Hoku's Restaurant Gets Obama Visit, White House Press Pool Shout Out

Hoku's Restaurant Gets Obama Visit, White House Press Pool Shout Out President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and friends visited Hoku's Restaurant on Sunday. It's located at 5000 Kahala Avenue in Honolulu at the Kahala Hotel. The White House Press Pool was along for the visit and Gardiner Harris of The New York Times posted this hilarious account: Subject: Long dinner's journey into night. Pool #10. After dining for nearly 4.5 hours, POTUS, FLOTUS and friends have emerged. Motorcade is rolling. Hoku's Restaurant bills itself as one of the finest restaurants on the island, and "is heralded for its innovative fusion fare which melds Hawaiian, Asian, Mediterranean and European flavors," which covers about three-quarters of the globe. The dinner menu included local fish, Maine lobster, Denver bison and Texas wild boar. "Collared shirts and slacks for men and evening attire for women are preferred," the restaurant avers. "Shorts and tank-top style t-shirts are not allowed." There was a fake waterfall just outside the small ballroom that housed your pool. The ocean could be glimpsed with some effort. You will be pleased to know that after a hard day staring at the great vastness of the Pacific Ocean, your pool was well fed. There was chicken in black truffle sauce, mashed potatoes with sautéed mushrooms and onions, and an unusually good bread pudding. Your pooler fears the entire pool may have ingested gluten. Several tested the hotel's wine cellar. Brendan Smialowski of AFP seemed particularly fond of the red, a shy Chianti from the Amalfi Coast. But they say shakey camera work is a la mode now. The bill for this fare could be considerable, but your pooler's conscience is clear, given the day's challenging circumstances. A quick shout-out to the local talent in today's pool, who told the rest of us how to pronounce various landmarks and where to go (and more importantly, NOT go) for off-day dining needs. They are Hugh Gentry and Jeff Warner of Reuters, Marco Garcia of AP, Nifae Hunkin of Bloomberg. Gardiner Harris White House Correspondent The New York Times

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