Barack Obama: Food critic extraordinaire?
If you hang around Hollywood long enough, you always run into people who have a reputation of being so smart and talented (and occasionally overbearing) that they are famous for being able to do everybody else's job better than they can. For years, people said it of Barry Diller and David Geffen. These days, you hear people say the same of David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh, who could probably run a studio marketing department, overhaul the editing facilities and handle an entire conglomerate's IT needs without breaking a sweat. And then there's James Schamus, who runs Focus Features, writes most of Ang Lee's movies and teaches college in his spare time.
But no one is quite as much of a multitasking wonder as our president-elect, Barack Obama, who's already turned out to be a once-in-a-generation politician, a superb campaign strategist and, as anyone who's ever read his memoir, "Dreams of My Father," will attest, a better writer than most of the poor slobs on this week's bestseller list. Now we can add one more accomplishment to his resume: restaurant critic. One of my Chicago pals just passed along a fascinating pair of vintage video clips from a Chicago-based PBS restaurant review show, "Check, Please!" Back in 2001, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the show invited a trio of amateur reviewers to pick their favorite restaurants.
One of the participants was Obama, then a largely unknown state senator. His fellow amateur critics, a local firefighter and a retail buyer, were no match for him. It's such a kick to watch him wax eloquent about the down-home cuisine at Hyde Park's Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop that you only wish someone had offered him the gig replacing Roger Ebert on "At the Movies" instead of the hapless Ben Lyons. The episode never aired, in large part because, as program creator David Manilow put it, the prez-elect was too thoughtful and articulate to pass for an amateur. "It was unbalanced, to put it charitably," Manilow says. The local Chicago PBS affiliate, WTTW, is going to finally air the never-before-seen show Jan. 16. But you can watch a couple of fun excerpts right here for yourself:
Le Sigh.
The best part is that Dixie Chicken really is a great place so definitely knows what he's talking about.
Posted by: Jennal | January 09, 2009 at 09:37 AM
Such an eloquent man, as always! Wow, I would love to have a Johnny-Cake of my own right now, possibly with Mr. Baracko himself!
The only problem is that my stomach is doing backflips over the massacres being carried out by the IDF with the tacit support of both Democrats and Republicans. I would really like Barack to get all articulate over something substantial - wow, I really cannot wait until January 20! Time for some illusions to fall apart and some reallissues of substance to be brought to the dinner table...
Posted by: Elliott Gugliatta | January 09, 2009 at 09:37 AM
Notice how everyone around table are completely in awe of him and he was still unknown at that point in his career. Wow. What a charismatic fellow!
Posted by: Fab Five | January 09, 2009 at 09:38 AM
In this 2001 clip, it's clear that president elect Barack Obama had the power to transfix his audience--even when talking about (my favorite subject) food. Anyone that's media savvy has viewed hundreds of hours of footage of Mr. Obama speaking about his passions in politics, but this clip is incredibly refreshing since it shows, for what may be the first time, his love for food. This is a must have clip for any Barack-loving foodie!
Posted by: Food Woolf | January 09, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Every presidency has its legend, as you imagine Obama's is no exception.
Now that President Elect Obama has chosen H. Clinton as a gardener for the White House Lawns, he really will be starving for our support.
Once she commented, "Just fascinated by Les Halles."
Barack Obama, checkmate. He maybe right about the Southern Sampler. It's not gourmet Honey. We've made up our minds.
Posted by: ximiei | January 09, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Every presidency has its legend, as you imagine Obama's is no exception.
Now that President Elect Obama has chosen H. Clinton as a gardener for the White House Lawns, he really will be starving for our support.
Once she commented, "Just fascinated by Les Halles."
Barack Obama, checkmate. He maybe right about the Southern Sampler. It's not gourmet Honey. We've made up our minds.
Posted by: ximiei | January 09, 2009 at 01:40 PM
barak is a rock star
Posted by: bill davidson | January 09, 2009 at 01:40 PM