First Lady Laura Bush and three girlfriends shared Pinot Grigio, chicken Cobb salads, and onion strings at Cafe Deluxe (and after lunch, the group split one more glass of wine four ways). Her Secret Service agents, meanwhile, filled up on cheeseburgers at the bar.
Buddhism-loving actor/activist Richard Gere, in town to discuss humanitarian efforts in Tibet, power-lunched at the Tuscan dining room I Ricchi earlier this week.
American Idol judge Randy Jackson, with five of his dawgs, supped on filet mignon, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and chocolate and lemon soufflés at Morton’s.
Former secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas grazed on suckling pig and veal meatballs while ensconced with a group at the chef’s table at Blue Duck Tavern.
A “shorter than expected” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino was spotted at the Capitol Hill wine bar Sonoma.
R&B troublemaker R. Kelly spent last Saturday night—when he was supposed to have performed in Atlantic City—hanging at the Cheesecake Factory in Columbia.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
