit the general pattern of state dinner wines during this time period. Mentioned far more frequently are the hard liquor selections. Truman had a reputation as a bourbon fan, starting every day at 5 a.m. with a shot. As a result, every luncheon started with old fashioneds, martinis, and tomato juice. At Churchill’s March 1949 state dinner, he was served sherry, white wine, martinis, scotch, and “Old Jack”—a combination that must have made for some unsteady footsteps home even by the two leaders’ hard-drinking standards.
* A total of 26 menus were consulted for this dataset, however. Given the White House renovation and the lack of available data on state dinners held at Blair House, the majority of these menus come from state luncheons, stag luncheons (no women allowed), and official dinners. A 1949 dinner and 1951 luncheon for Winston Churchill were included, although he was no longer head of state at the time, because they were prepared similarly to a state dinner.
President Harry S. Truman and first lady Bess Truman with President Gabriel González Videla of Chile and his wife, Rosa Markmann de González Videla, at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington during the Chilean president’s visit on April 14, 1950. Right: A note written by Truman details his busy schedule during a state visit by the president of Ecuador in June 1951. (Abbie Rowe/National Park Service/Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/National Archives)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 20, 1953 - January 20, 1961 | 24* State Dinners
It’s tempting to look at Eisenhower’s passions for soup and toast—three different kinds of toast!—and conclude that his dinners were the epitome of the 1950s malaise of American cuisine. That’s not wholly off base; Eisenhower’s dining tastes were forged in the Army, and though he was an accomplished cook, his preference for simple food never disappeared. He was not above serving saltines and toasted Triscuits to his foreign guests.
Mamie Eisenhower, while not exactly a foodie, was a general’s wife who ruled the White House kitchen with a pink-gloved iron fist. She insisted on overseeing every menu and even included some of her own desserts at state dinners from time to time, such as the gelatin-based “Frosted Mint Delight” (so ’50s).
But the simplicity of Eisenhower’s dinners has less to do with militaristic discipline and more to do with the customs of the time. Eisenhower’s biggest dinner distinction is the transition between the austerity of the 1930s and 1940s to the postwar boom. In his second term, the state dinners get noticeably fancier, matching the boom times of the 1950s. As U.S. global commitments increased, Europe stabilized enough to welcome visitors again, and the American tourist became a new stereotype, a fresh appreciation of foreign cuisine also started making its way back to the dinner table.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Mousse
Aspic
Prosciutto
Sandwiches
Crackers
Corn
Toast
Casserole
Rolls
Breadsticks
Chippers
Stuffing, Dressing
Cheese Pastries
Potatoes
Vol-au-Vent
Crepes
Bread
Rice
Coleslaw
Melons
Cucumbers
Peas
Tomatoes
Pineapple
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Pickles
Celery
Olives
Carrots
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Apples
Beets
Cranberries
Asparagus
Lemons
Zucchini
Fruit Cup
Artichokes
Spinach
Eggplant
Endive
Lima Beans
Green Beans
Bordeaux
White Wine
Sauterne
Champagne
Burgundy
Sherry
Tossed
Soup
Cheese
Lettuce
Grapes
Pears
Artichokes
Greens
Green Salad
Orange
Watercress
Endive
Palm Hearts
Creme Caramel
Cake
Nuts
Cookies
Coffee
Fruit
Gelatin
Ice Cream
Brown Betty
Candies
Pudding
Petits Fours
Broiled Fillet of Sole with Fish Sauce
Broiled Fillet of Sole Amandine
Broiled Fillet of Sole Véronique
Fillet English Sole meunière
Fillet of Sole, Sauce Parmesan
Fillets of Potomac Shad and Roe with Tartare Sauce
Blue Points on Half Shell
Shrimp Cocktail with Cocktail Sauce
Shrimp and Crabmeat Cocktail with Cocktail Sauce
Shrimp Creole
Crabmeat Mornay
Deviled Crabs with Tomato Garnish
Molded Crab Louis
Casserole of Crabmeat Creole
White Fish in Cheese Sauce
Broiled Fillet Corbina
Seafood Newburg
Seafood Marguery
Baked Florida Red Snapper with Hot Tartare Sauce
Lobster Thermidor
Roast Fillet of Beef
Delmonico Roast of Beef with Sauteed Mushroom Garnish and Horseradish Sauce
Roast New York Sirloin of Beef with Mushroom Sauce
Roast Tenderloin of Beef with Irish Apple Garnish
Broiled Fillet Mignon with Sauteed Mushroom Garnish
Broiled Fillet Mignon with Horseradish Sauce
Crown Roast of Lamb stuffed with Spanish Rice, with Mint Jelly
Crown Roast of Spring Lamb with Currant Mint Sauce
Roast Saddle of Lamb with Crab Apple Garnish and Fresh Mint Sauce
Glazed French Rack of Lamb with Minted Pear Garnish
Roast Boned Baby Chicken with Jelly
Baked Breast of Guinea Hen with Cumberland Sauce and Beach Plum Jelly
Roast Rock Cornish Game Hen with Currant Jelly
Roast Turkey with Gravy
Turkey Divan a la Asparagus
Fried Spring Turkey with Cream Gravy
Roast Long Island Duckling with Gravy
Roast Stuffed Long Island Duckling with Orange Sauce and Gravy
Roast Stuffed Long Island Duckling with Gravy
Roast Stuffed Duckling Marnier with Orange Sauce
Mousse of Lobster
Aspic of Pâté de Foie Gras
Aspic of Caviar
Melon with Prosciutto Ham
Boston Brown Bread Sandwiches
Bread and Butter Sandwiches
Cucumber Sandwiches
Toasted Triscuits
Assorted Crackers
Toasted Sesame Crackers
Saltines
Thin Corn Crusts
Corn Pudding
Melba Toast
Whole Wheat Melba Toast
Chippers and Melbas
Melba Rounds
Fairy Toast
Whole Wheat Fairy Toast
Casserole of Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Casserole of Eggplant
Casserole of Sweet Potatoes
Finger Rolls
Breadsticks
Chippers
Toasted Chippers
Chippers and Melbas
Sage Stuffing
Cornbread Dressing
Wild Rice Dressing
Dressing
Prune Dressing
Cheese Crescents
Cheese Crusts
Cheese Straws
Parslied Potato Balls
French Fried Potato Balls
Brown Potato Balls
Vol-au-Vent
Crabmeat Crepes with Lobster Veloute Sauce
Bread
Wild Rice
Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Coleslaw
Coleslaw in Tomato Basket
Prosciutto Ham and Melon
Melon Balls Perfection
Melon Balls in Mint Rickey
Spiced Cantaloupe Chunks
Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumber Marinated in Sweet Sour Vinegar
Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumber Marinated
Cucumbers Marinated
Buttered Peas
French Peas
Thyme Peas
New Peas
Carrot Ring-Petits Pois a la Francaise
Danish
Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumber Marinated in Sweet Sour Vinegar
Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumber Marinated
Tomato Pudding
Chilled Hawaiian Pineapple with Fresh Mint Syrup
Grilled Hawaiian Pineapple with Fresh Mint Syrup
Royale Hawaiian Pineapple
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple
Minted Hawaiian Pineapple
Parslied New Potatoes
Potatoes Delmonico
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple
Watermelon Pickles
Braised Celery
Celery Hearts
Assorted Olives
Ripe Olives
Queen Olives
Queen and Ripe Olives
Carrot Ring-Petits Pois a la Francaise
Cauliflower au Gratin
Boiled Mushrooms
Sauteed Mushrooms
Apple Rings
Applesauce
Spiced Harvard Beets
Cranberry Sauce
Whole Cranberry Sauce
New Asparagus Tips
Buttered Asparagus
Buttered Fresh Asparagus
New Asparagus with Pimento
Fresh Asparagus with Lemon Drawn Butter
Sliced Lemon
Creamed Zucchini
Fruit Cup Supreme
Artichoke Bottoms
Spinach Souffle
Scalloped Eggplant
Braised Endive
Baby Lima Beans
Buttered String Beans
French String Beans Almondine
Julienne String Beans Almondine
String Beans Julienne
French String Beans
String Beans Vinaigrette
Saint-Julien
White Wine
Château Climens
Sauterne
Château Coutet à Barsac
Champagne
Pol Roger
Charles Heidsieck
Red Burgundy
Beaune Grèves
Sherry
Dry Sack
Tossed Salad Bowl with Green Goddess Dressing
Cream of Watercress Soup
Cream of Green Pea Soup with Croutons
Watercress Soup
Clear Consommé
Chicken Consommé Julienne
Consommé Imperiale
Barley Soup
Oxtail Soup
Curry Soup
Curried Pea Soup
Curried Corn Soup
Horseradish Soup
Consommé with Marrow Balls
Hot Vichyssoise with Crusts
Cream of Almond Soup
Cream of Amandine Soup
Tossed Bibb Lettuce with Blue Cheese, with French Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce Parmesan with Green Goddess Dressing
Orange and Roquefort Cheese Salad with French Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce with Blue Cheese and French Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce Parmesan with Green Goddess Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce with Hearts of Artichoke and French Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce Salad with French Dressing
Bibb Lettuce in Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Endive and Bibb Lettuce Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce Parmesan with French Dressing
Grape and Pear Salad with Whipped Cream Dressing
Grape and Pear Salad with Whipped Cream Dressing
Tossed Bibb Lettuce with Hearts of Artichoke and French Dressing
Tossed Greens in Salad with Anchovy
Tossed Green Salad with Herb Dressing
Hearts of Palm in Green Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Orange and Roquefort Cheese Salad with French Dressing
Salad of Palm Hearts and Cress with Herb Dressing
Endive and Bibb Lettuce Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Salad of Palm Hearts and Cress with Herb Dressing
Hearts of Palm in Green Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Caramel Cream Mold with Burnt Caramel Sauce
Lemon Iced Diamond Shaped Cakes
Small Cakes
Lemon a la Russe
Small Coconut Cakes
Nuts
Assorted Nuts
Mixed Nuts
Salted Nuts
Ladyfingers
Sponge Drops
Macaroons
Vanilla Wafers
Demitasse
Coffee
Brandied Peaches
Nectar Peaches
Fresh Strawberries
Molded Fruits a la Whipped Cream
Jello Grapefruit Mold with Whipped Cream Center
Frosted Mint Delight
Macaroon Ice Cream Ring Mold
Macaroon Ice Cream Ring
Ring of Vanilla Ice Cream
Lime Glace
Betty Brune de Pommes with Hard Sauce
Candies
Bon Bons
Mints
Frozen Nesselrode with Brandied Cream
Nesselrode Pudding with Brandied Marron Sauce
Nesselrode Pudding with Caramel Sauce
Frozen Rum Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
Petits Fours
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We also see the first appearance of many dishes that are mainstays on the state dinner menus all the way to George H.W. Bush: wild rice, bibb lettuce salads, artichokes, mousse. By 1959 he’s serving “Aspic of Pâté de Foie Gras,” a dish so extra and laden with buzzwords that you might as well call it “Avocado Ceviche Kobe Beef Toast with Quinoa” for the Greatest Generation. But Ike was a humble Kansan at heart: The foie gras gelatin was served with Boston brown bread sandwiches. Still, Eisenhower’s gentle nudges of change are apparent. If Roosevelt kept his state dinners humble to show the United States he was willing to sacrifice, too, Eisenhower helped show America that, “Hey, it’s okay to be fancy again.”
Eisenhower was also the first president to document the selected wines on every state dinner menu. The structure is the same for every state dinner: A sherry with every first course, a Sauterne for the next course, a Burgundy for the following, and a Champagne at the end. Starting with the state dinner for South Vietnam’s President Ngo Dinh Diem in May 1957, the wines are finally labeled, too. The wineries are notably all from France or Spain. The ever-moderate and incremental Eisenhower was, in fact, the first president to serve California wines at White House social functions—but only at luncheons and dinners lower on the social totem pole than the state dinner. A burgeoning, experimental wine industry in the Golden State during the 1950s did not quite erase the product’s global reputation as table wine.
* A total of 23 menus were used for this dataset. The menu for Eisenhower’s June 4, 1958, state dinner for President Theodor Heuss of West Germany could not be found by the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.
The Eisenhowers and the Khrushchevs pose before a state dinner at the White House in September 1959. Ever the proletarian, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev refused to wear the customary white tie and tails. “My husband would just as soon dress that way, too, if I’d let him,” said first lady Mamie Eisenhower. Right: President Dwight D. Eisenhower loved soup so much that he even created his own. His detailed recipe for vegetable soup was printed in an Iowa newspaper in 1954. (The Washington Post/Getty Images/National Archives)
John F. Kennedy
January 20, 1961 - November 22, 1963 | 14* State Dinners
The Kennedys brought unprecedented class and sophistication to the White House state dinner. Jacqueline Kennedy restructured the White House staff and created a new executive chef position to handle formal dinners. The days of family friends and old military buddies commanding the cooks were over.
The executive chef hired by the first lady was a renowned, formally trained French chef named René Verdon. His impact on the menus was immediate. Main courses transformed from roast turkey to “Tournedos Heloise” (steak with black truffle sauce). The “olives and celery” course vanished into history alongside doo-wop and poodle skirts. Verdon also insisted on the freshest, highest-quality ingredients possible. Decades before first lady Michelle Obama’s garden, he grew vegetables on the White House roof and herbs in the East Garden.
“The White House has always claimed to have French cooking, always. But it really got that way with Kennedy,” the historian William Seale said. Indeed, the whole country in the early 1960s went gaga for the Gauls. Julia Child’s epochal book Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in 1961, the year Kennedy took office. Even Kennedy’s menus were written in French, although it was really more “Frenglish,” with dish names like “Roast Sirloin Vert Pre.”
John F. Kennedy
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Mousse
Aspic
Crackers
Quenelles
Croquettes
Potatoes
Vol-au-Vent
Rice
Vegetables
Peas
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Mousse
Asparagus
Spinach
Endive
Green Beans
Bordeaux
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Pinot Noir
Champagne
Burgundy
Chardonnay
Salad
Soup
Cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Rubis au Porto
Mimosa
Green
Aspic
Mousse
Liqueurs
Cake
Bombe
Pastries
Coffee
Fruit
Ice Cream
Souffle
Petits Fours
Fillets de Sole Normande
Fillet of Sole Verdi
Boston Sole Diplomate
Boston Fillet of Sole Verdi
Avocado and Crabmeat Mimosa
Rockfish Braise au Champagne
Black Bass Bosniaque
Delices of Maryland à l'Américaine
Trout en chaud froid Doria
Medallions of Salmon (cold) with Green Sauce
Beef Rochambeau
Fillet of Beef Montpensier
Roast Sirloin of Beef Chevreuse
Tournedos Heloise
New York Roast Sirloin Vert Pre
Roast Sirloin Vert Pre
Roast Sirloin Chatelaine
Roast Sirloin Concorde
Fillet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce
Roast Lamb Garnished with Vegetables
Selle de l'Agneau Clamart
Roast Spring Lamb
Gigot d'Agneau aux Flageolets
Carré d'agneau Descar
Poulet Chasseur
Guinea Hen Santa Clara
Salmon Mousse
Salmon Mousse Washington with Green Sauce
Aspic of Salmon Dorian with Sauce Vincent
Foie Gras en gelée
Crackers
Quenelles of Sole au Gratin
Potatoes Dauphine
Waffle Potatoes
Vol-au-Vent Maryland
Wild Rice
Rice Pilaf
Rice a l'Orientale
Couronne de Riz Clamart
Vegetables
Peas a la Francaise
Peas in Butter
Petits Pois au Beurre
Tomates grille
Potatoes Parisienne
Potatoes Gaufrettes
Potatoes Anna
Asparagus Sauce Mousseline
Asperges de Californie with Sauce Hollandaise
Creamed Spinach
Epinards a la creme
Spinach a la Creme
Spinach
Braised
String Beans with Almonds
Château Haut-Brion
Château Haut-Brion Blanc
Château Latour
Almaden Pinot Blanc
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese
Almaden
Château Corton-Grancey
Corton, Clos de la Vigne au Saint
Perrier-Jouët
Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut
Piper-Heidsieck
Dom Pérignon
Cuvée Dom Pérignon
Cuvée Dom Pérignon Brut
Corton-Charlemagne
Grands Echezeaux
Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles
Chevalier Montrachet
Inglenook Pinot Chardonnay
Salad and Brie Cheese
Cream Chicken Soup “Caroline”
Brie
Salad and Brie Cheese
Assorted Cheeses
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Boston Lettuce Salad
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Rubis au Porto
Salad Mimosa
Salade Mimosa
Green Salad
Foie Gras in Aspic au Porto
Galantine of Chicken
Mousse aux Concombres
Mousse de Foie Gras en gelée
Mousse of Roquefort
Demi-tasse and Liqueurs
Gateau St. Honoré
Charlotte Glacée Moka
Charlotte Plombière
Bombe Glacée Coppelia
Bombe Glacée Caribiéenne
Bombe Glacée Rustique
Bombe Glacée Pistachio
Bombe Glacée Jeanneton
Bombe Glacée Grand Duchesse
Bombe Glacée aux Peches
Bombe Glacée Nelusko
Assorted Pastries
Demi-tasse
Demi-tasse and Liqueurs
Framboises à la Crème Chantilly
Couronne Glacée Impériale
Glace Josephine
Ice Cream Souffle Jocelyn
Peach Ice Cream Souffle
Petits Fours
Petits fours Sec
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But not all French cuisine is for the diamond credit card set, as the Kennedys demonstrated. JFK is only one of two presidents known to have served waffle fries as a side dish (the other is Lyndon B. Johnson, but there’s still time for President Trump). They’re referred to on the menu as the slightly less Chick-fil-A “potatoes gaufrettes.”
Kennedy was a global president, starting the Peace Corps and making travel a far more frequent role of the presidency, with eight state visits in his less than three years in office—three times the rate of Eisenhower. But despite his cultural diplomacy, nods to other countries are kept mostly to the desserts, usually themes on a faddish 1960s dessert known as a bombe. For the grand duchess of Luxembourg’s state dinner in April 1963, for example, she was served Bombe Glacée Grand Duchesse. Sadly, there’s no record of his ever serving Berliners—a colloquial term for German jelly doughnuts.
Wines came predominantly from France, but at his state dinner for Peruvian President Manuel Prado Ugarteche on Sept. 19, 1961, Kennedy became the first president to serve state dinner guests a wine from the United States: Almaden pinot noir. He was also the first president to serve chardonnay, which—along with the occasional pinot blanc—replaced sherry as the first-course wine.
A state dinner with Chancellor Ludwig Erhard of West Germany scheduled for Nov. 25, 1963, was to feature Boston fillet of sole Verdi, roast sirloin Concorde, spinach à la crème, mousse of Roquefort, and bombe glacée nelusko with petits fours for dessert. On Nov. 1, social secretary Nancy Tuckerman wrote a memo to appointments secretary Kenneth O’Donnell complaining that the suggested guest list, which included Robert F. Kennedy, Milton Berle, Marlene Dietrich, Aaron Copland, and Martha Graham, was much too large. She urged him and the president to do “a great deal of cutting.”
There was no need. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, and the dinner was canceled.
* This includes the planned menu for his canceled Nov. 25, 1963 state dinner honoring Ludwig Erhard, the chancellor of West Germany.
