What: Dubbed “The Secretary’s Reception for Donors to the Diplomatic Reception Rooms,” this two-hour cocktail party honored more than 200 donors who contributed more than $850,000 to conserving and maintaining the rooms where Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney meet with foreign officials.

Where: The Department of State

When: Friday, April 25, 6 to 8 PM

Who: Rice was the main attraction, hosting a receiving line on the way in to shake hands (and score us a great new Facebook profile picture). We were one table away from Attorney General Michael Mukasey and wife Susan, who looked sharp in a pinstripe suit and black-and-white patterned dress. Marcee Craighill, director of the diplomatic reception rooms, also joined the donors.

Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page.

Food: Waiters passed hors d’oeuvres—our favorite: tuna tartare served in mini ice cream cones—while hungrier guests served themselves tender beef and lamb, shrimp glistening with butter, yellow-pepper topped quiche, surprisingly bland penne, and too many tiny desserts to try them all (except oh, we did). But food always tastes better when eaten off plates stamped with a gold Presidential seal, right?

Drink: No red wine meant no risk of staining something antique and/or super expensive. Besides Chardonnay, bartenders poured beer (Sierra Nevada was a popular choice) and mixed drinks.

Scene: After a run-in with a Secret Service agent (despite the X-ray machine at the door and pack of guards in the lobby, she was worried we had somehow slipped security), we took it all in: antique couches and tables, cabinets of 18th-century china, a ballroom with eight glistening chandeliers and a balcony overlooking the Mall, and the nicest bathrooms we’ve ever been in. We sat through a ten-minute thank-you speech from Condi and mingled with guests wearing drab suits and skirts. On the elevator ride down, we caught a glimpse of one of the other floors—so business-like! so sterile!—and realized we truly had been in another world.

Ratings:

Boldface names:  4 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 3 (out of 5)
Food and drink: 3 (out of 5)
Exclusivity: 5 (out of 5)

Total score: 15 (out of 20)

For more posts on DC media and politics, click here.