Aloha: President Obama, First Family Dine At Buzz's Original Steakhouse, Head Home To DC

A farewell dinner with friends after nine days unwinding on Oahu...
Just before climbing aboard Air Force One for an overnight flight back to Washington on Saturday night, President Obama had a final family luau at Buzz's Original Steakhouse in the Lanikai neighborhood of Kailua.  Joined by First Lady Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and friends, the President arrived for dinner at roughly 6:40 PM, and ended his Hawaiian idyll with a dinner that lasted close to two hours. The moderately priced, family-friendly eatery features a menu of island fusion comfort food starring Kiawe Broiled steak, burgers, and fish.  The First Family headed for the airport immediately after.  (Above, boarding Air Force One) 

At dinner, the President was clad in a white button down with sleeves rolled up and dark trousers, while Mrs. Obama wore a graphic black and beige print sundress with a black bolero sweater, her hair held back in a black headband.  Saturday was rainy and windy on island, and President Obama spent the day secluded with his family in his vacation mansion in Kailua, skipping his usual morning workout at the local Marine Corps base, and avoiding the golf course.

Right before the President left for dinner, the White House announced a change in schedule, pushing the President's flight home to 9:00 PM rather than the previously announced 10:00 PM for the ten-plus hour flight home.

The President and his party departed Buzz's at 8:34 PM, and traveled by motorcade to Hickam Air Force Base.  A crowd was gathered behind a ropeline to watch the First Family's departure, and the President and Mrs. Obama held hands as they walked across the tarmac to greet Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, Commander, US Pacific Command, Pamela Locklear, and Col. Johnny Roscoe, Commander, 15th Wing at Hickam.  With the First Daughters already on Air Force One, after brief conversations the President walked with his arm around Mrs. Obama's waist up the stairs, turning to wave a final goodbye.

Buzz's is far more low-key than the restaurants the President chose for his three other vacation dinner excursions, all pricey establishments owned by acclaimed chefs.  Entrees range from $11.95 to $15.95, with appetizers between $3 and $8.95, except for market-price tuna. Known for big salads, Buzz's is close to Kailua Beach Park, and patrons are as likely to be clad in bikinis and surf gear as they are in street clothes.

President Obama first flew to Hawaii on Dec. 21st and spent a total of nine days unwinding on Oahu split over two separate trips, thanks to returning to Washington to deal with the fiscal cliff.  On Friday night, he dined with Mrs. Obama and friends at Nobu Wakiki, making his second visit to the eatery.  Last Wednesday, the President and Mrs. Obama dined with friends at Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu, his seventh vacation visit to the eatery.  During the first part of his vacation, the President and Mrs. Obama dined at Morimoto in Waikiki, also a repeat visit. 

The President spent his time on island relaxing.  The first part of his vacation had perfect weather, and he played golf with boyhood friends and White House aides, visited the beach with his family, and worked out.  Christmas with his family was celebrated quietly at the vacation mansion.  The President called troops deployed overseas, and in the afternoon visited troops and their families at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.  The President and Mrs. Obama also attended the Punchbowl memorial service for Sen. Daniel Inouye, who had passed away in late December, and visited the grave of his grandfather Stanley Dunham.

The second part of the President's vacation was marred by almost constant rain, though he managed to play more golf, again joined by White House chef Sam Kass and friends.  He also went bowling with his daughters and made his annual shave ice run to Island Snow in Kailua.  Ending weeks of hysteria, the President signed the fiscal cliff tax legislation--by autopen.  It includes a nine-month extension of the Farm Bill.

Mrs. Obama and the girls stayed on island when President Obama returned to Washington mid-vacation.  Thanks to his double commute aboard Air Force One back and forth to DC, he will have spent about forty hours in the air for this vacation.

The President is scheduled to arrive at the White House at 10:45 AM Sunday morning, and has no public events on his schedule.  "The President will spend next week in Washington, DC and attend meetings at the White House," the White House said.

*Pool photo by Carolyn Kaster/AP

President Obama, First Lady Dine At Nobu Waikiki With Friends

Threepeat: President visits same restaurants on this year's vacation as last year's...
After a day of golf, President Obama on Friday night had a long, late dinner in Waikiki, spending more than 3 1/2 hours at Nobu restaurant.  Joined by First Lady Obama and an unidentified group of friends, the President arrived at the "perennially hip" Waikiki Parc Hotel at at 8:35 PM, home to Nobu, which bills itself as "yet another canvas for Chef Nobu Matsuhisa to display his legendary dishes."  The closed-off streets around the hotel filled with excited crowds as word of the President's presence spread through Waikiki.

President Obama likes the the chef's canvas:  Nobu was his first dining outing of 2012, when he had dinner there with Mrs. Obama last New Year's Day.  The visit makes the President's dining excursions for this year's vacation a threepeat from last year's vacation.  During both island getaways, he also dined at Alan Wong's restaurant and dined at Morimoto.  Mr. Obama had his annual shave ice run on Thursday, so he's now hit all his favorite hotspots before he leaves for Washington late on Saturday night.
 
Nobu's pricey menu offers raw and cooked seafood and beef, "Nobu Style," with cold delights such as Nobu Style Sashimi Tacos,  Lobster Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing, Bigeye and Blue Fin Toro.  Cooked dishes include Black Cod Saikyo Miso, Squid 'Pasta' with Light Garlic Sauce, Blue Fin Toro Tabanyaki, and Beef Tenderloin.  Entrees range in price from $23 to $48, with the Blue Fin going for a much higher market price.  Appetizers are between $6 and $25.