The Kennedys hosted Ivory Coast President Félix Houphouët-Boigny and his wife, Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, during a state dinner at the White House in 1962. Right: The menu, with notes President John F. Kennedy scribbled as he prepared to give the evening’s toast. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Lyndon B. Johnson
November 22, 1963 - January 20, 1969 | 54 State Dinners
True to the man who passed the Civil Rights Act while regularly taking meetings on his toilet, President Johnson’s state dinner menus were one-of-a-kind and ahead of their time, pushing the boundaries of good taste.
After the state dinner with Ludwig Erhard scheduled for the week after Kennedy was assassinated was canceled, Johnson invited the West German chancellor to his Texas ranch the following month for the first-ever “presidential barbecue.” According to Lady Bird Johnson’s diary, they served Erhard and 300 others “beans (pinto beans, always), delicious barbecued spare ribs, cole slaw, followed by fried apricot pies with lots of hot coffee. And plenty of beer.”
Chef René Verdon was aghast. “You can eat at home what you want, but you do not serve barbecued spareribs at a banquet with the ladies in white gloves,” he told the Washington Post.
The LBJ White House state dinner menus never included barbecue but nevertheless resemble a French cookbook as interpreted by Texans. Johnson was not a picky eater, but he was definitely a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy—literally. More than three-quarters of his state dinners included beef, lamb, or veal. The menus were written in English again. Several desserts were named after the guest of honor, such as “Glace Macapagal” (for Filipino President Diosdado Macapagal in October 1964) and “Meringue Park” (for South Korean President Park Chung-hee in May 1965).
Lyndon B. Johnson
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Mousse
Aspic
Yorkshire Pudding
Croquettes
Pastries
Potatoes
Vol-au-Vent
Crepes
Rice
Mousse
Puree
Vegetables
Peas
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Lettuce
Zucchini
Artichokes
Spinach
Eggplant
Endive
Green Beans
Burgundy
Bordeaux
Soave
Pinot Noir
Champagne
Sparkling
Chablis
Sauvignon Blanc
Red Wine
Riesling
Pinot Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sherry
Meat
Soup
Cheese
Mousse
Lettuce
Aspic
Fiesta
Greens
Green Salad
Barigoule
Watercress
Endive
Palm Hearts
Bavarian Cream
Cake
Romanoff
Parfait
Bombe
Mousse
Fruit
Souffle
Ice Cream
Sherbet
Other
Ice Ring
Meringue
Sculpture
Petit Fours
Fillet of Sole Amandine
Sole Véronique
Fillet of Sole Venice
Sole Les Pinos
Turban of Sole
Fillet of Sole White House
Fillet of Sole Washington
Fillet of Sole Bonne Femme
Lobster Thermidor
Cold Baby Lobster
Cold Baby Lobster White House
Lobster Imperial
Crabmeat Ravigote
Crabmeat Chesapeake
Chesapeake Crabmeat Ring
Pompano Moro
Atlantic Pompano Amandine
Florida Pompano
Pompano Tropical
Florida Pompano Meunière
Pompano Henri
Brook Trout White House
Turbot Washington
Turbot Royale
Baked Red Snapper
Red Snapper Amandine
Coquilles St. Jacques
Supreme of Shrimp
Delices of Maryland
Fillet of Beef Wellington
Fillet of Beef Nemours
Roast Ribs of Beef
Fillet of Beef California
Fillet of Beef Clamart
Roast Sirloin of Beef White House
Roast Sirloin of Beef
Roast Sirloin of Beef Bordelaise
Roast Tenderloin of Beef Bordelaise
Roast Fillet of Beef White House
Roast Tenderloin of Beef
Tenderloin of Beef White House
Fillet of Beef Florentine
Roast Tenderloin of Beef Fleuriste
Sirloin of Beef Culloden
Roast Prime Rib of Beef
Tenderloin of Beef Bordelaise
Roast Sirloin President
Roast Sirloin White House
Filet Mignon Orlich
Filet Mignon White House
Tournedos Baltimore
Tournedos Hunter
Chateaubriand with Bearnaise Sauce
Rack of Lamb Vert Pre
Roast Rack of Lamb
Rack of Lamb
Noisettes of Lamb
Rack of Lamb Persilles
Tenderloin of Veal Princesse
Sliced Breast of Pheasant
Supreme of Pheasant White House
Breast of Pheasant Smitane
Supremes of Capon Tudic
Roast Squab White House
Eggs Tarragon
Rock Cornish Game Hen
Breast of Cornish Hen Virginia
Breast of Duckling à l'Orange
Roast Duckling White House
Roast Duckling Bigarade
Crabmeat Mousse
Baby Lobster en Bellevue
Lobster en Bellevue
Yorkshire Pudding
Berny Potatoes
Almond Potato Croquettes
Potato Galettes
Potato Beignets
Almond Potato Puffs
Fleurons
Anchovy Straws
Duchess Potatoes
Waffle Potatoes
Noisettes Potatoes
Rissole Potatoes
Dauphine Potatoes
Potatoes Anna
Vol-au-vent of Seafood Newberg
Seafood Vol-au-vent
Bouchée of Lobster Newberg
Crabmeat Crepes
Wild Rice
Wild Rice Amandine
Cucumber Mousse
Purée Favorite
Bouquet of Vegetables
Green Peas Mornay
French Peas
June Peas
Tomatoes with Mushrooms
Princess Tomatoes
Broiled Tomatoes
New Potatoes
Parsleyed New Potatoes
Potatoes Empire
Wisconsin Potatoes
Potatoes White House
Parisienne Potatoes
Braised Celery
Glazed Baby Carrots
Cauliflower au Gratin
Tomatoes with Mushrooms
Stuffed Mushrooms
Fresh Asparagus
White Asparagus Polonaise
Asparagus Hollandaise
Braised Lettuce
Fresh Zucchini Niçoise
Zucchini Niçoise
Zucchini Provençale
Artichokes with Vegetable Puree
Artichokes White House
Artichokes Gastronomes
Artichokes Mornay
Artichoke Bottoms (Choron)
Creamed Spinach
Eggplant Niçoise
Eggplant Provençale
Braised Endive
Green Beans Mornay
String Beans Amandine
Green Beans Amandine
Green Beans aux Champignons
String Beans Stroganoff
Fresh Green Beans
Green Beans au Gratin
Pommard Billardet Hospices de Beaune
Pommard Les Grands Epenots
Château Gruaud Larose
Bolla
Beaulieu Beaumont
Louis Martini
Inglenook
Martin Ray
Charles Krug
Dom Pérignon
Paul Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
Piper-Heidsieck
Almaden Blanc de Blancs
Hanns Kornell Brut
Krug
Beaulieu
Krug Chenin Blanc
Wente
Great Western Vin Rouge
Inglenook Tamay
Paul Masson Emerald Dry
Gold Seal Fournier Nature
Charles Krug Johannisberg
Almaden
Inglenook
Wente
Charles Krug
Beaulieu
Inglenook
Krug
Beaulieu
Sherry
Almaden
Pâté
Ham Circles
Summer Garden Soup
Cream Baltimore
Consommé au Quenelles
Vichyssoise
Blue Cheese
Brie Cheese
Trappist Cheese
Gourmandise Cheese
Bel Paese Cheese
Tilsit Cheese
Assorted Cheeses
Cheeses
Roquefort Mousse
Cheese Mousse
Bibb Lettuce Salad
Bibb Lettuce Lexington
Romaine and Endive Salad
Galantine of Ham
Fiesta Salad
Hearts of Palm and Garden Greens
Salad of Greens
Summer Salad Greens
Spring Garden Salad
Garden Salad
Green Salad
Asparagus Bari
Endive and Watercress Salad
Hearts of Palm and Watercress
Endive and Watercress Salad
Romaine and Endive Salad
Hearts of Palm and Watercress
Hearts of Palm Salad
Hearts of Palm Vinaigrette
Hearts of Palm and Garden Greens
Bavaroise Sato
Bavaroise Ceylon
Awatef Bavarian
Charlotte Russe
Charlotte Antoinette
Strawberry Cake White House
Coconut Sagarmatha
Strawberry Skiveren
Savarin Jubilee
Savarin Asunción
Yule Log
Strawberries Romanoff
Coffee Parfait
Raspberry Bombe
Peach Bombe Flambé
Baked Alaska
Baked Alaska Ifane
Mint Cecilia
Norige Jubilee
Chocolate
Bavarian Cream
Mousse London
Mousse Shukri
Peaches Luise
Mango Aissa
Atifet Delight
Souffle Innsbruck
Soufflé Glacé Westminster
Glace Tsiranana
Glace Macapagal
Glace Yameogo
Praline Glace
Glace India
Lemon Glace Helle
Glace Rachel
Glace Imelda
Glace Zara
Pears Glacées Sara
Marrons Glacés Leila
Atifet Delight
Ring of Sherbet Monastir
Peach Pahiatua
Strawberry La Paulina
Chocolate Mint Bettina
Ice Damavand
Meringue Park
Vacherin Chiang Mai
Vacherin Thankolsook
August Basket
Petit Fours Secs
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Johnson’s wine selections, despite his official drink being “bourbon and branch water,” according to the White House press office at the time, were as pioneering and controversial as Medicare and Medicaid. Although Kennedy was the first president to serve an American wine at a state dinner, Johnson was the first to serve American wines exclusively. This was over 10 years before the Judgment of Paris, when wine snobs still automatically assumed the inferiority of American vintages.
The Americanized food and wine were two parts of a larger diplomatic effort by the Johnson administration to showcase products from a country at the height of its power and influence. U.S. embassies were ordered to start serving the homeland’s wines as well. Eliminating foreign wines from the State Dining Room also helped deal with “the major problem of the balance-of-payments deficit and gold outflow,” the New York Times reported in 1965. In other words, it wouldn’t have look good for Johnson to continue offering Dom Pérignon while asking Americans to quit buying foreign goods.
Befitting one of the most ambitious presidents of the 20th century, Johnson also holds the record for most state dinners: a staggering 54. That was over eight times the number hosted by Truman. Johnson even hosted two state dinners within three days of each other on the week of June 8, 1964.
Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson also made a decision that would define state dinners at the White House for decades. When Chef Verdon quit in December 1965, they hired Henry Haller as his replacement. A Swiss-born hotel chef, Haller oversaw state dinner cuisine for the next 21 years.
As the tumultuous 1960s came to a close, so did Johnson’s time in office and, as it turned out, his vision of what a state dinner should be. After Richard Nixon became president in January 1969, he reverted the food and wine at state dinners back to how they had been under Kennedy. Had the years 1964 to 1968 really happened, or were they simply a frenzied, sirloin-and-spuds fever dream?
Top: President Lyndon B. Johnson hosts Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie at a state dinner at the White House on Feb. 14, 1967. (Mike Geissinger/LBJ Presidential Library) Bottom left: Members of the White House staff prepare chocolate yule logs ahead of a dinner celebrating German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard’s state visit on Dec. 22, 1965. (White House Historical Association) Bottom right: President Johnson kisses the hand of Muriel Humphrey with her husband, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, by her side as attendees of a state dinner for the visiting emir of Kuwait gather for a portrait in December 1968. (Bettmann/Getty Images)
Richard Nixon
January 20, 1969 - August 9, 1974 | 40 State Dinners
Richard Nixon’s state dinners were like his own character: complicated, underrated, and nearly destroyed by flaws.
Nixon hosted 40 state dinners before he resigned. Perhaps as a typically Nixonian attempt to convince others of his status, 13 of those dinners were in his first year alone. He was also the first president to host a leader of the Soviet Union—General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev on June 18, 1973—since the 1950s. Brezhnev was served supreme of lobster en bellevue (chilled lobster removed from the shell and decorated with aspic, truffles, and green leaves, according to Ruta, the former executive sous-chef), contre-filet of beef bordelaise, paillettes dorées (a very Gallic way to say “cheese straws”), pommes aux amandes, eggplant and green beans orientale, a bibb lettuce salad with Port Salut cheese, and vacherin glacé aux framboises for dessert.
The dinner was a fitting coda to Nixon’s “kitchen debate” with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow back in July 1959. During a series of discussions over the relative merits of the United States and Soviet Union at the American National Exhibition in Moscow (which Brezhnev also attended), America’s then-vice president stressed to the Soviet premier, “In this day and age to argue who is stronger completely misses the point. With modern weapons it just does not make sense. If war comes we both lose.” Despite the military advantages held by the Soviet Union, Nixon argued, the United States provided a better quality of life for its citizens.
Although the tension between superpowers in 1973 was dulled by detente and the SALT I treaty, the state dinners held for Brezhnev in Washington and Nixon at the Soviet Embassy over that summer were where the kitchen debate spilled over into the dining room. During this Francophilic era of American state dinners, lobster bellevue was reserved for a limited number of state dinners. It was expensive and difficult to prepare. It helped demonstrate to the guest of honor the American horn of plenty at its meat gelatin-coated finest and fullest. Nixon’s opening volley to Brezhnev would be returned five days later, when the premier hosted a “reciprocal dinner” at the Soviet Embassy. He was feted by Brezhnev with caviar with butter, coulibiac (a type of pie), a “seafood assortment” (including dried meat from the back of a sturgeon), woodland game birds, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, borscht, starry sturgeon with champignon mushrooms, Russian-style meat and potato stew, and strawberry mousse. Priyatnogo appetita!
One unexpected winner in Nixon’s gastrodiplomacy, however, was the American Chinese restaurant. The dinners hosted in his honor during his historic 1972 visit to China revolutionized restaurant menus in the United States. A country that knew of Chinese food mainly as chop suey and egg rolls was exposed to a variety of new dishes during the media blitz—mu shu pork and Peking duck, for instance.
Richard Nixon
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Timbale
Mousse
Aspic
Croquettes
Pastries
Cheese Pastries
Vol-au-Vent
Potatoes
Rice
Mousse
Broccoli
Vegetables
Peas
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Brussels Sprouts
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Chestnuts
Zucchini
Artichokes
Timbale
Eggplant
Garden
Green Beans
Bordeaux
Liebfraumilch
Pinot Noir
Champagne
Sparkling
Riesling
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Mousse
Lettuce
Mimosa
Cressonnière
Caesar
Greens
Riverside
Palm Hearts
Bavarian Cream
Cake
Flambe
Mousse
Fruit
Soufflé
Ice Cream
Blancmange
Vacherin
Petits Fours
Fillet of Sole Véronique
Supreme of Sole Véronique
Fillet of Dover Sole Véronique
Poached Fillets of Sole Véronique
Fillet of Halibut Royale
Supreme of Halibut Dugléré
Fillet of Halibut Dugléré
Coquille of Crabmeat Impérial
Crab à la Maryland
King Crab Niçoise
Supreme of Pompano Meunière
Supreme of Salmon Farcie Impériale
Supreme of Salmon à l'Americaine
Supreme of Columbia Salmon with Sauce Verte
Coquille of Salmon Neptune
Le Saumon de Columbie Chambord
Supreme of Turbot Impériale
Coquille of Seafood Neptune
Coquilles St. Jacques
Coquilles St. Jacques Danoise
Coquille au Gratin St. Jacques
Tronçon of Striped Bass White House
Supreme of Striped Bass White House
Fillet of Beef Jardiniere
Contre-Filet of Beef Bordelaise
Fillet of Beef Wellington with Sauce Périgueux
Fillet of Beef Rôti aux Cèpes with Sauce Bordelaise
Roast Contre-Filet of Beef au Chambertain
Contre-Filet of Beef aux Cèpes
Roast Filet of Beef Forestière
Roast Tenderloin of Beef aux Champignons with Sauce Bearnaise
Roasted Sirloin of Beef aux Fines-Herbes
Roast Sirloin of Beef with Sauce Marchand de Vin
Roast Contre-Filet of Beef Marchand Vin
Entrecôte Mirabeau
Le Filet Mignon Potenza
Broiled Filet Mignon Forestière
Le Contre-Filet de Boeuf aux Cèpes
Contre Filet de Boeuf Périgourdine
Chateaubriand Bearnaise
Broiled Chateaubriand with Sauce Bearnaise
Chateaubriand Neretva with Sauce Bearnaise
Tenderloin of Veal Maintenon
Medallions of Veal Périgourdine
Tournedos Saute Bearnaise
Breast of Pheasant Smitane
Supreme of Pheasant Véronique
Breast of Capon Virginia
Breast of Capon Eugenie
Supreme of Capon Favorite
Royal Squab Farcie Périgueux
Supreme of Royal Squab
Supreme of Royal Squab Smitane
Supreme of Duck Montmorency
Supreme of Duckling Montmorency
Breast of Duckling à l'Orange
Supreme of Duckling au Porte
Supreme of Duckling Bigarade
Timbale of Seafood Américaine
Timbale of Seafood White House
Timbale of Fruits de Mer White House
Mousse of Sole Bonne Femme
Supreme of Lobster en Bellevue
Supreme of Lobster en Bellevue with Sauce Remoulade
Lobster Lustre en Belle-Vue
Shrimps en Aspic
Mousse of Salmon in Aspic
Aspic of Seafood Neptune
Pommes Dauphine
Potatoes Berny
Wild Rice Croquettes
Pommes Macaire
Fleurons Dorés
Paillettes Dorées
Quenelles de Brochet en Vol-au-Vent
Pommes Souflées
Potatoes Anna
Wild Rice
Rice Pilaff
Wild Rice Amandine
Rice Provençale
Cucumber Mousse
Broccoli au Beurre
Broccoli Polonaise
Broccoli au Gratin
Bouquetière of Vegetables
Tiny Peas Étuvée
Tomatoes Farcies
Tomates Farcies
Tomatoes Florentine
Tomato Provençale
Les Pommes Nouvelles
Pommes Nouvelles
Cocotte Potatoes
Potatoes Persillées
Pommes Mascotte
Pommes Olivettes
Pommes aux Amandes
Celery Braises
Carrots au Beurre
Brussels Sprouts au Beurre
Choux de Bruxelles
Mushrooms Provençale
Asperges Fraîches au Beurre
Asparagus au Beurre
Fresh Asparagus au Beurre
Asparagus Hollandaise
Fresh Asparagus Hollandaise
Les Asperges Fraîches Hollandaise
Chestnuts Glaces
Marrons Glacées
Zucchini Saute
Zucchini Fermière
Zucchini Farcie
Artichokes
Fresh Artichokes
Artichokes Provençale
Artichokes St. Germain
Artichokes Prima Vera
Artichokes Andalouse
Artichokes Florentine
Timbale of Spinach
Timbale of Spinach Provençale
Timbale Printanière
Eggplant and Green Beans Orientale
Jardiniere de Legumes
Vegetables Jardiniere
Eggplant and Green Beans Orientale
Green Beans Amandine
Château Ausone
Château Margaux
Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Latour
Liebfrauenmilk
Martin Ray
Dom Pérignon
Pol Roger
Paul Ruinart
Louis Roederer Cristal
Taittinger
Corton
Bollinger
Piper-Heidsieck
Almaden Blanc de Blancs
Bernkasteler Doctor
Schloss Johannisberger
Johannisberger Klaus
Louis Martini
Inglenook
Puligny-Montrachet
Pouilly-Fuissé
Corton-Charlemagne
Louis Martini
George de Latour Beaulieu
Brie Cheese
Fromage de Brie
Port Salut Cheese
Bel Paese Cheese
Camembert Cheese
Le Fromage de Camembert
Holland Cheeses
Muenster Cheese
Carre de L'Est Cheese
Assorted Cheeses
Fromages Assortis
Roquefort Mousse
Bibb Lettuce Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Hearts of Palm
La Laitue de Kentucky
Limestone Lettuce
Salad Mimosa
Hearts of Palm Cressonnière
Salad Cressonnière
Caesar Salad
Garden Salad
Riverside Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Hearts of Palm
Bavarois Rubané with Sauce Framboise
Charlotte Monticello
Charlotte Revivim with Sauce Sabayon
Charlotte de Pommes with Sauce Sabayon
Charlotte de Pommes with Sauce Mousseline
Buche de Noel
Charlotte Abidjan
Poires Flambées Par-le-Duc with Sauce Sabayon
Crêpes Suzettes Flambées
Mousse au Chocolat
Mousse Glacé au Praliné
Mousse Brazilian
Mousse de Fraises au Grand Marnier with Sauce Melba
Mousse aux Pêches Chantilly
Peaches Cardinale
Figs Roma
Brandied Peach en Surprise
Peach Nsele
Blueberry Melba with Sauce Framboise
Soufflé Glacé Diplomate
Soufflé au Grand Marnier with Sauce Noisette
Soufflé au Grand Marnier with Sauce Sabayon
Soufflé Glacé Mt. Saana
Soufflé au Citron
Glace à l'Orange
La Melon Glacé a la Vigneronne
Glace Nougatine
Cassata Melon Glace en Surprise
Glace Praliné
Fresh Peaches Glacées Monticello with Sauce Framboise
Blancmange Cordiale
Blanc Manger with Sauce au Chocolat
Strawberry Vacherin
Vacherin Délicieuse
Vacherin Glacé aux Fraises
Vacherin à la Roma
Vacherin Glace aux Framboises
Petits Fours Sec
Petits Fours
Les Petits Fours
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But the real culinary victor of the Nixon White House was Paris. While Johnson downplayed Kennedy’s French revolution, Nixon brought it back in force. His dinners were so French, the menu for United Kingdom Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s state dinner in January 1970 referred to a Brussels sprouts dish as “Choux de Bruxelles.”
