Joe and Jill Biden went to dinner on Saturday at Bloomingdale Italian restaurant the Red Hen. (No, not that Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia, the one that famously turned away Sarah Huckabee Sanders, sparking another Trump-era episode of the culture wars. This one has the same name but is totally unaffiliated.)
Chef and co-owner Mike Friedman tells Washingtonian that POTUS and FLOTUS ordered a couple glasses of Barbera, grilled bread with cultured butter, chicory salad, and two orders of rigatoni with fennel sausage ragu. To which the Twitterati responded: Wait a minute, they ordered the same dish?
You’re either the type of couple that doesn’t mind a duplicate order on the same table—or you would never, ever dare. This food editor is most certainly in the latter camp. The fun of eating out is trying lots of things, and obviously you need to sample as much of the menu as possible. Plus, as one of my colleagues points out, you don’t want to risk both ending up with a dud dish, and thereby having a miserable evening. More variety improves your odds of a good time. We’re clearly not alone in this world view:
I have honestly never heard of a couple – married or otherwise – who order the EXACT same at a restaurant.#Biden https://t.co/r1mStxrQbv
— Tripp Whitbeck (@trippwhitbeck) February 19, 2023
The rigatoni is the best, but my wife and I could never just both order it. https://t.co/Dkz5wvi6NX
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 19, 2023
who would order the same?? if you order different, you get to try both!!
— beergeekjoey (@beergeekjoey) February 19, 2023
Going double on the rigatoni is fucking amateur hour.
— Jack Kogod (@Unsilent) February 19, 2023
Most people say they don’t order same entree as significant other during dinner. 1/4 of people order together, while 1/4 say they just order what they want period https://t.co/Nsz8PpIn5h pic.twitter.com/NLFnBhaqS5
— Barred in DC (@BarredinDC) February 19, 2023
Others suggested the double order might actually be the secret to a long healthy relationship. Or at the very least, who cares? Order whatever the heck they want, regardless of your partner’s cravings.
Hmmm. Secret to long-term compatibility? Order your own damn pasta rather than two to share? https://t.co/7EkbwcNQ08
— Regina Schrambling (@gastropoda) February 19, 2023
I know it’s finicky of me but unless it’s a small plates place I am absolutely not sharing food at a restaurant lol, so it doesn’t matter to me what anyone else orders https://t.co/sudHrglpzo
— kaity (@kaitybella) February 19, 2023
Respect for the double order!
— J. F. (@vtmathteacher) February 19, 2023
Surely even the staunchest plate-sharers can appreciate doubling down on a truly great dish. And the Red Hen’s rigatoni is a signature must-order that’s been on the menu since the restaurant opened a decade ago. It’s one of the few exceptions where getting two plates might actually be the ultimate power move.
people are going on about them ordering the same thing but if youve had the ragu you understand https://t.co/GWsv8t34qd
— Anjali (@AnjaliVBhatt) February 19, 2023
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