As usual for the vacation, the press pool was held far away from the action: The President and Mrs. Obama "were visible to the pool only from a few hundred feet back as they exited the motorcade," reported pool, who spent the evening "eating at a restaurant several blocks away." Above, Twitter user @RustyWhitaker posted this photo of the crowd gathered outside Nobu hoping for a chance to see the President.  "Back to our hotel after dinner, turns out Barack Obama is eating in the restaurant next door to our hotel! #carnage," Tweeted Whitaker.

At 12:09 AM, the President emerged from Nobu to cheers from the crowds, and less than a minute later the motorcade was rolling for Kailua.  The President arrived at his vacation home at 12:43 AM.

Earlier on Friday, President Obama played a windy and rainy game of golf for more than five hours on the championship Arnold Palmer Course at the swank Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's North Shore.  His fivesome included Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass, Hawaiian pal Bobby Titcomb, Chicago pal Marty Nesbitt, and White House aide Marvin Nicholson, the White House said.

The President and First Family are scheduled to depart Hawaii late on Saturday night, flying overnight on Air Force One back to Washington, with an expected arrival at the White House on Sunday morning at 11:45 AM.

"The President will spend next week in Washington, DC and attend meetings at the White House," the White House said.

*Top photo by pool; second by @RustyWhitaker

White House Chef Sam Kass Joins President Obama For A Second Golf Game In Hawaii

A fivesome for a rainy day of golf at the Turtle Bay Resort...
White House Assistant Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass on Friday enjoyed his second game of golf in Hawaii with President Obama, playing with his boss for more than five hours on the championship Arnold Palmer Course--designed by the master himself--at the swank Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's North Shore.

Kass, a frequent golf partner for President Obama, last joined the President for some fun on the links on December 22nd.  The chef  remained in Hawaii with the First Family when the President returned to Washington to deal with the fiscal cliff legislation.  The President's party was a fivesome, and also included Hawaiian pal Bobby Titcomb, Chicago pal Marty Nesbitt, and White House aide Marvin Nicholson, the White House said.

As is standard practice, the White House did not release a score for the game, which took place amidst gusty winds and occasional downpours after the President arrived by motorcade at 11:55 AM.  He was back at his rental compound in Kailua at 7:07 PM, before heading out again for the evening.  Update: The President dined at Nobu restaurant in Waikiki.

The President's press pool was unable to offer details on the game, thanks to being held "in a restaurant near the driving range and not in a position to see much," according to the scribe on duty.

The President was spotted briefly during the trip to the resort, and pool noted he was wearing a white polo shirt as he climbed into his SUV.  The trip across the island, on winding cliffside roads, took close to an hour, with some  drama: "As it happens, not even the president of the United States can avoid having to pull over for an ambulance or waiting in the island’s notoriously bad traffic," pool reported.

On Thursday, President Obama went bowling with his daughters at the lanes at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, and also thrilled locals when he stopped for a favorite treat: Shave ice at Island Snow.  On Wednesday night, following another day of golf, the President and First Lady Obama had their first dining excursion of 2013, visiting Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu for a three-hour dinner with friends.

The President, First Family and Kass will depart Hawaii late on Saturday night, flying overnight back to Washington, with an expected arrival at the White House on Sunday morning at 11:45 AM.

"The President will spend next week in Washington, DC and attend meetings at the White House," the White House said.

*Photo at top is President Obama playing golf at the Kaneohe Klipper Course in Oahu, Hawaii, Dec. 26, 2010/Pete Souza/White House.  Kass photo by Obama Foodorama.   The pool on duty in Hawaii was  Jeremy Peters of The New York Times.

President Obama Visits 'Island Snow' For Shave Ice, With Daughters And Pals

The President enjoys the 'Snowbama' during his repeat treat run to a favorite haunt...
President Obama on Thursday afternoon made his annual pilgrimage to shave ice nirvana Island Snow, a surf shop in the town of Kailua that does a brisk business in the Hawaiian frozen treat.  He brought daughters Malia and Sasha, who were last spotted at Island Snow on New Year's Eve while their dad was stuck in Washington dealing with the fiscal cliff legislation. The President emerged from the shop carrying a cup filled with his favorite half-and-half juice blend poured over the shave ice:  Mele Melona and Choo Choo Cherry.  Island Snow long ago dubbed this combo the "Snowbama," thanks to the President visiting each time he vacations in Hawaii.

Shave Ice enthusiasts can get all kinds of toppings on their paper cups of ice and juice, but the President has made it clear he's a no-frills man: "I'm a plain shave ice guy," he announced during his 2010 Island Snow visit.  Unidentified family friends were also in the President's party.

The 4:00 PM treat run came after the President and the girls went bowling at the lanes at the nearby Marine Corps Base Hawaii.  Island Snow is located in a small shopping center, and the President, clad in an untucked navy polo shirt and blue jeans, greeted a small crowd that had quickly assembled outside the shop.

"How are you doing?" the President asked, and began shaking hands.

The press pool was kept at a distance, "so additional conversations were largely inaudible," reported the scribe on duty.  Rain fell for much of the day on Oahu, so it wasn't the typical balmy weather that inspires a shave ice run.  But it's a Presidential tradition.

After spending a couple minutes shaking hands, President Obama  hopped into his waiting SUV.  The motorcade then sped to the President's vacation home, arriving in the Kailua neighborhood at 4:15 PM.  (Above: The President waves to the crowd)

At 4:22 PM, the White House called a lid, meaning the President spent the rest of Thursday at home.

On Wednesday night, the President and First Lady Obama had their first dining excursion of 2013, visiting Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu for a three-hour dinner with friends.   It was also a repeat-eats situation:  The President has visited Wong's seven times while on vacation.

An AP video of the President emerging from Island Snow:



President Obama has no public events scheduled while in Hawaii, and is scheduled to remain on island until January 5, when he will with the First Family fly overnight to Washington and arrive on Jan. 6.

*Pool photos by Carolyn Kaster/AP