“The menus may have something to do with the fact that the Nixons held in high esteem what the Kennedy administration had done and how they had done it at the White House,” Seale, the historian, said. Pat Nixon and Jackie Kennedy were good friends, according to Seale, despite the bitterness of the 1960 election.
Although Nixon came from humble roots in rural Southern California, he had expensive taste, especially in wine. Many of his favored wines were pricey French Bordeaux and German rieslings, such as Bernkasteler Doctor—the most expensive German wine you could buy at the time. His treemap includes more Cristal than a Jay-Z album.
“Nixon, he had a very acute taste, high taste for wines. Maybe more than any other president,” Seale said. But he apparently didn’t like to share if he didn’t have to. Seale described how at dinners presumably not paid for by the State Department, Nixon would request wines be served to him that didn’t appear on the menus. The other guests were given “the cheaper stuff.” In their book The Final Days, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein depict the president serving a Bordeaux worth $5 (about $25 today) to the congressmen he entertained on the presidential yacht one evening, while stewards poured him a bottle of $30 Chateau Margaux (about $150 now), a favored wine of President Thomas Jefferson. The bottle was wrapped in a napkin to conceal the label from the congressmen. He wasn’t nicknamed “Tricky Dick” for nothing.
Unfortunately, Nixon’s sophisticated French fare is brought down by his taste in salad. They’re not the worst—nothing will beat Roosevelt’s and Truman’s cream cheese salads—but the salads are dull and standardized in contrast to his elaborate choices elsewhere. He served the same bibb lettuce salad 14 state dinners in a row, from 1972 to the final dinner in December 1973.
It’s as if the White House stopped caring once Watergate blew up.
Top: President Richard Nixon and first lady Pat Nixon greet Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as he arrives at the White House for a state dinner on March 24, 1969. (Bettmann/Getty Images) Bottom left: White House staff set tables ahead of a dinner for U.K. Prime Minister Harold Wilson on Jan. 27, 1970. (White House Historical Association) Bottom right: White House Executive Chef Henry Haller prepares food for a state dinner for French President Georges Pompidou on Feb. 24, 1970. (White House Historical Association)
Gerald Ford
August 9, 1974 - January 20, 1977 | 34* State Dinners
Gerald Ford served as president for just two and a half years and yet found time to host 34 state dinners—the fifth most of any president. His output was as solid and steady as Ford himself. Seven of those state dinners were in the last five months of 1974 alone, his first five months of office. He even hosted Jordan’s King Hussein on Aug. 16, 1974, a mere week after he became president. And that wasn’t even technically Ford’s first state dinner—or his first state dinner with King Hussein.
A dinner hosted by then-President Nixon had been scheduled with the king for March 12, 1974. A week prior to the event, however, Ford’s national security advisor, Jack Marsh, issued a memo requesting the vice president host in Nixon’s place. The president, perhaps preoccupied by Congress’s ongoing investigation into grounds for his impeachment, perhaps shunning events covered by the evil liberal media, instead spent that evening at the Veterans of Foreign Wars 25th Annual Congressional Banquet, where he was presented with a case of five commemorative medallions. The ever-reliable Ford, meanwhile, found a way to host the king at the White House despite being scheduled for a talk in San Diego that afternoon.
Ford, who promised to restore dignity to the White House, also used state dinners as a way to reassure foreign leaders. Stable allies were important amid the chaos of the mid-1970s, with the Yom Kippur War, the energy crisis, the fall of Saigon, and the rise of terrorism in Europe. Ford was saying, “Don’t worry. Even though the guy before me resigned, you can trust me to keep this ship afloat.”
In fact, he said precisely that at one dinner. “I would like to assure you … that we will continue the policy we have pursued up to now,” the president told King Hussein, according to the August 1974 dinner’s Memoranda of Conversation. The king later dined on cold Columbia River salmon en bellevue (yup, more aspic) with paillettes dorées.
Gerald Ford
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Prosciutto
Poultry
Timbale
Mousse
Aspic
Croquettes
Pastries
Cheese Pastries
Toast
Rice
Broccoli
Vegetables
Peas
Spinach
Fruit
Cauliflower
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Brussels Sprouts
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Chestnuts
Zucchini
Artichokes
Timbale
Eggplant
Onions
Green Beans
Sauvignon Blanc
Vidal Blanc
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Blend
Fortified
Beaujolais
Champagne
Chenin Blanc
Sparkling
Riesling
Pinot Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Lettuce
Asparagus
Endive
Watercress
Greens
Soup
Gelatin
Palm Hearts
Cookies
Cake
Flambe
Mousse
Fruit
Sherbet
Soufflé
Ice Cream
Bombe
Pastries
Parfait
Coffee
Vacherin
Petits Fours
Fillet of Sole Véronique
Supreme of Sole Véronique
Supreme of Halibut Dugléré
Cold Smoked Rainbow Trout
Fillet of Pompano Meunière
Cold Smoked Salmon
Smoked Columbia River Salmon
Poached Columbia River Salmon
Supreme of Shrimp Niçoise
Supreme of Red Snapper
Fillet of Red Snapper Meunière
Coquilles St. Jacques
Roast Sirloin of Beef Bordelaise
Roast Prime Ribs of Beef
Tenderloin of Beef
Fillet of Beef
Fillet of Beef with Bearnaise Sauce
Chateaubriand Bearnaise
Filet Mignon Bordelaise
Tournedos with Mushroom Sauce
Saddle of Veal
Roast Rack of Lamb
Melon and Prosciutto
Supreme of Pheasant Smitane
Breast of Pheasant
Supreme of Pheasant Véronique
Supreme of Capon
Stuffed Breast of Capon Tamara
Supreme of Royal Squab
Supreme of Royal Squab Véronique
Supreme of Rock Cornish Hen
Roast Duckling Bigarade
Supreme of Duckling with Glazed Apples
Supreme of Duckling
Timbale of Sea Scallops
Mousseline of Red Snapper
New England Lobster en Bellevue with Sauce Remoulade
Cold Columbia River Salmon en Bellevue with Sauce Verte
Salmon en Gélee with Sauce Verte
Dauphine Potatoes
Rice Croquettes
Wild Rice Croquettes
Fleurons Dorés
Fleurons
Cheese Straws
Paillettes Dorées
Melba Toast
Wild Rice
Rice Pilaff
Wild Rice Amandine
Saffron Rice
Broccoli au Beurre
Broccoli Mornay
Bouquet of Vegetables
Bouquet of Spring Vegetables
Green Peas with Fresh Mint
Spinach en Branche
Spinach with Tangerines
Spinach with Tangerines
Grilled Orange Slices
Melon and Prosciutto
Carrots and Grapes
Cauliflower with Parsley
Cauliflower Polonaise
Tomatoes St. Germain
Broiled Tomatoes with Artichoke Hearts
Tomatoes Provençale
New Potatoes with Parsley
Pommes Mascotte
Onion and Celery Amandine
Baked Celery with Almonds
Glazed Carrots
Buttered Carrots
Carrots and Grapes
Brussels Sprouts Amandine
Mushrooms Provençale
Zucchini with Mushrooms
Asparagus Tips in Butter
Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Asparagus Polonaise
Chestnut Puree
Green Beans with Water Chestnuts
Sauteed Zucchini
Zucchini Sauté Fermière
Zucchini with Mushrooms
Artichokes St. Germain
Broiled Tomatoes with Artichoke Hearts
Timbale of Spinach
Broccoli Timbale
Eggplant Fermière
Onion and Celery Amandine
Green Beans with Water Chestnuts
Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc
Wente Brothers
Ste. Michelle Semillon Blanc
Chateau Mouton Rothschild
Chateau Latour
Tabor Hill Trebbiano
Robert Mondavi
Inglenook
Sterling
Buena Vista Burgundy
Paul Masson Dry Sherry
Charles Krug Gamay
Mirassou Premier Gamay
Dom Pérignon
Louis Roederer Cristal
Dry Creek
Ste. Michelle
Sterling
Almaden Blanc de Blancs
Korbel Natural
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs
Schramsberg Blanc de Noir
Schramsberg Crémant
Mirassou au Naturel
Mirassou Brut
Beaulieu Extra Dry
Beaulieu Champagne de Chardonnay
Bernkasteler Doctor
Schloss Johannisberg
Louis Martini Johannisberger
Freemark Abbey Johannisberg
Chappellet Johannisberg
Wente Grey Riesling
Louis Martini
Inglenook
Freemark Abbey
Wente Brothers
Beaulieu Beaufort
Louis Martini
Charles Krug
Freemark Abbey
Sterling
Robert Mondavi
Ste. Michelle
Beaulieu
Almaden
Brie Cheese
Brie Cheese Amandine
Tilsit Cheese
Port Salut Cheese
Bel Paese Cheese
Trappist Cheese
Muenster Cheese
Bibb Lettuce Salad
Bibb Lettuce Salad with Watercress
Hearts of Lettuce Salad
Romaine Lettuce Salad
Asparagus and Lettuce Vinaigrette Salad
Asparagus and Lettuce Vinaigrette Salad
Endive and Watercress Salad
Bibb Lettuce Salad with Watercress
Watercress and Endive Salad
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Vinaigrette Salad
Watercress and Hearts of Palm Salad
Garden Salad
Mixed Garden Salad
Tossed Green Salad
Turtle Soup
Turtle Soup with Sherry
Romaine Soup
Cold Cucumber Soup
Consommé with Brandy
Gazpacho
Red Snapper Bisque
Jellied Madrilene
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Vinaigrette Salad
Hearts of Palm Salad
Watercress and Hearts of Palm Salad
Macaroons
Chocolate Delight
Charlotte Monticello
Strawberries Flambé
Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries Flambé
Baked Alaska Flambé
Chocolate Mousse
Praline Mousse
Hazelnut Mousse
Chocolate Mousse Chantilly
Fresh Peach Mousse
Black Cherries with Irish Mist
Peaches Melba
Iced Pineapple
Raspberry Sherbet Ring with Strawberries
Orange Sherbet with Fresh Fruit
Macadamia Nut Soufflé
Macadamia Nut Soufflé with Sabayon Sauce
Grand Marnier Soufflé
Soufflé au Grand Marnier with Sabayon Sauce
Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Sauce
Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries Flambé
Hazelnut Ice Cream Ring with Chocolate Sauce
Glace Praliné
Peach Ice Cream Bombe with Fresh Raspberries
Bombe Nougatine
Chocolate Profiteroles
Mocha Parfait with Fine Champagne
Demitasse
Irish Coffee
Strawberry Vacherin with Raspberry Sauce
Petits Fours
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And what of the food? Gerald Ford was a transitional president with transitional state dinners. For the first year, Ford menus were a continuation of the precedent set by Kennedy and Nixon: French menus with French names. But Ford’s desire for the nation to move forward seems to show in his state dinners. By 1975 the “broccoli au beurre” yielded to “buttered carrots.”
Although the courses themselves don’t differ much from Nixon’s, the return to English menus also signals a larger, Johnsonian effort by the Fords to present meals “representing everything American at the White House,” according to Betty Ford’s social secretary Maria Downs. Think of the 1970s as French food with American ingredients. Ford was fond of serving wild rice and Columbia River salmon along with the soufflés and flambés. By the end of 1974, all of the wines at a Ford state dinner were from the United States. At a dinner honoring Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky on Nov. 12, 1974, the Michigander even served a wine from Michigan’s Tabor Hill Winery. It was the first Wolverine State wine ever served at a White House state dinner and would remain the only Michigan wine until Barack Obama served one in 2016.
* This includes a March 12, 1974, state dinner for King Hussein of Jordan, which Ford hosted in Nixon’s place. The data do not include menus from three state dinners: President Walter Scheel of West Germany, June 16, 1975; Prime Minister Takeo Miki of Japan, Aug. 5, 1975; and the emperor and empress of Japan, Oct. 2, 1975. The menus could not be found by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
Top: President Gerald Ford dances with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II at a state dinner at the White House on July 7, 1976. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images) Middle left: Ford talks with Jordan’s King Hussein and Queen Alia after the formal dinner that was his first state function as president on Aug. 16, 1974. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images) Middle right: First lady Betty Ford hosts guests including Cary Grant and Nelson and Happy Rockefeller at a state dinner for the United Kingdom’s prime minister on Jan. 30, 1975. (Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum) Bottom: The first lady dances with the comedian Marty Allen at the dinner for the president of Liberia on Sept. 21, 1976. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1977 - January 20, 1981 | 38 State Dinners
If historians judged presidents purely on their culinary performance, Jimmy Carter would be ranked one of the all-time greats. Not only did he host more state dinners in a single year than any other president—16 in 1977—but on Sept. 7 of that year he also hosted a state dinner with the most guests of honor in history, honoring 27 different Latin American countries in recognition of the United States signing the treaties transferring ownership of the Panama Canal. His state dinner in March 1979 to honor the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty was the largest ever given by the White House: 1,360 guests. The food on both occasions was the epitome of a fancy dinner at the time—Maine lobster en belle-vue and roast saddle of veal with a selection of fresh vegetables for the former, and Columbia River salmon in aspic and roast sirloin of beef with spring vegetables at the latter.
There was a solid political reason for this flurry of events. Carter was constantly on the defensive during his presidency, facing a country that believed itself to be in terminal decline and perceived as a weak and uncertain leader. Around the halfway point of his presidency, the Democratic Party grew nervous. “[Democrats] were so afraid of … the tenuous character of his administration,” Seale said. “The Democratic Party began paying for a whole lot of entertainments. Huge things that the party would pay for … to pep him up.”
Carter’s bridge-building efforts were another reason for the whirl at the table. He hosted then-Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping in January 1979 after granting the People’s Republic of China full diplomatic recognition for the first time. Talk about bridge-building—he even invited Richard Nixon as a guest! Two months later, Carter hosted a state dinner honoring Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin, in honor of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty he’d just helped negotiate at Camp David.
Jimmy Carter
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Ham
Poultry
Timbale
Suckling Pig
Buffalo
Mousse
Aspic
Croquettes
Pastries
Corn
Cheese Pastries
Toast
Yorkshire Pudding
Dressing
Quiche
Bread Sticks
Rice
Broccoli
Vegetables
Squash
Spinach
Cauliflower
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Brussels Sprouts
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Endive
Artichokes
Timbale
Eggplant
Green Beans
Semillon
Fortified
Pinot Noir
Pinot Blanc
Beaujolais
Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé
Chenin Blanc
Sparkling
Riesling
Pinot Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Lettuce
Endive
Watercress
Mushrooms
Spinach
Greens
Soup
Palm Hearts
Bavarian Cream
Cream
Cookies
Cake
Sculpture
Mousse
Fruit
Sherbet
Souffle
Ice Cream
Bombe
Pastries
Gelatin
Coffee
Crepes
Pudding
Chocolate
Petits Fours
Poached Lemon Sole Filled with Salmon
Atlantic Halibut with Seafood Sauce
Supreme of Halibut Fines Herbes
Supreme of Halibut in Herb Sauce
Fillet of Smoked Trout
Fillet of Smoked Trout with Horseradish Sauce
Sauteed Supreme of Pompano with Lemon Sauce
Florida Pompano Véronique
Supreme of Pompano in White Grape Sauce
Florida Pompano Sauteed
Cold Poached Columbia River Salmon with Watercress Sauce
Cold Columbia River Salmon with Sauce Verte
Columbia River Smoked Salmon
Broiled Red Snapper
Red Snapper with Seafood
Alaskan King Crab in Herb Sauce
Maryland Crab with Oyster Sauce
Supreme of Maryland Crab
Supreme of Striped Bass
Baked Striped Bass
Striped Bass with Oyster Sauce
Supreme of Striped Bass Dugléré
Half Cold Lobster with Sauce Remoulade
Cold Lobster with Sauce Remoulade
Supreme of Seafood with Palm Hearts
Avocado Pear Stuffed with Seafood
Roast Rib of Beef
Tenderloin of Beef in Golden Crust
Roast Sirloin of Beef
Roast Tenderloin of Beef
Broiled Filet Mignon
Filet Mignon Wellington with Truffle Sauce
Chateaubriand Bearnaise
Broiled Chateaubriand with Sauce Bearnaise
Roast Stuffed Saddle of Veal
Roast Saddle of Veal
Roast Stuffed Loin of Veal
Medallions of Veal
Roast Stuffed Saddle of Lamb
Crown Roast of Lamb
Rack of Lamb in Fine Herbs
Roast Rack of Lamb
Roast Rack of Lamb with Fine Herbs
Stuffed Saddle of Lamb
Glazed Virginia Ham with Brandied Peaches
Supreme of Pheasant
Roast Supreme of Pheasant
Roast Pheasant Véronique
Supreme of Pheasant Véronique
Supreme of Capon in White Grape Sauce
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Mushroom Dressing
Barbequed Chicken
Supreme of Royal Squab
Roast Duckling
Roast Duckling with Glazed Peaches
Timbale of Seafood
Suckling Pig
Roast Buffalo
Mousse of Sole with Salmon Hearts
Maine Lobster en Belle-Vue with Remoulade Sauce
Columbia River Salmon in Aspic
Dauphine Potatoes
Almond Croquettes
Golden Twists
Fleurons
Crescent Puffs
Corn Sticks
Corn Pudding
Cheese Straws
Cheese Twists
Melba Toast
Yorkshire Pudding
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Mushroom Dressing
Vegetable Quiche
Bread Sticks
Sesame Sticks
Wild Rice
Steamed Rice
Wild Rice with Vegetables
Wild Rice with Vegetable Julienne
Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Rice
Saffron Rice
Broccoli in Butter
Fresh Broccoli
California Broccoli
Broccoli Spears
Selection of French Vegetables
Selection of Fresh Vegetables
Spring Vegetables
Garden Vegetables
Green Squash
Spinach Souffle
Fresh Artichokes with Spinach
Parslied Cauliflower
Cauliflower
Cauliflower with Fine Herbs
Fresh String Beans and Cauliflower in Butter
New Parslied Potatoes
Braised Celery
Glazed Carrots
Brussels Sprouts
Artichokes with Mushrooms
Artichoke Hearts with Mushrooms
Sauteed Mushrooms
Asparagus Tips in Butter
Fresh Asparagus
Asparagus
Braised Endive
Artichoke Hearts with Mushrooms
Artichoke Hearts Filled with Mushrooms
Artichokes with Mushrooms
Fresh Artichokes Filled with Salmon Flakes
Fresh Artichokes with Spinach
Artichokes Filled with Fresh Spinach
Artichoke Hearts Florentine
Artichoke Hearts Niçoise
Timbale of Spinach
Eggplant Niçoise
Eggplant
Sauteed Eggplant
Sauteed Eggplant Parmesan
Fried Eggplant
Fresh String Beans and Cauliflower in Butter
Julienne Green Beans
Ste. Michelle Dry Semillon
Paul Masson Rare Sherry
Almaden Dry Sherry
Sebastiani
Wente Bros.
