WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama enjoyed a sometimes-forbidden food at a hot D.C. restaurant on the night before Valentine's Day.
Fiola declined to say who joined FLOTUS for her Wednesday meal, but did tell The Huffington Post that the first lady and her party ate burrata, salad with arugula, lobster ravioli and "Rossini”-style beef topped with foie gras, a duck or goose liver delicacy that has come under fire on animal cruelty grounds. (California's ban on foie gras went into effect last summer, leading to a boom in sales in neighboring states.)
A spokesperson for Fiola told HuffPost that Chef Fabio Trabocchi sent out a ravioli San Leo, as well, made with ricotta and wild greens, topped with lemon zest and cinammon. Though the table declined to order dessert, the chef ended FLOTUS's meal with ricotta doughnuts and cream-filled brioche buns called ensaimadas, which the Washington Post's Tom Sietsema called his "go-to dessert."
Washingtonian, which ranked Fiola the eighth best restaurant in D.C. in 2012, listed the burrata with heirloom tomatoes and basil and the lobster ravioli as among the restaurant's best dishes.
Sietema, who gave Fiola three stars in 2012, recommends the meatballs, along with another controversial food, the "puffy golden veal Milanese, made to order in a pan with fresh sage."
