Omnivore - Washington about to become foodie-ville?

Obama the Foodie and his fellow Democrats may re-invigorate the Washington dining scene. The New York Times says:

Franco Nuschese, the owner of Cafe Milano — which opened around the start of the Clinton administration but stayed hot through the Bush administration — said the only difference he saw between Republicans and Democrats was perhaps when they ate, not what they ate.

“That’s not a crowd you were going to find later at night, they would eat earlier,” he said of Bush administration officials. “It was a conservative group.” Speaking of the incoming Obama team, he said, “I don’t think this is going to be a very early, formal group.”

When he was in the Senate, Mr. Obama could regularly be seen at the upscale Bistro Bis on Capitol Hill. On his presidential run, he tended to leave reporters waiting outside for hours while dining at his favorite Chicago restaurants, Spiaggia, a grand Italian place on the city’s Gold Coast, or Topolobampo, one of the Mexican restaurants owned by Rick Bayless.

“They really enjoy sitting around the table exploring the different flavors — they always eat tasting menus,” Mr. Bayless said in an interview. “He’s not one who sort of plunks down and says, ‘I’ll have the beef.’ He asks questions.”

Now, if we could just get Shirley Franklin to a few restaurants around Grant Park.