Charles Krug Gamay
Mirassou Gamay
Beaulieu Vineyard Gamay
Simi
Dry Creek
Ste. Michelle
Almaden Blanc de Blancs
Korbel Natural
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs
Beaulieu Extra Dry
New York Taylor
Great Western Natural
Gold Seal Blanc de Blancs
Hanns Kornell Champagne
Hanns Kornell Brut
Hanns Kornell Extra Dry
Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Chandon Brut
Chandon Blanc Brut
Louis Martini Johannisberg
Charles Krug Johannisberg
Simi Johannisberg
Robert Mondavi Johannisberg
Louis Martini
Wente Bros.
Beaulieu Vineyard Pinot Chardonnay
Pinot Chardonnay
Beaulieu
Sebastiani
Paul Masson
Almaden Chardonnay Nature
Louis Martini
Charles Krug
Robert Mondavi
Ste. Michelle
Simi Michelle
Simi
Paul Masson
Brie Cheese
Port Salut Cheese
Bel Paese Cheese
Trappist Cheese
Wisconsin Blue Cheese
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Bibb Lettuce Salad
Hearts of Lettuce Salad
Romaine Lettuce Salad
Endive and Watercress Salad
Watercress and Mushroom Salad
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Vinaigrette
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Salad
Endive and Watercress Salad
Watercress and Mushroom Salad
Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Garden Green Salad
Tossed Garden Greens with Blue Cheese Dressing
Tossed Green Salad
Mixed Green Salad
Cold Watercress Soup
Beef Consommé
Cold Cucumber Soup
Atlantic Sea Scallops Soup
Gazpacho Soup with Croutons
Shrimp Gumbo Soup
Chilled Crab Gumbo
New Orleans Gumbo
Red Snapper Bisque
Hearts of Palms Vinaigrette
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Vinaigrette
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Salad
Almond Bavarian Cream with Raspberry Sauce
Fresh Strawberry Chantilly
Macaroons
Cookies
Blueberry Melba Cookies
Chocolate Truffles and Florentines
Florentines
Pineapple Charlotte Royale
Frozen Peach Ice Cream Cake with Fresh Raspberry Sauce
Pistachio Ice Cream Cake
Frozen Orange Sherbet Cake with Grand Marnier Sauce
Yule Log with Sabayon Sauce
Frozen Praline Crown with Chocolate Pears
Petits Fours in Sugar Baskets
Chocolate Basket Surprise
Chocolate Basket en Surprise
Coconut Ice Cream in Hibiscus Shell
Palm Leaves
Chocolate Mousse
Hazelnut Gianduja Mousse
Chestnut Mousse
Pineapple Mousse Surprise
Macédoine of Fresh Fruit
Brandied Black Cherries
Sugar Loaf Pineapple Filled with Lemon Sherbet
Fresh Raspberries with Cream
Apricot Orientale
Candied Fruits
Raspberry Sherbet Ring
Orange Sherbet Ambrosia
Macadamia Nut Souffle
Frozen Grand Marnier Souffle
Frozen Souffle with Glacéed Strawberries
Lemon Souffle
Burnt Almond Ice Cream Ring with Butterscotch Sauce
Praline Ice Cream Mold
Hazelnut Ice Cream Bombe
Baked Alaska
Strawberry Tart Chantilly
Lemon Chiffon Pie
Frozen Cassata Melon Mold with Fresh Strawberries
Blanc Mange with Fresh Strawberries
Demitasse
Flamed Crepes filled with Strawberries
Pears Imperatrice
Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate Truffles and Florentines
Petits Fours
Dig in: How the graphics work
By the time Carter left office he had hosted 38 state dinners. With dinners so frequent that some occurred within two or three days of each other, the Carter menus offered few surprises. The most significant departure from other state dinners of the era was the appearance every so often of a Georgia dish. It’s hard to imagine Nixon serving the glazed Virginia ham with brandied peaches as Carter did at the dinner honoring West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt on July 13, 1977.
The late 1970s saw so much growth in the American wine market that by 1980, sales surpassed that of hard liquor. That passion for wine did not translate into the White House. Never a big drinker himself, Carter served wines that were carryovers from Gerald Ford—except for the bargain-bin Paul Masson wines, which were served four times. The Orson Welles ad campaign of the late 1970s clearly had an effect.
Contact sheets show state dinners hosted by the Carters—for the president of Venezuela on June 28, 1977 (top two rows), and the Shah of Iran on Nov. 15, 1977. (National Archives)
Ronald Reagan
January 20, 1981 - January 20, 1989 | 52* State Dinners
For fans of state dinners, the Reagan administration was morning in America. Ronald Reagan’s state dinners combined Kennedy’s glamour with Johnson’s output. The Gipper was three state dinners shy of beating LBJ’s record, but 52 is still four times as many as those held by George W. Bush or Barack Obama. And no other president can boast of a state dinner where John Travolta danced with Princess Diana. At their dinner* in November 1985, the prince and princess of Wales were served lobster mousseline, glazed chicken capsicum, brown rice, garden vegetables, jicama salad, and a peach sorbet basket with Champagne sauce and petits fours for dessert.
How were the Reagans able to throw so many glamorous state dinners? It helped that first lady Nancy Reagan hired Jackie Kennedy’s former White House social secretary, Letitia Baldrige, as a consultant. The historian William Seale offered another possible explanation. “Maybe it was because of their past in film, where everything has to be so immaculately detailed to save money to do a movie, but that’s the way [Nancy Reagan] did it,” he said. “They were not tolerant of mistakes. And everything went as they planned it.” The Reagans may have been fairly new to Washington, but thanks to their Hollywood backgrounds they were no strangers to a good party. And the 1980s weren’t short on movie-like drama, either. Reagan denounced the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” in 1983 and narrowly avoided a nuclear standoff the following year. By December 1987, tensions had thawed, and the White House even threw a state dinner for Mikhail Gorbachev.
Ronald Reagan
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Timbale
Galantine
Mousse
Aspic/Jelly
Pasta
Souffle
Bulgar
Pastries
Corn
Cheese Pastries
Toast
Spaetzle
Pita
Bread Sticks
Rice
Broccoli
Vegetables
Squash
Spinach
Cauliflower
Peppers
Mousse
Corn
Potatoes
Celery
Lettuce
Turnips
Pate
Carrots
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Peas
Asparagus
Endive
Artichokes
Timbale
Eggplant
Green Beans
Sauvignon Blanc
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Healdsburger
Kleinberger
Muscat
Opus One
Beaujolais
Gewurztraminer
Zinfandel
Chenin Blanc
Sparkling
Riesling
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Lettuce
Endive
Watercress
Radicchio
Mushrooms
Spinach
Avocado
Oranges
Jicama
Beets
Nasturtium
Nuts
Greens
Palm Hearts
Cookies
Cake
Mousse
Fruit
Sorbet
Souffle
Ice Cream
Bombe
Pastries
Parfait
Croquembouche
Sculpture
Vacherin
Terrine
Petits Fours
Fillet of Sole with Grapes
Cold Lemon Sole with Dill and Cucumber Sauce
Poached Halibut Véronique
Poached Halibut in Dill Sauce
Smoked Fillet of Mountain Trout with Horseradish Sauce
Fillet of Mountain Trout Farcie
Fillet of Smoked Trout with Horseradish Sauce
Smoked Fillet of Trout
Supreme of Smoked Trout
Poached Fillet of Pompano Beatrix
Supreme of Pompano in Champagne
Supreme of Pompano à la Meunière
Columbia River Salmon with Sauce Verte
Columbia River Smoked Salmon with Cucumber Sauce
Supreme of Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce
Smoked Salmon Cornets
Seafood Neptune
Chesapeake Bay Crab
Poached Turbot with Sauce Aurora
Gravlax Rosette with Mustard Sauce
Vegetable Mousse with Seafood, Served with Herb Sauce
Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood and Romano Cheese Sauce
Shrimp Parfait
Roast Tenderloin of Beef
Roast Contre-filet of Beef
Sliced Tenderloin of Beef with Sauce Choron
Roast Beef Tenderloin Hearts with Sauce Bearnaise
Broiled Tenderloin of Beef with Bearnaise Sauce
Beef Farci en Croute with Truffle Sauce
Fillet of Beef in Pepper Sauce
Roast Tenderloin of Veal Farci
Tenderloin of Veal en Croute with Truffle Sauce
Piccata of Veal
Crown of Veal Medallion with Basil Sauce
Rack of Veal au Poivre
Fillet of Veal with Ginger Sauce
Medallions of Veal in Marsala
Medallion of Veal in Champagne
Tenderloin of Veal in Golden Crust with Truffle Sauce
Medallions of Veal Perigueux
Loin of Veal with Wild Mushrooms and Champagne Sauce
Tenderloin of Veal Wellington
Roast Loin of Veal with Terragon Sauce
Roasted Saddle of Veal Perigourdine
Roast Rack of Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce
Tenderloin of Lamb in Golden Crust with Fine Herb Sauce
Crown Roast of Lamb
Saddle of Lamb Farci
Fillet of Lamb in Rosemary
Supreme of Chicken in Tarragon
Supreme of Chicken Véronique
Supreme of Chicken with Red Peppers
Supreme of Chicken with Mushrooms and Fines Herbes Sauce
Supreme of Chicken with Oranges
Breast of Chicken Sandeman
Supreme of Chicken Bigarade
Glazed Chicken Capsicum
Chicken Sandeman White House
Breast of Chicken, Sauce Dijon with Tarragon
Supreme of Chicken in Golden Leaves
Breast of Capon Eugenie
Supreme of Capon in Flamed Brandy Sauce
Supreme of Capon Smitane
Supreme of Capon
Supreme of Cornish Hen with Black Cherries
Supreme of Cornish Hen with Fines Herbes Sauce
Roast Supreme of Duckling à l'Orange
Jellied Sole Timbale with Watercress Sauce
Chicken Galantine with Tarragon Sauce
Cold Salmon and Sole Mousse Doria with Sauce Verte
Salmon and Sole Mousse with Coulis of Tomato
Salmon and Sole Mousse with Aurora Sauce
Turban of Shrimp Mousse with Chive Sauce
Poached Salmon and Cucumber Mousse with Red Caviar Sauce
Crab and Cucumber Mousse with Horseradish Sauce
Lobster Mousseline with Maryland Crab Horseradish Sauce
Crab, Lobster, and Cucumber Mousse
Chesapeake Bay Crab Mousse
Trout Mousse with Aurora Sauce
Lobster Mousse with Fines Herbes Sauce
Ham Mousse Cornets
Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Mousse with Dilled Cucumber Sauce
Supreme of Lobster en Gelée with Red Caviar Sauce
Cold Columbia River Salmon en Gelée with Dill Sauce
Supreme of Salmon and Lobster en Gelée with Fines Herbes Sauce
Columbia River Salmon and Lobster Medallions en Gelée with Caviar Sauce
Maryland Crab and Lobster in Aspic with Fine Herb Sauce
Columbia River Salmon in Aspic with Herb Sauce
Fillet of Sole in Aspic with Herbed Mayonnaise
Fillet of Sole in Aspic with Fines Herbes Sauce
Lobster in Port Jelly with Remoulade Sauce
Baby Lobster Bellevue with Caviar Yogurt Sauce
Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood and Romano Cheese Sauce
Risotto
Gnocchi Romano
Souffle Potatoes
Potatoes Souffle
Minted Bulgar Pilaf
Bow Tie Twists
Golden Bow Ties
Fleurons
Sesame Seed Twists
Poppy Seed Twists
Fennel Seed Twists
Curried Croissant
Pine Nuts and Dill Bow Ties
Petits Corn Sticks
Savory Cornsticks
Bow Tie Gruyere Twists with White House Garden Herb Sauce
Gruyere Bow Ties
Bow Tie Cheese Twists
Cheddar Napoleons
Rye Points
Melba Toast
Herbed Rye Melba
Fresh Spaetzle
Triangles of Pita Bread
Pita Bread
Sesame Sticks
Herbed Rye Bread Rounds
Wild Rice
Wild Rice Amandine
Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Saffron Rice
Wild Rice with Raisins
White Rice
Wild Rice with Vegetable Brunoise
Curried Rice
Rice Pilaf
Wild Rice with Walnuts
Wild Rice with Toasted Walnuts
Wild Rice with Grape Tartlettes
Sauteed Rice
Wild Rice with Hazelnuts
Arborio Rice
Brown Rice
Pilaf Printanier
Broccoli Flowers
Broccoli in Lemon Butter
Garden Vegetables
Mixed Vegetables
Vegetable Printanière
Bouquets of Garden Vegetables
Bouquets of Vegetables
Spinach with Honey Glazed Vegetables
Jardinière of Vegetables
Yellow Squash
Squash with Tomato Relish
Turban of Carrots with Yellow Squash
Garden Green Beans and Yellow Squash
Spinach Turban with Chanterelles
Spinach with Honey Glazed Vegetables
Cauliflower and Green Beans
Puree of Sweet Red Peppers
Raifort Mousseline
Dill Mousseline
Vegetable Mousse with Seafood, Served with Herb Sauce
Corn Turban
Tiny New Potatoes with Artichoke Hearts
Tiny Potatoes and Tomatoes Provençale
Golden Carrots and New Potatoes
Spring Potatoes
Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
Braised Celery au Gratin
Romaine Leaves filled with June Peas
Carrot Puree in Turnip Cups
Garden Beans and White Turnips
Vegetable Pate with Tomato Coulis
Vegetable Pate
Carrots and Almond Ring
Carrot Puree in Turnip Cups
Carrot Ring
Braised Fennel and Carrots
Golden Carrots and New Potatoes
Carrot Ring and Green Peas
Zucchini Crown and Julienne Carrots
Turban of Carrots with Yellow Squash
Turban of Gingered Carrots
Tiny Potatoes and Tomatoes Provençale
Broiled Tiny Tomatoes
Tomatoes Filled with Tiny Peas
Tarragon Tomatoes
Spinach Turban with Chanterelles
Baby Zucchini
Zucchini Crown and Julienne Carrots
Snow Peas
Minted Snow Peas
Artichokes with Minted Peas
Carrot Ring and Green Peas
Fresh Asparagus
Asparagus Hollandaise
Garden Asparagus
Spring Asparagus
Asparagus Mimosa
Asparagus en Surprise
Fresh Asparagus Polonaise
Asparagus with Hazelnut Butter
Braised Endive
Artichoke Hearts
Tiny New Potatoes with Artichoke Hearts
Artichokes St. Germain
Artichokes Printanière
Artichokes with Minted Peas
Timbale of Green Beans with Garden Carrots
Spinach Timbale of Gruyere Souffle
Broccoli and Walnut Timbale
Tiny Eggplants Filled with Saffron Rice
Green Beans Amandine
Green Beans in Butter
Garden Beans and White Turnips
Green Garden Beans
Garden Green Beans and Yellow Squash
Cauliflower and Green Beans
Pellegrini Blanc Chalk Hill Fume
Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc Reserve
Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc
Adler Fels Fume Blanc
Grgich Hills Fume Blanc
Napa Valley
Stephens
Carmenet
Kendall-Jackson Chevriot du Lac
Souverain Merlot Vintage Selection
Mill Creek
Chateau Julien
Boeger
St. Francis
Chalone Vineyard Vin Gris
Robert Mondavi
Buena Vista Special Selection
Saintsbury
Edna Valley
Saintsbury Garnet
Ruston Cellars
Carneros Creek
Leardini
Calera
Carneros
Williams Selyem
Balverne
Gundlach Bundschu
Paulsen Muscat Canelli
Opus One 1982
Gan Eden
Navarro
Ridge Amador
Simi
Stag’s Leap
Girard
Grand Cru Dry
Korbel Sec
Korbel Blanc de Noirs
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs
Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Schramsberg Crémant Demi-sec
Almaden Eye of the Partridge Cuvée
Scharffenberger Brut
Schramsberg Cuvée de Pinot
Van der Kamp Brut Rosé
Van der Kamp Brut
Culbertson Cuvée de Frontignan
Domaine Mumm, Cuvée Napa
Kedem Extra Dry
Iron Horse Brut Summit Cuvée
S. Anderson Blanc de Noirs
Johannisberg Riesling
Johannisberg Riesling Hagafen Kosher
Firestone Vineyard
Trefethen
Christian Brothers
Grgich Hills
Chateau Montelena
Acacia
Shafer
ZD Chardonnay
Ventana
Zaca Mesa American State
Edna Valley
Vichon
Pine Ridge
Far Niente
Franciscan Chardonnay Estate
Matanzas Creek
Kistler Dutton Ranch
Lambert Bridge
Cakebread
Stony Hill
Bacigalupi
Jordan
Quail Ridge
Clos du Bois Calcaire
Sonoma-Cutrer
Monticello
Clos du Bois
Hagafen
Silverado
Boyer
Saintsbury
Robert Mondavi
Jordan
Inglenook
Knights Valley Estate Beringer
Silver Oak
Fetzer
Clos du Val
Conn Creek
Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 2
Domaine Michel
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Brie Cheese
Port Salut Cheese
Brie and Chevre Cheeses
Brie aux Fines Herbes
Reblochon Cheese
Gourmandise Cheese with Walnuts
Saint Nectaire Cheese
Saint Paulin Cheese
Delice de France
Bel Paese Cheese
Assorted Cheeses
Trappist Cheese
Reblochon and Saint Paulin Cheeses
Brillat-Savarin Cheese
Grape Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Chevre Cheese
Brie Cheese with Toasted Almonds
Tilsiter Cheese
Coulommiers and Saint Paulin Cheeses
Cambozola Blue Cheese
Brie Cheese with Crushed Walnuts
Stilton Cheese
Selection of Cheese
Native Chevre Cheese
Bibb Lettuce Salad
Escarole, Bibb Lettuce, and Avocado Salad
Bibb Lettuce with Endive
Bibb Lettuce and Radicchio Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Radicchio Salad with Walnut Dressing
Radicchio and Romaine Hearts Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Garden Chives
Fennel and Red Leaf Lettuce
Pistachio and Romaine Hearts Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Hearts of Palm Salad
Bibb Lettuce with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Hearts of Lettuce
Escarole, Bibb Lettuce, and Avocado Salad
Escarole, Mache Salad with Olive Oil and Lemon Dressing
Endive, Mache, and Radicchio Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Belgian Endive and Field Salad
Red Beets and Belgian Endive Salad
Spinach and Endive Salad with Sesame and Almond Dressing
Endive and Chicory Salad
Bibb Lettuce with Endive
Belgian Endive and Watercress Salad
Endive and Watercress Salad
Watercress and Mushroom Salad
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Salad
Belgian Endive and Watercress Salad
Endive and Watercress Salad
Watercress and Radicchio Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Radicchio Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Radicchio Salad with Walnut Dressing
Radicchio and Romaine Hearts Salad
Radicchio Blossom Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Endive, Mache, and Radicchio Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Watercress and Radicchio Salad
Watercress and Mushroom Salad
Enoki and Hearts of Palm Salad
Spinach Salad
Spinach and Endive Salad with Sesame and Almond Dressing
Spinach and Water Chestnut Salad
Escarole, Bibb Lettuce, and Avocado Salad
Mandarin Sunflower Salad
Jicama Salad with Herbed Cheese and Croutons
Red Beets and Belgian Endive Salad
Nasturtium Flower Salad
Spinach and Water Chestnut Salad
Gourmandise Cheese with Walnuts
Pistachio and Romaine Hearts Salad
Garden Green Salad with Walnuts
Garden Green Salad with Walnuts
Mixed Garden Salad
Garden Salad with Cheddar Cheese
Garden Salad with Chive Dressing
Belgian Endive and Field Salad
Garden Salad with Mustard Seed Vinaigrette
Escarole, Mache Salad with Olive Oil and Lemon Dressing
Medley of Garden Greens
Endive, Mache and Radicchio Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Autumn Mixed Salad
Bibb Lettuce and Hearts of Palm Salad
Hearts of Palm and Watercress Salad
Enoki and Hearts of Palm Salad
Almond Tuiles
Assorted Macaroons
Biscuits sec
Orange Tuiles and Ginger Twigs
Pineapple en Surprise
Pear en Surprise
Chocolate Mousse
Peach Mousse with Champagne Sauce
Honey Liqueur Mousseline
Pistachio Marquise
Red Bartlett Pear Mousse
Chestnut Marquise with Pistachio Sauce
Gianduja Mousse with Praline Sauce
Fresh Raspberries
Watermelon filled with Macédoine of Fresh Fruit
Apricot Slices
Pomegranate Sorbet with Fresh Fruit
Raspberry Baskets
Gin Parfait with Honey Grapefruit
Fantasie of Pear Sorbet in a Basket
Pomegranate Sorbet with Fresh Fruit
Orange Sorbet Valencia
Springtime Sorbet
Coconut Sorbet
Peach Sorbet Basket with Champagne Sauce
Rose Sorbet
Lemon Sorbet Basket
Tea Sorbet in Honey Ice Cream
Lady Apple Sorbet
Pineapple Champagne Sorbet
Grand Marnier Souffle
Frozen Lemon Souffle with Fresh Raspberries
Lemon Souffle with Blackberry Sauce
Lemon Souffle with Raspberry Sauce
Cold Lime Souffle with Fresh Figs
Hot Dried Pear Souffle with Cinnamon Whipped Cream and Caramel Pear Sauce
Souffle Frangelica
Melon Glace en Surprise
Nougat Glace with Caramel or Raspberry Sauce
Caramel Ice Cream and Poached Apples with Sauce Calvados
Tea Sorbet in Honey Ice Cream
Coconut Ice Cream with Fresh Berries
Chestnut Bombe
Mocka Bombe Borboleta
Black Cherry Bombe en Surprise
Pear Williams Bombe
Apricot Sorbet Bombe
Honey Ice Cream Bombe with Chocolate Almond Brittle
Coconut Bombe
Galletas
Pecan Galette
Gin Parfait with Honey Grapefruit
Croquembouche à l'orange
Sugar Tulip Basket with Orange Sorbet
Sugar Basket with Fresh Fruit Sorbet
Raspberry Sorbet Rose
Hazelnut Autumn Log
Sugar Swan with Sorbet and Fruit
Chocolate Boxes with Fruit Sorbets and Peach Champagne Sauce
Vacherin with Mango and Raspberry Sorbet
Walnut Terrine with Pistachio Sauce
Petits Fours
Petits Fours sec
Acorn Petits Fours
Petits Fours Glaces
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Still, by 1981 it was apparent that the state dinner food was becoming an archaism. “Antiquated cookery,” as Frank Ruta put it. Nancy Reagan, taking a more hands-on approach than most first ladies, tried to freshen up menu selections that had now been used for more than 20 years. Ruta, who served as executive sous-chef during the Reagan years, recalled that Nancy Reagan relied on the advice of, remarkably, her interior decorator, Ted Graber. Although not a chef, Graber was “more of a foodie than what is now considered a foodie,” Ruta recalled. New dishes were introduced, such as pita bread—served at Australian Prime Minster Malcolm Fraser’s dinner in June 1981—and nasturtium salads—served to Brazilian President José Sarney in September 1986. Mousse was served more frequently as a lighter alternative to the traditionally heavy French courses.
