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Wayne had lunch at the White House this week. I asked him to do a guest write-up about it.

On a recent trip to the Washington, D.C. area an old college friend who works at the White House graciously invited me to eat at the White House Mess in the West Wing, which is operated by the U.S. Navy. In honor of the holiday, here's brief look at this unique dining experience.

The relationship between food at the White House and the Navy dates back to 1880, when President Rutherford Birchard Hayes was traveling aboard the Presidential Yacht, Despatch. It is said that during this voyage the President noticed that the food the Navy cooking for him was significantly better than he ate at the White House.

During Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration in 1942 the Navy provided food for the retreat that was then known as "Shangri-La," which was later renamed Camp David. In 1951 Rear Admiral Robert L. Dennison recommended to President Truman that a commission officers mess be created in the White House. Since then the White House Mess has been located on the ground floor of the West Wing.

You are greeted by a young Naval officer in uniform who acts as host. He checks reservations and directs people to their tables. The decor of the lobby and dining hall is traditional and masculine - dark wood, thick leather, cannons blazing in paintings of naval battles by the artist William Phillips.

Down a set of stairs, the dining room is narrow, perhaps three modest-sized tables wide. It's not very big. The White House is of course a very professional environment. People are friendly, but very serious. Men wear jackets and ties and do not remove them during lunch. (The only sign of casualness was in the press room, where reporters and video technicians are camped out indefinitely.)

White House Photo by Eric Draper

The menu is traditional American; it includes the White House Signature Steak - Lone Star Cowboy, the West Wing Burger and the National Combo (smoked sausage, grilled onions and peppers on a roll served with a jumbo soft pretzel). There's even PB&J on the menu. The Herb Mustard Shrimp (jumbo shrimp sautéed in a mustard reduction sauce) was popular. Readers might be surprised that a good portion of the menu is "lite" - dishes with lower fat and calories. Choices for vegetarians like myself included a vegetable platter, a fruit salad, a personal pizza and spaghetti marinara. I was amused at the idea of having a veggie burger and fries at the White House.

While we snacked on rolls and butter (stamped with the Presidential Seal), there were not many conversations to overhear, as people spoke quietly, both out of privacy and a general sense of respect that was prevalent in the West Wing. Nobody could be seen using a cell phone, though there were several messages being read and written on Blackberries, which are ubiquitous amongst White House employees.

The service provided by the Navy is efficient and precise. The men serving you are smiling and gracious. The Mess is staffed well enough that even at the larger tables, multiple servers bring out plates, so that every diner's meal hits the table at the same moment. The veggie burger was standard fare (perhaps a Bocca or other similar product), though the roll was clearly freshly made and the waffle-cut fries were tasty.

Chocolate Freedom

The highlight of the meal was the dessert of the day, the Chocolate Freedom, which had to be ordered with lunch because it took time to bake. When first served, it seems like a conservative desert - it's a small muffin-shaped cake served with homemade vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. But Chocolate Freedom is actually quite decadent - it's filled with gooey, molten chocolate, which probably keeps the staffers awake for days debating policy and strategy.

Exiting the White House Mess, the Navy tops its impeccable service by handing out little boxes of red, white and blue Presidential M&M's.

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