The Reagans hired David Berkley, a wine expert based in Sacramento, to consult on wine selections. Berkley introduced several new California wineries to the White House cellars, with the visible result that the drinks were noticeably more diverse than in the 1970s. Chenin blanc took a backseat to chardonnay, and the hot California climate-friendly zinfandel and merlot appeared for the first time. Thanks to Berkley’s selections, Reagan may well have had the best taste in wine of any president. Nixon would likely disagree. Then again, Nixon wouldn’t have shared his wine.
* We counted data from a total of 49 dinners, including the dinner for Prince Charles and Princess Diana on Nov. 9, 1985. The following state dinner menus are currently unavailable or incomplete: Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Aug. 5, 1981; Luis Herrera Campíns of Venezuela, Nov. 17, 1981; Sandro Pertini of Italy, March 25, 1982; and Moussa Traore of Mali, Oct. 6, 1988.
* It technically wasn’t a state dinner, but it was close enough.
Top: First lady Nancy Reagan samples the work of the White House kitchen staff, including Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier (left) on July 30, 1982. (Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House Historical Association) Bottom left: Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev shakes hands with baseball great Joe DiMaggio at a state dinner at the White House hosted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on Dec. 8, 1987. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Library) Bottom right: President Reagan laughs while U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher speaks during a state dinner at the White House on Feb. 26, 1981. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Library)
George H.W. Bush
January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993 | 32 State Dinners
Forget the “Me Decade.” For the White House, the 1980s might as well have been the Mousse Decade. For George H.W. Bush, every course deserved its own mousse.
At least there was something decent to drink to go with it, as long as you’re a fan of chardonnay. When it came to alcohol, Bush was a beneficiary of the 1980s chardonnay boom, with the drink edging out sparkling wine on his menus as prices went down and interest in wine—especially American wine—spiked. But otherwise, there was no great innovation during the Bush era; as in much else. Like Eisenhower’s state dinners, the elder Bush’s 32 such gatherings were a transitional phase between eras of state dinner cuisine. Under Executive Chef Hans Raffert, who had started at the White House as a sous-chef in 1969, the Bushes continued introducing some new ideas for the increasingly dated menus, following the Reagans’ example—but the results feel a little like a new patch on an old pair of pants. King Hassan II of Morocco was served cold pumpkin souffle with crystallized ginger and blackberry sauce for dessert in September 1991. But at that same dinner, the king was also served medallions of salmon in aspic with caviar sauce.
Yes, somehow aspic survived the Cold War.
George H.W. Bush
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Mousse
Aspic/Jelly
Crepes
Potatoes
Bulgar
Pastries
Corn
Cheese Pastries
Toast
Timbale
Rolls
Bread
Croquettes
Bread Sticks
Yorkshire Pudding
Rissoles
Rice
Vegetables
Squash
Spinach
Cauliflower
Mousse
Corn
Potatoes
Celery
Fermière
Pate
Carrots
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Peas
Asparagus
Endive
Timbale
Terrine
Green Beans
Sauvignon Blanc
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Muscat
Semillon
Cabernet Franc
Chenin Blanc
Sparkling
Riesling
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Lettuce
Endive
Watercress
Radicchio
Mushrooms
Mesclun
Greens
Soup
Cookies
Cake
Mousse
Fruit
Sorbet
Souffle
Ice Cream
Bombe
Parfait
Pastries
Gianduja
Sculpture
Vacherin
Chocolate
Petits Fours
Supreme of Sole in Champagne
Supreme of Smoked Trout with Horseradish Sauce
Supreme of Smoked Trout with Sauce Verte
Smoked Salmon
Delice of Salmon Jefferson
California Beluga Sturgeon with Sauce Diplomat
Beef Wellington
Chateaubriand Jardinière with Sauce Foyot
Roasted Fillet of Beef Mascotte with Green Peppercorn Sauce
Roasted Fillet of Beef, Bearnaise Sauce
Roast Tenderloin of Beef, Sauce Périgueux
Tender Medallion of Beef
Roast Sirloin of Beef au Jus
Loin of Veal Farci with Shiitake Mushrooms and Green Pepper Sauce
Roasted Saddle of Veal Périgourdine
Roast Saddle of Veal Farci with Périgord Sauce
Medallion of Veal Piemontese
Medallions of Veal, Wild Mushrooms
Saddle of Veal with Wild Mushrooms
Roast Loin of Veal Ambassadeur with Wild Mushroom Sauce
Rack of Lamb Persillade
Roast Rack of Lamb in Herb Crust with Sauce Paloise
Roast Rack of Lamb in Herbed Crust
Loin of Lamb Farci Chartreuse with Morel Sauce
Crown Roast of Lamb with Minted Sauce
Crown Roast of Lamb, Jalapeño Mint Sauce
Crown Roast of Lamb
Loin of Lamb with Three Peppers in Basil Sauce
Cushion of Lamb in Tarragon
Frenched Lamb Chops
Breast of Chicken Rosemary with Wild Mushrooms
Supreme of Duckling à l'orange
Supreme of Duck à l'orange
Supreme of Pheasant Vigneron
Salmon/Sole Mousseline
Smoked Salmon Mousse
Smoked Salmon Mousse with Herb Sauce
Salmon Mousse
Mousse of Salmon with Caviar Sauce
Mousseline Périgourdin
Smoked Trout and Asparagus Mousse with Horseradish Chantilly
Supreme of Smoked Trout and Cucumber Mousse with Herb Sauce
Salmon Rosettes and Cucumber Mousse with Light Dill Sauce
Cucumber Mousse and Smoked Salmon with Caviar Sauce
Lobster Medallions and Cucumber Mousse with Caviar Sauce
Medallions of Maine Lobster and Cucumber Mousse with Aurora Sauce
Supreme of Maine Lobster with Cucumber Mousse and Caviar Sauce
Maryland Crabmeat and Cucumber Mousse with Ravigote Sauce
Maine Lobster en Gelée with Aurora Sauce
Supreme of Salmon en Gelée with Dilled Cucumber Sauce
Poached Salmon in Champagne Aspic with Caviar Sauce
Medallions of Salmon in Aspic with Caviar Sauce
Baby Lobster in Champagne Jelly with Caviar Sauce
Crepas de Huitlacoche
Potato Rosettes
Dauphine Potatoes
Marquise Potatoes
Minted Bulgar Pilaf
Fleurons
Sesame Fleurons
Sesame Twists
Curried Croissants
Savory Galettes
Fennel Galettes
Potato Galette
Galettes Fines Herbes
Semolina Galettes
Sesame Seed Galettes
Pesto Galettes
Herbed Galettes
Tapenade Galettes
Sesame Galettes
Herbed Bow Ties
Corn Sticks
Cheese Bow Ties
Gruyere Bow Ties
Paillettes Parmesan
Melba Toast
Saffron Rice and Vegetable Timbale
Rice Timbale
Semolina Crescents
French Bread
Croquette Potatoes
Duchess Potatoes
Sesame Sticks
Yorkshire Pudding
Mushroom Rissoles
Wild Rice Amandine
Wild Rice with Pine Nuts
Rice Pilaf Valencienne
Sauteed Wild Rice with Raisins
Blended Rice
Autumn Vegetables
Bouquets of Vegetables
Jardiniere of Vegetables
Medley of Garden Vegetables
Sauteed Spring Vegetables
Vegetable Baskets
Spinach Ring and Yellow Acorn Squash
Carrot Timbale and Young Squash
Tomato and Squash Baskets
Acorn Squash, Baby Corn, and Snow Peas
Turban of Spinach
Spinach Ring and Yellow Acorn Squash
Green Cauliflower and Baby Carrots
Dill Mousseline
Mousse of Celeriac
Acorn Squash, Baby Corn, and Snow Peas
Deep Fried Potatoes
Olivette Potatoes
Chateau Potatoes
Gaufrette Potatoes
Celeriac Puree
Tomato-Corn Fermière
Vegetable Pate, Tomato Coulis
Green Beans and Baby Carrots
Asparagus and Baby Carrots
Glazed Carrots
Green Cauliflower and Baby Carrots
Asparagus Polonaise and Buttered Carrots
Asparagus and Carrots in Roma Tomato Ring
Asparagus and Carrots
Green Asparagus and Baby Carrots
Timbale of Corn with Pear Tomatoes
Tomato and Squash Baskets
Asparagus and Carrots in Roma Tomato Ring
Tomato Provençale
Cèpes au Gratin
Wild Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms
Mushrooms in Potato Bordure
Belgian Endive and Sugar Peas
Belgian Endive and Snow Peas
Acorn Squash, Baby Corn, and Snow Peas
Asparagus Hollandaise
Asparagus with Noisette Butter
Asparagus and Baby Carrots
Asparagus, Sauce Aveline
Asparagus Polonaise and Buttered Carrots
Asparagus and Carrots in Roma Tomato Ring
Asparagus
Asparagus and Carrots
Green Asparagus
Green Asparagus and Baby Carrots
Belgian Endive and Sugar Peas
Belgian Endive and Snow Peas
Spinach Timbale
Carrot Timbale with Snow Peas
Carrot Timbale and Young Squash
Timbale of Corn with Pear Tomatoes
Mushroom Terrine Primavera
Vegetable Terrine with Red Pepper Sauce
Haricots Verts
Green Beans and Baby Carrots
Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc
McDowell Fume Blanc
Robert Mondavi Botrytis
Byron
Flora Springs Soliloquy
Frog’s Leap Le Baiser Magique
Late Leap
Cakebread
Inglenook Merlot Reserve
St. Francis Merlot Reserve
Kendall-Jackson Proprietor’s Reserve
York Mountain Reserve
Saintsbury
Robert Mondavi Reserve
Star Hill
Signorello
Fiddlehead Cellars
Sanford Barrel Select
Essensia California Orange
Elysium Quady Winery
Vichon Semillon Botrytis
Joseph Phelps Delice Du Semillon
Cosentino
Robert Mondavi
Iron Horse Brut Rosé
Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Schramsberg Crémant Demi-Sec
Chandon Brut
Dusinberre Brut
Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs
S. Anderson Blanc de Noirs Cuvée Extraordinaire
Schramsberg Crémant
Scharffenberger Crémant
Jordan J
Domaine Chandon Brut
Piper Sonoma Brut Reserve
Scharffenberger Blanc de Blancs
Firestone Johannisberg Select Harvest
Hagafen Johannisberg
Gabriele y Caroline
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Long Vineyards Botrytis Johannisberg
Renaissance Special Select Late Harvest
Llano Estacado Late Harvest
La Crema Reserve
Hagafen
Talbott
Kalin
Louis Martini
Davis Bynum Reserve
Viansa
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Matanzas Creek
DeLoach
Flora Springs Barrel Fermented
Shafer
Sanford Chardonnay Barrel Select
Crosswoods Manor Hill
Swanson Reserve
Far Niente
ZD Chardonnay
Sanford
Ferrari-Carano
Fall Creek Texas Grand Reserve
Boyer
Merryvale Starmont
Kalin Cellars Livermore
Saintsbury
Shafer Hillside Select
Jordan
Robert Mondavi
Clos du Val
Robert Mondavi Reserve Mag
Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard
Kendall-Jackson Proprietor’s Reserve
Clos Pegase
Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve
Chateau St. Jean
Bell Mountain
Beringer Knights Valley
Shafer
Native Chevre Cheese
St. Andre Cheese
Saga Blue and Brie Cheeses
Goat Cheese from Westfield Farm
Bel Paese Cheese
Herbed Mozzarella Cheese
Saint Paulin Cheese
Brie Cheese
Saga Blue and Vermont Cheddar Cheeses
Herbed Capri Cheese
Trappist Cheese
St. Andre and Chevre Cheeses
Almond Brie Cheese
Port Salut Cheese
Saga Blue Cheese
Blue and Trappist Cheeses
Bibb Lettuce with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Kentucky Bibb Lettuce with Garden Herb Dressing
Bibb Lettuce and Arugula with Herbs Vinaigrette
Endive, Radicchio, and Bibb Salad
Boston Lettuce Salad
Watercress and Belgian Endive Salad
Watercress and Belgian Endive with Avocado Oil Dressing
Red Belgian Endive and Mâche with Mushroom Dressing
Belgian Endive and Watercress with Summer Herb Dressing
Endive, Watercress, and Mushroom Salad
Endive, Radicchio, and Bibb Salad
Watercress and Belgian Endive Salad
Watercress and Belgian Endive with Avocado Oil Dressing
Belgian Endive and Watercress with Summer Herb Dressing
Endive, Watercress, and Mushroom Salad
Watercress, Radicchio, and Mushroom Salad
Watercress, Radicchio, and Mushroom Salad
Radicchio and Green Salad
Endive, Radicchio, and Bibb Salad
Watercress, Radicchio, and Mushroom Salad
Endive, Watercress, and Mushroom Salad
Mesclun Salad, Pine Nut Dressing
Mesclun Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Mesclun Salad with Avocado Oil Dressing
Mesclun Salad
Mesclun Salad with Tender Young Greens, Nasturtium Blossoms, and a Thyme Vinaigrette
Mesclun Salad with Tender Young Greens, Nasturtium Blossoms, and a Thyme Vinaigrette
Radicchio and Green Salad
Red Belgian Endive and Mâche Greens
Mixed Green Salad with Herb Dressing
Spring Salad with Olive Oil and Herb Dressing
Spring Salad
Mixed Spring Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing
Bibb Lettuce and Arugula with Herbs Vinaigrette
Autumn Mixed Salad with Cherry Wine Vinaigrette
Autumn Salad
Herb Dressed Summer Salad
Summer Salad
Crème Margot
Lobster Bisque with Quenelles
Consommé Printanier
Consommé of Pheasant
Cookies
Pineapple Champagne Sorbet Cake with Guava Sauce
White Chocolate Cake with Fresh Fruit and Raspberry Sauce
Pineapple Surprise
Biscuit Turinois with Caramel Sauce
Pistachio Marquise with Fresh Raspberries
Lime Sorbet with Vodka Mousse
Coffee Bombe with Rum Mousse
Caramel Mousse with Roasted Dried Pears and Orange Sauce
Fresh Cherries
Mango Sorbet and Golden Raspberries
Apple Sorbet with Warm Quince
Peach Sorbet
Lime Sorbet with Vodka Mousse
Fruit Sorbets Surprise with Sabayon Sauce
Warm Apple Souffle with Spiced Sauce
Souffle Glace Surprise with Vanilla-Chocolate Sauce
Hot Raspberry Souffle with Custard Sauce
Dried Pear Souffle with Caramel Sauce
Cold Pumpkin Souffle with Crystallized Ginger and Blackberry Sauce
Frozen Lime Souffle with Cherry Marnier Sauce
Acorn Ice Cream with Marrons Glacé and Pistachio Sauce
Strawberry Sorbet Bombe
Summer Bombe with Fresh Cherries
Spring Bombe with Sabayon Sauce
Mocha Bombe with Tia Maria Parfait
Coffee Bombe with Rum Mousse
Pineapple Alaska
Coffee Parfait with Walnut Sauce
Date Parfait
Mocha Bombe with Tia Maria Parfait
Amaretto Parfait
Orange Croquembouche
Delice Gianduja with Bitter Orange Sauce
Chocolate Drum with Red & Golden Raspberries and Sabayon
Chocolate Sea Shell with Assorted Sorbet
Lime Turban with Iced Raspberries
Mexican Fantasy
Spring Vacherin
Chocolate Truffles
Petits Fours
Petits Fours sec
Friandises
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“Hans Raffert was a very nice person, but cooking-wise he was very old-fashioned,” said Pierre Chambrin, who began serving as executive chef in August 1992 after Raffert decided to retire. Chambrin, who came to the White House as a sous-chef in 1990, loved working for the Bushes. “Nice people, lot of class.”
Like Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush had been part of Washington culture for a long time and loved to entertain. He hosted perennial guest Queen Elizabeth in May 1991, her first state dinner since Gerald Ford. This time, the queen was served medallions of Maine lobster and cucumber mousse with aurora sauce, crown roast of lamb, galettes fines herbes, potato croquettes, bouquets of vegetables, watercress and Belgian endive salad, St. Andre and chevre cheeses, and pistachio marquise with fresh raspberries for dessert. The dessert, created by the longtime Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, featured marzipan cobblestones topped with a 10-inch, dark chocolate carriage filled with (you guessed it) mousse.
The dinner must have been good, though. The sausages the queen normally brought with her on visits abroad stayed home, the Washington Post reported.
Top: President George H.W. Bush sits next to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at a state dinner at the White House on May 14, 1991. The London-born actress Angela Lansbury is also seated at the table. (George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/National Archives) Bottom left: White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier pulls raspberry souffles out the oven ahead of a state dinner for Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark on Feb. 20, 1991. (Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House Historical Association) Bottom right: A caramel mousse with roasted dried pears and an orange Grand Marnier sauce prepared for visiting Russian President Boris Yeltsin on June 16, 1992. (Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House Historical Association)
Bill Clinton
January 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001 | 32* State Dinners
The generation gap between George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton came down to two Mexican state dinners. When Bush hosted President Carlos Salinas de Gortari in October 1989, the menu featured supreme of sole in Champagne, roast saddle of veal farci, marquise potatoes, spinach timbale, and a watercress and Belgian endive salad. For President Ernesto Zedillo’s state dinner six Octobers later, guests dined on spiced partridge breast, toasted pear and poppyseed bread, acorn squash with smoked chili sauce, a salad of fall field greens, and a sweet corn and tequila ice cream mold with lime sauce for dessert.
Six years? It might as well have been 60.
Listening to the advice of her friend the “California cuisine” pioneer Alice Waters, first lady Hillary Clinton hired the American chef Walter Scheib in April 1994 and instigated the biggest culinary shift in the White House in over 30 years. With the help of Scheib, the Clinton administration highlighted regional American cuisine in the menus with simpler, fresher ingredients. Aspic was finally, finally out; field greens and fava beans were in. The cheese course was nixed, bringing state dinners down to four courses. As with other game-changing presidential menus, Clinton’s state dinner menus were a political message: American food is diverse, healthy, and on the same level as any other country’s cuisine—even France’s.
Bill Clinton
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Casserole
Potatoes
Bread
Dumplings
Rice Cakes
Pastries
Foccacia
Couscous
Pasta
Polenta
Kasha
Quinoa
Tuiles
Risotto
Custard
Rice
Vegetables
Squash
Ragoût
Hash
Custard
Corn
Potatoes
Dates
Ferns
Greens
Peppers
Olives
Beets
Leeks
Sweet Potatoes
Onions
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Peas
Bok Choy
Asparagus
Eggplant
Artichokes
Terrine
Fava Beans
Sauvignon Blanc
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Muscat
Zinfandel
Pinot Blanc
Sangiovese
Arneis
Nebbiolo
Blend
Malvasia
Syrah
Pinot Grigio
Sparkling
Viognier
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Lettuce
Endive
Watercress
Spinach
Tomatoes
Custard
Citrus
Mango
Cucumber
Palm Hearts
Artichokes
Leeks
Sprouts
Vegetables
Fava Beans
Eggplant
Herbs
Radishes
Figs
Avocado
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Terrine
Greens
Soup
Cookies
Cake
Mousse
Cream
Pâte de Fruit
Pastries
Fruit
Sherbet
Souffle
Pretzels
Dulce de Leche
Pudding
Low-fat Ice Cream
Ice Cream
Nougat
Parfait
Ice Mold
Gianduja
Sculpture
Sabayon
Baklava
Marzipan
Fudge
Tamales
Chocolate
Candy
Atlantic shellfish roll with Peekytoe crabmeat
Cassoulet of Jonah Crab, Corn, and Fava Beans
Seared Arctic Char
Lobster Sausage
Lobster with a Cumin, Ginger, and Tomato Sauce
Lemon Thyme Lobster
Chilled Lobster with Corn Leek Relish and Lobster Tarragon Sauce
Truffled Lobster Fricassée with Roasted Pumpkin Sauce
Wild Leek Marinated Lobster
Lobster and Maine Shrimp
Ginger Marinated Salmon
Pan-seared Salmon Loin with Key Lime and Ginger
Herb Cured Pacific Salmon
Seared Salmon and Yukon Gold Potatoes with Dill, Mustard, and Scallion Sauces
House Cured Salmon with Tart of White Corn and Manchego Cheese
Maple-cured Salmon
Grilled Salmon Fillet “Mignon”
Roasted Salmon with Honey Spice Glaze
Roasted Salmon on Caramelized Fennel and Endive
Ginger and Black Bean Marinated Salmon
Copper River Salmon with Toasted Caraway and Tomato Sauce
Pepper Seared Salmon
Wild Copper River Salmon
Halibut with a Sesame Crust
Grilled Alaskan Halibut with a Coulis of Fresh Green Peas
Grilled Atlantic Turbot
Marinated Shrimp with a Cumin, Ginger, and Tomato Sauce
Smoked Basil Shrimp with Potato Garlic Sauce
Poached Spot Prawns
Hood River Spotted Prawn
Northwestern Spotted Prawns
Seared Striped Bass
Grilled Yellowtail Snapper
Marinated, Pan-Seared Beef Tenderloin
Pepper Crusted Oregon Beef with Shallot Marmalade
Fillet of Lamb with Nectarine Chutney and Wild Mushroom and Rosemary Sauce
Rack of Lamb
Lemon Thyme Marinated Lamb Chops with Roasted Garlic Sauce
Loin of Lamb with Pistachios, Ginger, and Serrano
Grilled Lamb and Morels, Asparagus, and Russet Potato Crisps with Vidalia Onion and Rosemary Sauce
Rack of Lamb with Winter Fruit and Pecans
Lamb Loin with Barolo Sauce
Grilled Lamb Tenderloin with Yellow Pepper Reduction
Grilled Rack of Lamb with Vidalia Onions
Cinnamon Smoked Lamb with Bourbon and Cascabel Peppers
Herb-crusted Lamb with Grain Mustard Jus
Honey Ginger Glazed Lamb
Pepper Seared Lamb Loin
Herbed Lamb Rack
Pecan Crusted Lamb
Grilled Rack of Lamb with Blood Orange and Rosemary Sauce
Apricot Ginger Glazed Lamb
Lemon Garlic Crusted Lamb
Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Tagine
Honey Mango Glazed Chicken
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Grilled Chicken with Vidalia Onion Glaze
Smoked Pheasant Breast
Herb-Roasted Pheasant Breast
Pheasant Confit on Lemon Spinach
Seared Breast of Quail
Layered Duck and Pheasant
Five Spice Roasted Duck over Marinated Pears and Papaya
Darjeeling Tea Smoked Poussin
Spiced Partridge Breast
Cranberry and Partridge Sausage
Casserole of New Potatoes, Fava Beans, and Chanterelles
Grilled Lamb and Morels, Asparagus, and Russet Potato Crisps with Vidalia Onion and Rosemary Sauce
Toasted Pear and Poppyseed Bread
Dumplings of Foie Gras and Confit
Crispy Rice Cake
Field Greens with Goat Cheese Baked in Phyllo
Tart of White Corn and Manchego Cheese
Tart of Spring Vegetable with Meyer Lemon and Wild Leek Dressing
Warm Goat Cheese Tart
Tomatoes and Herbed Goats Cheese Baked in Brioche
Roasted Tomato Foccacia
Couscous
Saffron Pistachio Couscous
Rice Noodle Crisps
Spicy Vegetable “Noodles”
Spinach Orzo
Ravioli of Chanterelles and Sweet Potatoes
Creamy Polenta
Basil Polenta
Kasha
Quinoa Pilaf
Quinoa
Herb Tuile
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Tarragon Risotto
Gremolata Risotto
Carrot and Corn Risotto
Grilled Vegetable Risotto
Saffron Risotto and Chorizo
White Corn Custard
Basmati Rice Pilaf with Bell Pepper
Basmati Rice and Summer Vegetables
Jasmine Rice
Grilled Vegetables with Tomato-Cumin Sauce
Roasted Vegetables
Layered Late Summer Vegetables with Lemongrass and Red Curry
Basmati Rice and Summer Vegetables
Roasted Root Vegetables with Quince Sauce
Roasted Root Vegetables
Root Vegetables with Tarragon Huckleberry Sauce
Herb Marinated Young Vegetables
Spring Vegetables with Spiced Peach and Lamb Reductions
Spring Vegetables
Herbed Spring Vegetables
Baby Vegetables and Balsamic Reduction
Baby Bok Choy and Spring Vegetables
Braised Winter Vegetables with Parsnip Puree
Oriental Vegetable Confetti
Artichoke Bottom with Acorn Squash
Acorn Squash and Smoked Chili Sauce
Marinated Butternut Squash
Vegetable Ragoût
Portobello Mushroom, Roasted Peppers, and Fava Bean Ragoût
Ragoût of Morels and Spring Vegetables
Barbecued Peach Ragoût
Red Kuri Squash and Rice Bean Ragoût
Butternut, Celeriac, Gold Potato Hash
Butternut and Ginger Flan
Swiss Chard Custard
Sweet Potato Flan
Marinated Leek, Sugar Snaps, and Fresh Corn with Oregon Truffle Dressing
Corn
Seared Salmon and Yukon Gold Potatoes with Dill, Mustard, and Scallion Sauces
Garlic Whipped Potatoes
New Potatoes
Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes
Morels and Tiny New Potatoes
Marble Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Dates
Fiddlehead Fern
Artichoke and Fiddlehead Ferns
Braised Greens and Bell Peppers
Wilted Greens
Braised Greens and Bell Peppers
Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Spicy Olive Slivers
Crispy Beets
Marinated Leek, Sugar Snaps, and Fresh Corn with Oregon Truffle Dressing
Marinated Leeks and Savoy
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Dates
Sweet Potato Puree
Sweet Potato
Roasted Onions and Garlic
Roasted Onions
Balsamic Glazed Vidalia Onions
Tomato Basil Coulis
Roasted Tomato
Tomato Shallot Fondue
Charred Tomato Compote
Basil Tomatoes
Oregon Truffles
Chanterelles
Morels
Oven Seared Portobello Mushrooms
Oregon Morels
Sauteed Morels
Honshimeji Mushrooms
Portobello Mushrooms
Morels and Tiny New Potatoes
Marinated Leek, Sugar Snaps, and Fresh Corn with Oregon Truffle Dressing
Baby Bok Choy and Spring Vegetables
Asparagus
Fresh Asparagus
Green and White Asparagus
Layered Eggplant
Artichoke Bottom with Acorn Squash
Artichokes
Artichokes and Fiddlehead Ferns
Baked Artichokes and Oregano Marinated Goat’s Cheese
Roasted Artichokes
Sweet Potato and Vidalia Onion Terrine
Fava Beans
Selene
Paumanok Late Harvest
Newton
Domaine Drouhin “Oregon” Pinot Noir
Williams Selyem
LaBoheme
Fiddlehead
Kistler Pinot Noir “Cuvée Catherine“
El Molino
Mahoney Estate “Carneros“
Kalin “D.D.” Pinot Noir
Ponzi “25th Anniversary”
Rex Hill Pinot Noir “Reserve”
Archery Summit
Beaux Frères
Wild Horse
Talley Pinot Noir “Rosemary’s”
Artesa Pinot Noir “Bien Nacido”
Silvan Ridge Early Muscat
Pecota Moscato d’Andrea
Tualatin “Estate” Semi-Sparkling Muscat
Topolos Zinfandel “Pier Heights”
Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel “Estate Reserve”
Etude Pinot Blanc
Swanson Sangiovese “Estate”
Ponzi Arneis
Horton Nebbiolo
Beaulieu “Tapestry”
Caymus “Conundrum”
Chimney Rock “Elevage”
Justin “Isosceles”
Bonny Doon Malvasia Bianca Vin de Glacière
Robert Mondavi Malvasia Blanca
Zaca Mesa
Oak Knoll Pinot Gris
Long Vineyard Pinot Grigio
Roederer Estate Extra Dry “White House Cuvée”
Baron Herzog Brut
Iron Horse Demi-Sec
Piper Sonoma Tête de Cuvée
Schramsberg Crémant
Schramsberg Crémant Demi-Sec
Scharffenberger Crémant Extra Dry N.V.
Chandon Brut Reserve
Mumm Napa Valley Blanc de Noirs
Domaine Carneros Blanc de Blancs
Roederer Estate L’Ermitage
Pindar Brut “Long Island”
Flynn Vineyards “Oregon” Brut
Iron Horse Blanc de Blancs L.D.
Mumm Napa Valley “DVX”
Roederer “White House Cuvée”
Roederer L’Ermitage “White House Cuvée”
Domaine Carneros “Le Rêve”
Jordan “J”
Iron Horse “Millennium Cuvée”
Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvée Brut
S. Anderson Blanc de Noirs
Argyle Julie Lee’s Block Blanc de Blancs
Callaghan Vineyards Buena Suerte Cuvée
Joseph Phelps
Horton
Kendall-Jackson
Beringer
ZD Chardonnay
Kistler “Sand Hill” Chardonnay
Mount Madrona
Dehlinger Reserve
Peter Michael
Talbott
Solitude
Gallo “Estate” Chardonnay
Lolonis Chardonnay Reserve
Murphy Goode Sonoma Chardonnay
Franciscan “Cuvée Sauvage”
Signorello “Estate” Chardonnay
Cuvaison “Carneros” Chardonnay
Newton “Unfiltered”
Shafer Chardonnay “Red Shoulder”
Lewis Chardonnay “Reserve”
Talbott “Sleepy Hollow” Chardonnay
Sanford Chardonnay “Estate”
Macari Chardonnay “Estate”
St. Clement Chardonnay “Abbots”
Chalone
Marimar Torres
Chateau Ste. Michelle “Reserve”
Wolffer Vineyards Chardonnay “Estate”
Hagafen
Mondavi “Reserve” Cabernet
Murrieta’s Well “Vendemia”
Shafer “Hillside Select”
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon “Monte Bello”
Native Goat Cheese
Bibb, Endive, Watercress with New York Wild Ripened Cheese
Marinated Asparagus, Endive, Boston Lettuce with Baked Hazelnut Goat’s Cheese
Baked Goat’s Cheese with Arugula, Endive, and Walnut Sauce
Amawalk
Layered Artichoke, Leek, and Herbed Cheese with Greens and Endive and Balsamic Dressing
Young Lettuces and Sprouts with Layered Asiago and Goat’s Cheese and Rhubarb Dressing
Marinated Young Greens with Warm Kefalotiri Cheese and Baked Figs with Orange Saffron Dressing
Layered Goat’s Cheese and Portobello
Maytag Blue
Marinated Fresh Mozzarella
Baked Goat’s Cheese and Grilled Portobello
Bleu Cheese Fritter
Dry Aged Cheese Blossom
Romaine
Marinated Asparagus, Endive, Boston Lettuce with Baked Hazelnut Goat’s Cheese
Young Romaine, Mâche Greens with Shallot Dressing
Young Lettuces and Sprouts with Layered Asiago and Goat’s Cheese and Rhubarb Dressing
Bibb, Endive, Watercress with New York Wild Ripened Cheese
Mâche Greens, Spinach, and Young Lettuce with 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Oven-Dried Tomatoes and Young Lettuces
Salad of Bibb Lettuce, Asparagus, and Avocado with Stilton Crisp and Tarragon Grapefruit Dressing
Bouquet of Lettuces with 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Spring Lettuce, Citrus, and Radishes with Mission Fig Dressing
Bibb, Endive, Watercress with New York Wild Ripened Cheese
Marinated Asparagus, Endive, Boston Lettuce with Baked Hazelnut Goat’s Cheese
Baked Goat’s Cheese with Arugula, Endive, and Walnut Sauce
Layered Artichoke, Leek, and Herbed Cheese with Greens and Endive and Balsamic Dressing
Field Greens, Endive, and Roasted Tomatoes with Shallot Balsamic Dressing
Salad of Mâche, Endive, and Arugula
Salad of Winter Greens, Endive, and Spinach
Mâche Greens and Watercress with Avocado and Citrus Dressing
Watercress in Asiago Crisp with Grain Mustard Dressing
Bibb, Endive, Watercress with New York Wild Ripened Cheese
Salad of Spinach, Arugula, Fennel, and Sweet Basil with Orange Sherry Dressing
Mâche Greens, Spinach, and Young Lettuce with 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Salad of Winter Greens, Endive, and Spinach
Mâche, Spinach, and Winter Greens Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Field Greens, Endive, and Roasted Tomatoes with Shallot Balsamic Dressing
Roasted Artichokes and Basil Tomatoes
Marinated Tomato Salad with Chive Dressing
Oven-Dried Tomatoes and Young Lettuces
Roasted Tomatoes and Artichokes
Young Greens and Herb Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Tomato Asiago Custard
Fennel Citrus Salad with Ginger and Scallion Sauce
Spring Lettuce, Citrus, and Radishes with Mission Fig Dressing
Charred Vidalia Onions, Mango, and Avocado
Cucumber Salad
Hearts of Palm and Avocado with Fruit Relish and Pomegranate Dressing
Layered Artichoke, Leek, and Herbed Cheese with Greens and Endive and Balsamic Dressing
Roasted Artichokes and Basil Tomatoes
Roasted Tomatoes and Artichokes
Salad of Artichokes and Young Vegetables
Layered Artichoke, Leek, and Herbed Cheese with Greens and Endive and Balsamic Dressing
Young Lettuces and Sprouts with Layered Asiago and Goat’s Cheese and Rhubarb Dressing
Salad of Young Greens and Sprouts with Meyer Lemon Dressing
Scallion and Vegetable Salad with Gingered Red Pepper Dressing
Salad of Artichokes and Young Vegetables
Fava Beans and Eggplant Salad
Fava Beans and Eggplant Salad
Fennel and Herb Salad
Young Greens and Herb Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Spring Lettuce, Citrus, and Radishes with Mission Fig Dressing
Marinated Young Greens with Warm Kefalotiri Cheese and Baked Figs with Orange Saffron Dressing
Mission Fig and Agrumato Bruschetta
Mâche Greens and Watercress with Avocado and Citrus Dressing
Hearts of Palm and Avocado with Fruit Relish and Pomegranate Dressing
Charred Vidalia Onions, Mango, and Avocado
Salad of Bibb Lettuce, Asparagus, and Avocado with Stilton Crisp and Tarragon Grapefruit Dressing
Layered Goat’s Cheese and Portobello
Baked Goat’s Cheese and Grilled Portobello
Garlic Chanterelle Emulsion
Marinated Asparagus, Endive, Boston Lettuce with Baked Hazelnut Goat’s Cheese
Salad of Green and White Asparagus with Truffle Dressing
Salad of Bibb Lettuce, Asparagus, and Avocado with Stilton Crisp and Tarragon Grapefruit Dressing
Marinated Goat’s Cheese and Vegetable Terrine
Terrine of Portobello Mushrooms, Grilled Vegetables, and Goat Cheese
Pear and Maytag Blue Terrine
Pear and Blue Cheese Terrine
Goat Cheese and Avocado Terrine
Autumn Salad with Raspberry Dressing
Mâche Greens and Watercress with Avocado and Citrus Dressing
Young Greens with Balsamic Dressing
Young Romaine, Mâche Greens with Shallot Dressing
Salad of Fall Field Greens
Layered Artichoke, Leek, and Herbed Cheese with Greens and Endive and Balsamic Dressing
Marinated Young Greens with Warm Kefalotiri Cheese and Baked Figs with Orange Saffron Dressing
Field Greens, Endive, and Roasted Tomatoes with Shallot Balsamic Dressing
Salad of Young Greens and Sprouts with Meyer Lemon Dressing
Salad of Mâche, Endive, and Arugula
Salad of Mâche and Arugula with Lemon Oregano Dressing
Salad of Purslane and Young Greens with Curried Basil Dressing
Mâche Greens, Spinach, and Young Lettuce with 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Late Summer Greens with Chive Garlic Dressing
Fall Greens and Tomato Orange Dressing
Salad of Winter Greens, Endive, and Spinach
Mâche, Spinach, and Winter Greens Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Mâche, Dandelion, and Wild Greens with Port Wine Dressing
Wilted Summer Greens
Salad of Young Greens with Lemon Thyme Dressing
Young Greens and Herb Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and 25-Year-Old Sherry Dressing
Baked Goat’s Cheese with Arugula, Endive, and Walnut Sauce
Salad of Spinach, Arugula, Fennel, and Sweet Basil with Orange Sherry Dressing
Carrot Juice Broth
New England Seafood and Vegetable Stew
Gingered Tomato Broth
Shrimp and Lobster “Caldo” with Yucca, Coconut, and Roasted Tomatoes
Roasted Eggplant Soup
Chilled Spring Pea and Zucchini Soup
Chilled Zucchini and Green Pea Soup
Tomato Basil Broth
Golden Tomato Gazpacho
Gingered Pheasant Consommé
Pheasant and Morel Consommé
Chilled Green Pea and Cilantro Soup
Brandy Snaps
Assorted Macaroons
Cookies
Basket of Macaroons
Macaroons—Brazilian Coffee Truffles
Hazelnut Crescents
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Pine Nut Macaroons
Kourabiedes
Almond Crescent Cookies
Coconut Snowballs
Butter Raspberry Ginger Cookies
Linzer Squares
Coconut Macaroons
Crisp Almond Squares
Honey Almond Squares
Strawberry Surprise
Orange Blossom Surprise with Pomegranate Sauce
Peach Cake with Chestnut Parfait and Chocolate Caramel Sauce
Almond and Orange Mousse Cake with Kiwi Sauce
Miniature Dobos
Pineapple Surprise Queenstown
Sesame Honey Cakes
Raspberry Bande
Crated Apricot Sherbet with Frozen Date Mousse and Orange Sauce
Sour Cherry Mousseline
Lemon Burned Cream
Strawberries and Cream with Devonshire Sauce
Crème Fraîche
Lime Sauce, Cranberry Pâte de Fruit
Sour Cherry Pâte de Fruit
Mandarin Tea Tartlet
Kumquat Tartlettes
Apricot Tartlet
Sfogliatelle, Zeppole, and Amaretti
Bing Cherry Strudel Surprise
Lychees and Clementines
California “Berkeley” Cherries
Wild Berries
Berries and Peaches
Lychees and Raspberries
Orange Basket Borboleta with Red Fruit Sauce
Black Raspberry Sauce with Seasonal Fruit
Fresh Bing Cherries
Mt. Soraksan Peaches and Fresh Raspberries
Poached Pear in Red Wine Sauce
Baked Pineapple
Sweet Kente Wrapped Mango
Cape Gooseberries
Almond-filled Medjool
Litchis and Raspberry Sauce
Cherry Sherbet with Almond Ice Cream and Wild Strawberry Sauce
Frozen Nougat with Mango Sherbet and Passion Fruit Sabayon
Granadilla Sherbet
Clementine Sherbet with Pomegranate Sauce
Crated Apricot Sherbet with Frozen Date Mousse and Orange Sauce
Apple and Cherry Sherbet Pyramid with Apple Brandy Sauce
Spring Asparagus Sherbet
Orange Sherbet and Tea Parfait
Hazelnut Souffle
Vanilla Pretzel
Frozen Dulce de Leche
Miniature Mango Pudding
Chocolate Brittle Flan and Almond Swan
Ginger-Almond Ice Cream, made with 2% milk
Cherry Sherbet with Almond Ice Cream and Wild Strawberry Sauce
Sweet Corn and Tequila Ice Cream Mold with Lime Sauce
Caramel Rum Raisin Ice Cream
Coffee Ice Cream with Caramel and Chocolate Sauce
Golden Pineapple Ice Cream with Raspberry Sauce
Frozen Nougat with Mango Sherbet and Passion Fruit Sabayon
Almond Pistachio Nougat
Hazelnut Nougat
Peach Cake with Chestnut Parfait and Chocolate Caramel Sauce
Banana Parfait
Orange Sherbet and Tea Parfait
Lime Ice Mold
Coffee and Roasted Hazelnut Ice Mold
Honey Gianduja
Hazelfruit Gianduja
Pistachio and Nectarine Rose of Sharon with Strawberry Sauce
Lemon Honey Marbleized Dome
Amaretto Castle
Exotic Roses
Chocolate Brittle Flan and Almond Swan
Mango and Banana Lotus
Chestnut Gondola
Topiary Valencia with Glazed Kumquat Sauce
Apple Sabayon
Cinnamon Sabayon with Light Chocolate Sauce
Peach Brandy Sabayon
Tropico Sabayon
Baklava and Rainbow Marzipan
Baklava
Baklava and Rainbow Marzipan
White Almond Bark Chocolate Fudge
Honey Nougat Chocolate Fudge
Honey Tamales
Ginseng Tea Truffles
Peanut Butter Truffles
Raspberry and Chocolate Truffle Ring Mold
Gold Bars and Ghana Cocoa Beans
Chocolate Coconut Bars
Autumn Twigs and Leaves
Chocolate Tea Candy
Crystallized Ginger
Candied Ginger and Glazed Orange Rind
Caramel Walnut Candy
Orange and Date Sweet Delicacies with Honey Mint Sauce
Dig in: How the graphics work
Emphasis on “healthy.” Because the low-fat diet craze was booming in the 1990s, and because Bill Clinton was notorious for his love of McDonald’s and enchiladas, Hillary Clinton pushed hard for “low fat” meals. Beef was served only twice at Clinton’s 32 state dinners. His official dinner for South Korean President Kim Young-sam in November 1993 offered ginger-almond ice cream made with 2 percent milk to keep the fat content down. Indeed, one reason Scheib got the job was because his predecessor, Pierre Chambrin, was reluctant to cook the low-fat cuisine desired by Hillary. French food is… not exactly low-fat. “[Chambrin] is an expert in French cuisine. That’s his specialty and his vocation. That’s not what we serve here at the White House,” said White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers upon Chambrin’s departure in March 1994.
Chambrin told FP that 99 percent of what he bought was local, organic American food. He maintains that these changes were a political move, not a result of Clinton’s own foodie tastes. “Hillary Clinton don’t know nothing about food … she was une personne political,” he said. “She did it because it was popular at this time. If people said to eat butter, she would have been telling everyone to eat butter.”
Foodies… calculating politicos… either way, as was evident from their 1995 dinner with Zedillo, the Clintons pushed state dinners to reach further outward—for inspiration from the guest of honor’s country—while simultaneously reaching inward, toward America’s own culinary strengths. A state dinner with a sweet corn and tequila ice cream mold? Eisenhower would have thrown his soup bowl in disgust (or at least asked whether it could be garnished with mint gelatin). But the time was right for change. The baby boomers, who finally had a president to call their own, were the first generation to come of age during the hippie idealism of the 1960s and after Johnson lifted the U.S. immigration quotas in 1965. That landmark decision, combined with Reagan’s immigration reform of 1986, ensured the country’s demographics and taste buds were slowly becoming more diverse than ever before.
“The Clintons, a minority choice, were elected to offer ‘change.’ So the cuisine, too, must change,” wrote a skeptical Keith Botsford for the Independent of London in 1994. “The White House scene will bear watching. … Maybe the Clintons will at last define what US cuisine is. Or which American cooking is most American. That would be no mean achievement.”
* This includes some dinners technically categorized as “official dinners,” because for the first year in office the Clintons purposefully avoided state dinners. They were too “Bush” for a change president.
Top: President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton applaud Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a state dinner at the White House on Sept. 17, 2000. (David Scull/William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum) Bottom left: White House kitchen staff ready the state dinner for South African President Nelson Mandela on Oct. 4, 1994. (Sharon Farmer/William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum) Bottom right: White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier designed these desserts served at the state dinner for Japanese Emperor Akihito on June 13, 1994, to look like an open cherry. Inside each was a ball of almond ice cream filled with cherry sorbet. (Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House Historical Association)
George W. Bush
January 20, 2001 - January 20, 2009 | 13 State Dinners
George W. Bush never possessed the makings of a prolific state dinner host. He liked to go to bed early and, unlike his father, he was never crazy about pomp and circumstance in the first place. He preferred more intimate gatherings, such as bringing heads of state to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. His taste in food was at times as questionable as the evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq—according to then-Executive Chef Walter Scheib’s memoir, Bush insisted that any hot dogs prepared in the White House should be steamed and never grilled. And, thanks to youthful problems with alcohol, he didn’t drink—meaning that the social lubricant that helped other presidents endure yet another formal event was out. That might help explain why he only gave 13 state dinners.
But whether Bush was willing or not, thanks to first lady Laura Bush his presidency still made state dinner history. She fired Scheib in February 2005 and replaced him six months later with the first-ever woman and first person of color to become executive chef: Cristeta Comerford, who is Filipina-American. Scheib wrote in his 2007 memoir, White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen, that he left because Laura Bush wanted to make her mark on the culinary scene. That may be true, but the Bushes were also not adventurous eaters. “Flavorful, generous, and identifiable,” were the first lady’s culinary criteria, according to Scheib. “I found myself thinking with profound nostalgia of Mrs. Clinton and her passion for inclusion, her interest in learning about and trying new foods, and her desire to show off her nation’s best to visitors foreign and domestic,” he wrote.
“Walter Scheib was not a very good cook,” Chambrin said. “George W. Bush didn’t like the food.”
Whatever the reason for his ouster, many of the Clinton administration’s innovations to the state dinner menus persisted. Comerford previously served as Scheib’s assistant chef, and the rest of his staff continued unchanged. Her first state dinner as executive chef, which honored Prince Charles and his new wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles, on Nov. 2, 2005 (no Travolta this time), included wild rice pancakes, glazed parsnips and young carrots, crispy rock shrimp with celery broth, chartreuse ice cream with red and green grape sauce, and a main course of medallions of buffalo tenderloin.
Wait, what? Buffalo?
George W. Bush
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Pizzelles
Casseroles
Pasta
Polenta
Tartine
Risotto
Rice
Vegetables
Squash
Ragout
Celery
Custard
Corn
Potatoes
Parsnips
Sweet Potatoes
Peppers
Olives
Carrots
Onions
Mushrooms
Chard
Asparagus
Eggplant
Artichokes
Spinach
Fava Beans
Sauvignon Blanc
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Muscat
Zinfandel
Sémillon
Blend
Rosé
Sparkling
Viognier
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Beets
Jicamas
Cucumber
Mangoes
Oranges
Avocado
Asparagus
Terrine
Greens
Soup
Cookies
Cake
Pastries
Fruit
Sorbet
Pudding
Ice Cream
Parfait
Petits Fours
Sculpture
Maine Scallops
Maryland Crabs
Grilled Halibut with Lobster Sauce
Pan-roasted Halibut with Ginger-Carrot Butter
Pan-roasted Barramundi with Charentais Melon Relish
Crackling Fishers Island Oysters
Dover Sole Almondine
Gratin of Maine Lobster
Maine Lobster Fondue
Pepper Smoked Beef Fillet with BBQ Shallot Sauce
Texas Kobe Beef with Cracked Black Pepper and Shiitake Mushroom Jus
Bellewether Farm Lamb
Roasted Rack of Lamb
Saddle of Spring Lamb with Chanterelle Sauce
Elysian Farm Lamb with Heirloom Tomato Fondue
Ginger-scented Farm Lamb
Rosemary-crusted Elysian Farm Lamb
Colorado Bison Entrusted in Pumpkin Seeds with an Apple-Chipotle Pepper Sauce
Medallions of Buffalo Tenderloin
Petite Rib-eye Steaks
House-cured Duck Prosciutto
Chive Pizzelle with American Caviar
Sweet Potato Casserole
Artichoke and Reggiano Cheese Ravioli
Fresh Corn Polenta
Achiote Polenta
Crispy Potato Tartine
Bay Scallop Risotto
Lemon Carnaroli Risotto with Asparagus Tips
Basmati Rice with Pistachios and Currants
Wild Rice Pancakes
Autumn Vegetables
Herbed Summer Vegetables
Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Summer Vegetables
Summer Vegetables
Fricassee of Baby Vegetables
Artichokes and Young Squash
Fava Bean and Chanterelle Ragout
Ragout of Green Beans, Chanterelles, and Caramelized Shallots
Trio of Celery Hearts, Leaves, and Roots
Sweet Potato Flan
Late Summer Corn Pudding
Roasted Corn
Silver Corn Pilaf
Poblano Whipped Potatoes
Glazed Parsnips and Young Carrots
Whipped Sweet Potato
Roasted Artichokes, Pequillo Peppers, and Olives
Roasted Artichokes, Pequillo Peppers, and Olives
Glazed Parsnips and Young Carrots
Cipollini Onion
Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Summer Vegetables
Wild Mushrooms and Armagnac Sauce
Crispy Eggplant and Swiss Chard
Sesame-coated Wild Asparagus
Crispy Eggplant and Swiss Chard
Artichokes and Young Squash
Roasted Artichokes, Pequillo Peppers, and Olives
Creamed Spinach
Fava Beans
Robert Pecota
Honig Sauvignon Blanc “Late Harvest”
Pride Mountain Merlot “Vintner Select”
DuMol Pinot Noir “Finn”
Soter Pinot Noir “Beacon Hill”
Hartford Court Pinot Noir “Arrendell”
Peter Michael Pinot Noir “Le Moulin Rouge”
Argyle Pinot Noir “Reserve”
Bonny Doon Muscat “Vin Glacière”
Ridge Zinfandel “Lytton Springs”
Beringer “Nightingale”
Peter Michael “Les Pavots”
Dominus “Napa Valley”
Schramsberg Brut Rosé
Chandon “Rosé” NV
Iron Horse “Russian River Cuvée”
Schramsberg Crémant
Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut
Iron Horse “Wedding Cuvée”
Pride Mountain
Mer Soleil “Late”
Mi Sueño Chardonnay “Carneros”
Shafer Chardonnay “Red Shoulder”
Chappellet Chardonnay “Napa Valley”
Newton Chardonnay “Unfiltered”
Greg Norman Chardonnay “Santa Barbara”
Clos Pegase “Mitsuko Vineyard”
HDV Chardonnay “Carneros”
Ponzi Chardonnay “Reserve”
Robert Mondavi Cabernet “Reserve”
Shafer “Hillside Select”
Stags Leap Wine Cellars “Fay Vineyard”
Vermont Camembert Cheese and Spiced Walnuts
Trio of Farmhouse Cheeses
Chicory and Blue-veined Cheese
Salad of Bibb Lettuces with Citrus Vinaigrette
Mint Romaine Lettuce with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Arugula, Savannah Mustard, and Mint Romaine with Champagne Dressing
Salad of Gold and Red Tomatoes, Mâche, and Micro Greens with Sherry Dressing
Avocado and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Toasted Cumin Dressing
Roasted Red, Gold, and White Baby Beets with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Summer Field Greens with Mangoes and Jicamas and Toasted Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette
Jicama-Cucumber Chiffonade with Lemon Vinaigrette
Jicama-Cucumber Chiffonade with Lemon Vinaigrette
Summer Field Greens with Mangoes and Jicamas and Toasted Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette
Orange and Avocado with Cilantro Dressing
Orange and Avocado with Cilantro Dressing
Avocado and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Toasted Cumin Dressing
Salad of White and Green Asparagus, Peppercress, and Mâche with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Avocado, Tomato, and Goat’s Cheese Terrine with Calamansi Dressing
Salad of Gold and Red Tomatoes, Mâche, and Micro Greens with Sherry Dressing
Summer Field Greens with Mangoes and Jicamas and Toasted Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette
Arugula, Savannah Mustard, and Mint Romaine with Champagne Dressing
Salad of White and Green Asparagus, Peppercress, and Mâche with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Maryland Crab and Chorizo Pozole
Gazpacho
Chilled Asparagus Soup with Lemon Creme
Crispy Rock Shrimp with Celery Broth
Early Summer Squash Soup
Maryland She-Crab Soup
Spring Pea Soup with Fernleaf Lavender
Maine Lobster Bisque with Vermouth Cream
Delicata Squash Soup with Citron
Assorted Cookies
Petits Fours Cake
“La Fayette’s Legacy”
Coconut Cake
Graham Cracker Crumble and Cocoa Pod Shell
Chocolate Napoleon
Fresh Peaches and Raspberries
Peaches and Cherries
Baked Pineapple with Sesame Crumb
Caramelized Banana and Pineapple
Kumquat-stuffed Cherries
Mango Sorbets Filled with Coconut Mousse, Draped with Brightly Colored Leis of Sugar and Chocolate
Banana Coconut Pudding
Mango and Coconut Ice Cream Dome with Red Chili Pepper Sauce and Tequila Sabayon
Ginger Almond Ice Cream
Arabica Ice Cream and Coffee Liquor Parfait
Mango, Chocolate-Cardamom, and Cashew Ice Creams
Chartreuse Ice Cream with Red and Green Grape Sauce
Nougat Glace Fresh Oranges
Arabica Ice Cream and Coffee Liquor Parfait
Almond Parfait
Petits Fours with Sugar Giraffe
White Chocolate Lily Pad “Lotus Blossom”
“Rose Blossoms”
Dig in: How the graphics work
Previously served only once before at a state dinner (by Carter, always ahead of his time), Bush brought the most American of meats back not once but twice—Mexican President Vicente Fox was served Colorado bison (from a state that voted for Bush in both elections) at Bush’s first state dinner, on Sept. 5, 2001. Bison exploded in popularity in the 2000s, thanks to the recovering population, the meat’s purported health benefits versus beef (leaner, fewer antibiotics), and an idea concocted by Ted Turner.
Bush was also probably the last president to host our old friend Queen Elizabeth, the world’s single longest-lasting head of state. (Over the last decade, age has cut down on her travel plans, though she hosted both Obama and Trump in the U.K.) At her May 7, 2007, state dinner, the queen was served dover sole almondine; saddle of spring lamb with chanterelle sauce; chive pizzelle with American caviar; roasted artichokes, pequillo peppers, and olives; spring pea soup with fernleaf lavender; an arugula, Savannah mustard, and mint romaine salad with Champagne dressing; and “Rose Blossoms” for dessert, which were pulled-sugar roses surrounded by tiny white cakes.
The queen must not have remembered her previous encounter with Bush the younger, which occurred at the state dinner hosted by his father. An account from the Washington Post in May 1991 reveals he was given strict instructions by George H.W. and Barbara Bush not to talk to the queen. Bush engaged with her anyway. After admiring his cowboy boots engraved with “God Save the Queen,” she asked whether he was considered the black sheep in his family.
“I guess so,” he replied.
“All families have them.”
“Who’s yours?” Bush asked.
“Don’t answer that!” Barbara Bush interjected, appearing out of the blue. No word on whether the future president was grounded without dinner.
Top: President George W. Bush toasts Queen Elizabeth II at a state dinner at the White House on May 7, 2007. (Eric Draper/George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum) Bottom left: Candy rose blossoms were served for dessert at the dinner for the British queen. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Bottom right: Petit fours with sugar giraffes created for the state dinner in honor of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Oct. 6, 2003. (Collection of Roland Mesnier/White House Historical Association)
Barack Obama
January 20, 2009 - January 20, 2017 | 13 State Dinners
Barack and Michelle Obama’s state dinners encapsulate the chaos and information overload of the 2010s. Both were foodies and frequent patrons of the Chicago and D.C. restaurant scenes, and few presidents and first ladies had ever experimented so boldly with the state dinner formula. Unlike previous administrations, their state dinner menus share almost nothing in common with one another, skipping merrily between styles.
For a May 13, 2016, state dinner honoring Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland, Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford created a multicourse tribute to New Nordic cuisine with an American twist. Chicken and waffles and venison tartare with truffle vinaigrette somehow occupied the same menu space. Because New Nordic emphasizes locally foraged ingredients, one canapé even consisted of baby radishes impaled on pieces of wood from a tree in the White House backyard.
Not even the chefs stayed constant—an unprecedented move in the White House. The celebrity chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Rick Bayless, Anita Lo, and Mario Batali each had a turn in the White House kitchen. Bayless, a Chicago chef associated with various Mexican restaurants, was recruited to prepare the state dinner honoring Mexican President Felipe Calderón on May 19, 2010. Calderón was served herb green ceviche of Hawaiian opah, Oregon wagyu beef in Oaxacan black mole, black bean tamalon, grilled green beans, a sesame-cilantro cracker, and a jicama salad with oranges, grapefruit, and pineapple and citrus vinaigrette. Dessert consisted of a chocolate-cajeta tart, toasted homemade marshmallows, graham cracker crumble, and goat cheese ice cream. Not a single dish—including the grilled green beans—was included on another state dinner menu.
Barack Obama
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Seafood
Red
Poultry
Eggs
Pork Belly
Ham
Ginger Snaps
Tuile
Crackers
Pasta
Dumplings
Noodle Rolls
Potatoes
Rice
Chickpeas
Okra
Salsify
Collard Greens
Tomatoes
Black Beans
Potatoes
Yams
Kale
Onions
Spinach
Ramp
Carrots
Turnips
Mushrooms
Squash
Brussels Sprouts
Asparagus
Shallots
Chard
Vegetables
Bamboo
Palm Hearts
Broccoli
Radishes
Sorbet
Green Beans
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Grenache
Rosé
Sparkling
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir
Rice Wine
Viognier
Merlot
Blend
Ice Wine
Vermentino
Sangiovese
Zinfandel
Potatoes
Eggplant
Soup
Cheese
Galettes
Lettuce
Greens
Peas
Daikon
Avocados
Grapefruit
Pears
Oranges
Fennel
Jicama
Walnuts
Cucumbers
Carrots
Frisée
Tartare
Sashimi
Kale
Tomatoes
Mangoes
Papaya
Soursop
Radishes
Squash
Cake
Pralines
Coffee
Fruit
Marshmallows
Gelato
Mochi
Napoleon
Custard
Tiramisu
Ice Cream
Pastries
Sorbet
Brittle
Pie
Pudding
Petits Fours
Herb Green Ceviche of Hawaiian Opah
Aquavit Seafood Cocktail
Salt Cured Ahi Tuna with Pickled Young Radish and Watermelon-Juniper Granita
Tuna Tartare with Rye Crisps
Poached Maine Lobster
Butter-Poached Maine Lobster
Langoustine Roll with Spiced Beets
Green Curry Prawns
Maryland Blue Crabs with Calamansi Lemon Curd
Crisped Halibut with Potato Crust
Alaskan Halibut “Casseroles” with Cèpes, Chanterelles, Baby Onions, and Lardon and Herbed Butter
Dry-Aged Rib-Eye with Buttermilk Crisp Onions
Dry-Aged Rib-Eye Beef
Oregon Wagyu Beef in Oaxacan Black Mole
Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye Steaks
American Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Maui Onion Veal Jus
American Wagyu Beef with Marrow Crust
Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
Petite Filet
Beef Braciole Pinwheel with Horseradish Gremolata
Baby Lamb Chops
Grilled Cannon of Colorado Lamb with Garlic Fried Milk
Bison Wellington with a Red Wine Reduction
Venison Tartare with Truffle Vinaigrette
Chicken and Waffles
Deviled Eggs with Osetra Caviar
American Osetra Caviar
Duroc Pork Belly with Granny Smith Apple Salad
Shaved Ham and Ginger Snaps
Pineapple Tempura Cured Ham
Ginger Snaps
Spiced Crab Tuile
Sesame-Cilantro Cracker
Tuna Tartare with Rye Crisps
Maryland Blue Crab Ravioli
Sweet Potato Agnolotti with Butter and Sage
Roasted Potato Dumplings
Thyme Dumplings
Spinach, Shiitake, and Leek Rice Noodle Rolls
Yukon Potato Dauphinoise
Coconut Aged Basmati
Chickpeas
Okra
Caramelized Salsify
Smoked Collard Greens
Tomato Chutney
Black Bean Tamalon
Double-Stuffed Potatoes
Roasted Yam
Wilted Kale
Cipollini Onion
Baby Onions
Creamed Spinach
Wild Ramp Puree
Orange-Glazed Carrots
Pickled Young Carrots and Mustard Oil
Heirloom Carrots
Fresh Turnip Greens
Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Oyster Mushrooms
Cèpes
Chanterelles
Squash
Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Applewood Smoked Bacon
Asparagus
Charred Shallots
Braised Chard
Spring Vegetables
Fricassee of Spring Vegetables
Crisped Root Vegetables
Bamboo Shoots
Wailea Hearts of Palm
Baby Broccoli
Broccoli Rabe
Baby Radish with Vermont Butter and Maldon Salt
Lemon Sorbet
French Beans
Grilled Green Beans
Ulises Valdez Chardonnay “Russian River”
Dumol Chardonnay “Russian River”
Freeman Chardonnay “Ryo-fu”
Pence Chardonnay “Sebastiano”
Modus Operandi
Grgich Hills Fumé Blanc “Estate”
Margerum Sauvignon Blanc “Sybarite”
Brooks “Ara”
Poet’s Leap Riesling “Botrytis”
Trisaetum Dry Riesling “Estates”
Beckmen Vineyards
Wolffer Estate “Noblesse Oblige” Sparkling Rose
Thibaut-Janisson Brut
Mumm Napa “Carlos Santana Brut” N/V
Iron Horse “Russian River Cuvée”
Schramsberg Crémant Demi-Sec
Herrera “Selección Rebecca”
Quilceda Creek Cabernet “Columbia Valley”
Morlet “Joli Coeur”
Waits-Mast Pinot Noir “Deer Meadows”
Shaoxing Wine
Penner-Ash “Oregon”
Pride Mountain “Vintner Select”
RdV “Rendezvous”
Cliff Lede “High Fidelity”
Chateau Chantal
Palmina Vermentino “Santa Ynez”
Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese “Napa”
Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel “East Bench”
Potato and Eggplant Salad
Potato and Eggplant Salad
Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese
Butternut Squash Bisque
Wild Mushroom Soup with Black Truffle
Fingerling Potato Velouté, Quail Eggs, Crisp Chive Potatoes
Vegetable Consommé En Croute and Shikai Maki
D’Anjou Pear Salad with Farmstead Goat Cheese Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic
Jasper Hill Farm Blue Cheese
Warm Butternut Squash Salad with Frisée and Pecorino di New York
Roasted Apricot Galette with Appalachian Cheese, Heirloom Lettuces, Pine Nut Crisps
Early Fall Harvest Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette, Daikon Sheets, and Masago Rice Pearl Crispies
Spring Garden Lettuces with Shallot Dressing, Shaved Breakfast Radish, Cucumbers, and Avocados
Petite Mixed Radish, Baby Carrots, Merlot Lettuce with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Tomato Tartare, Cardamom Yogurt, Micro Lettuces, Citrus Vinaigrette
White House Garden Chopped Salad with Fine Herbs and White House Honey Gastrique
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette
Warm Butternut Squash Salad with Frisée and Pecorino di New York
Spring Pea Salad
Early Fall Harvest Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette, Daikon Sheets, and Masago Rice Pearl Crispies
Spring Garden Lettuces with Shallot Dressing, Shaved Breakfast Radish, Cucumbers, and Avocados
Jicama with Oranges, Grapefruit, and Pineapple and Citrus Vinaigrette
D’Anjou Pear Salad with Farmstead Goat Cheese, Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic
Jicama with Oranges, Grapefruit, and Pineapple and Citrus Vinaigrette
D’Anjou Pear Salad with Farmstead Goat Cheese, Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic
Jicama with Oranges, Grapefruit, and Pineapple and Citrus Vinaigrette
D’Anjou Pear Salad with Farmstead Goat Cheese, Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic
Spring Garden Lettuces with Shallot Dressing, Shaved Breakfast Radish, Cucumbers, and Avocados
Petite Mixed Radish, Baby Carrots, Merlot Lettuce with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Warm Butternut Squash Salad with Frisée and Pecorino di New York
Toro Tartare and Caesar Sashimi Salad
Toro Tartare and Caesar Sashimi Salad
Hot Kale Salad
Local Tomato Salad, Cucumber, Pickled Green Mangoes, and Papaya, Soursop Sorbet, Lime Basil
Tomato Tartare, Cardamom Yogurt, Micro Lettuces, Citrus Vinaigrette
Local Tomato Salad, Cucumber, Pickled Green Mangoes, and Papaya, Soursop Sorbet, Lime Basil
Local Tomato Salad, Cucumber, Pickled Green Mangoes, and Papaya, Soursop Sorbet, Lime Basil
Local Tomato Salad, Cucumber, Pickled Green Mangoes, and Papaya, Soursop Sorbet, Lime Basil
Spring Garden Lettuces with Shallot Dressing, Shaved Breakfast Radish, Cucumbers, and Avocados
Petite Mixed Radish, Baby Carrots, Merlot Lettuce with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Warm Butternut Squash Salad with Frisée and Pecorino di New York
Chocolate
Silken Custard Cake with Kuromitsu Sauce
Maple Pecan Cake with Cocoa Nib Wafer
Peach Sangria Cake with White House Honey Brittle and Chamomile Anglaise
Hawaiian Chocolate Malted Ganache with Vanilla Ice Cream
Pecan
Coffee
Chocolate-Dipped
Korean and American Pears
Warm Meyer Lemon Steamed Pudding with Idaho Huckleberry Sauce and Newtown Pippin Apples
Tangerines
Fresh
Orange and Fig Slices
Toasted Homemade Marshmallows
Buttermilk Gelato
Abekawa Mochi
Caramel Almond Mille-Feuille with Vanilla Bean Chantilly and Lingonberry Cream
Sweet Corn Crema and Blackberry Cup
Tiramisu
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Gelees
Goat Cheese
Butterscotch Swirl Ice Cream
Vanilla
Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Chocolate-Cajeta Tart
Graham Cracker Crumble
Green Apple Crostata with Thyme Caramel
Apple Strudel, Golden Raisins, and Topfen Cheese
Poppyseed Bread and Butter Pudding with Meyer Lemon Curd Lychee Sorbet
Cashew
Peach Sangria Cake with White House Honey Brittle and Chamomile Anglaise
Old Fashioned Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
Warm Meyer Lemon Steamed Pudding with Idaho Huckleberry Sauce and Newtown Pippin Apples
Poppyseed Bread and Butter Pudding
Petits Fours and Coffee
Matcha Strawberry Square
Sweet Tea Chocolates
Tea and Lemon Cakes
Sencha Tea Cup
Dig in: How the graphics work
One of the few threads tying Obama state dinners together is their use of the White House kitchen garden. Alice Waters had been arguing for it since Clinton’s inauguration, but it took until 2009 for Michelle Obama to finally plant a 1,100-square-foot organic vegetable garden on the South Lawn, in a tribute to the localism that had come to become such a dominant part of the American food scene. The garden appeared in more than one state dinner salad, including the White House Garden chopped salad with White House honey gastrique served to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on June 7, 2011. Dishes like the grilled cannon of Colorado lamb with garlic fried milk for Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015 didn’t exactly jive with Michelle Obama’s crusade against childhood obesity, but the White House’s continued emphasis on fresh, local ingredients ensured Obama state dinners were more heart-friendly than an evening with, say, Harry S. Truman.
Selected wines were just as diverse as the food. Oftentimes the provided wine made reference to the guest of honor’s country. A Chinese rice wine—Shaoxing—was among the wines served to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 25, 2015. It was the first Chinese wine ever served at a state dinner. The White House attitude toward rice wine had come a long way from 1933, when sake was among the many gifts delivered from around the globe after Prohibition was repealed, according to Fields, the former White House butler. “Very little of it was palatable for the table,” he wrote. He mixed it along with the other gift wines into spiked punches for receptions instead.
No wonder Time magazine nicknamed President Obama “America’s Eater-in-Chief.” But like his predecessor, Obama hosted a mere 13 state dinners over his eight years in office.
Top: The Obamas leave their first state dinner, hosting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 24, 2009. (Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images) Middle left: The place setting for dessert at the state dinner for Singh, which included a pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) Middle right: Toro tartare and Caesar sashimi salad—wrapped in clear acetate and tied with a cord like a gift to be opened—at the state dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 27, 2015. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Bottom: President Barack Obama toasts German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a state dinner in the Rose Garden on June 7, 2011. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Donald Trump
January 20, 2017 - Present | 2 State Dinners
President Donald Trump’s April 24, 2018, state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron lacked celebrity chefs or tree bark, but—perhaps surprisingly—the menu showed good taste and followed the “American ingredients with at least one flavor from the guest of honor’s country” formula set in the 1990s. Thus Carolina Gold rice jambalaya was paired with a goat cheese gateau with tomato jam.
The menu was not what we’ve come to expect from a president deemed by the New York Times to be “the nation’s fast food president.” It’s more sophisticated fare than the food Trump served China’s Xi Jinping at an April 6, 2017, dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort, for example. That dinner featured dry-aged prime New York strip steak, a Caesar salad, and chocolate cake with vanilla sauce and dark chocolate sorbet. Trump had even vowed on Fox News in 2015 to serve Xi a “double-sized Big Mac” in lieu of throwing him a state dinner—a campaign promise tragically never delivered. Yet Trump followed up on his fast-food pledges with his infamous spread for the Clemson University football team during the government shutdown, when Trump dipped shallowly into his own pockets to provide 300 hamburgers.
Donald Trump
Meat
Carbs
Vegetables
Wine
Soup/Salad
Dessert
Red
Seafood
Gateau
Biscuits
Rice
Pasta
Summer Vegetables
Squash
Pinot Noir
Sparkling
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Lettuce
Pastries
Ice Cream
Rack of Spring Lamb with Burnt Cipollini Soubise
Dover Sole with Parsley Crisps and Fennel Mousseline
Goat Cheese Gateau with Tomato Jam
Buttermilk Biscuit Crumbles
Carolina Gold Rice Jambalaya
Sunchoke Ravioli with Reggiano Cream
Late Summer Shaved Vegetables
Summer Squash Blossoms
Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir “Laurène”
Argyle Pinot Noir “Reserve”
Schramsberg Demi-Sec Crémant
J Demi-Sec NV
Domaine Serene Chardonnay “Evenstad Reserve”
Spring Mountain Sauvignon Blanc
Young Variegated Lettuces
Nectarine Tart
Lady Apple Tart
Crème Fraiche Ice Cream
Calvados Ice Cream
Dig in: How the graphics work
Trump’s concept of food, as with many other things, throws much of the philosophy established at the White House over the past 25 years out the window. Not that Trump is the first president to enjoy McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Ask Bill Clinton—or Harry S. Truman, who literally served fried chicken and turkey at state dinners. But more than any other president, Trump wears his lowbrow taste in food as a badge of honor. Although the United States today puts the successful businessman on a bigger and more beautiful pedestal than during the New Deal era, one thing that’s remained the same is the country’s disdain for the elite. Such is the Trump paradox: a billionaire real estate speculator from New York City whose widest margins of victory in the 2016 election were in Wyoming and West Virginia, and whose favorite food is well-done steak with ketchup.
Which is one reason why Trump can’t be seen as an open advocate of state dinners. Flashy parties with over 350 people, famous celebrities, extravagant meal creations, and tents on the White House Lawn that “look like hell”? Those are for liberal elitists like Obama and Hillary Clinton. If Ronald Reagan were president today, it’s likely his 52 extravagant, star-studded state dinners would paint him as an out-of-touch elitist, too.
But when it came time to throw a proper state dinner, little of that seemed to matter. First lady Melania Trump opted to respect recent White House traditions instead—much to Macron’s relief, one can imagine. It says something about the symbolic power of the White House state dinner that fast food was not selected as the food representative of the best the United States has to offer. Nevertheless, a few subtle changes helped distance Trump’s first state dinner from Obama’s. The guest size was only 150 people, most of the guests were Republican allies, and the menu was reduced to three courses. It was a decidedly more modest affair. Eleanor Roosevelt would have been proud.
President Donald Trump speaks during a state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron on April 24, 2018. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
About This Feature
All the Presidents’ Meals is the product of extensive research at presidential libraries, the National Archives, and Library of Congress, as well as interviews with historians, food writers, and former White House chefs. Obtaining the state dinner menus presented unique challenges. Some presidential libraries post the state dinner menus on their respective websites, such as John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton required hiring archivists and research assistants to find the menus and scan photographs. Hickey ended up viewing the menu collections for Ronald Reagan in person by visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in July 2018. Some menu information was also obtained through press coverage of the state dinners, especially from the Style section of the Washington Post.
Credits: Editing by James Palmer and Sharon Weinberger. Copy-editing by Nina Goldman. Design by Lori Kelley, Adam Griffiths, and C.K. Hickey. Development by C.K. Hickey and Andrew Baughman. Animation by Billy Buntin. Special thanks to Elizabeth Hansen, Jason Kaplan, Eduardo Medrano, Jennifer Newby, Zachary Roberts, Sydney Soderberg, E. Kirsten Andersen Thomas, Alison Wheelock, and Tammy Williams for their assistance in obtaining the state dinner menus.