While on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, the Obamas go to dinner at the Sweet Life Cafe in Oak Bluffs on Tuesday. Valerie Jarrett, in the far left corner, Konrad Ng, in white t-shirt, and his wife and the president’s half sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, wearing a gray shawl, were with them.
About Sweet Life Cafe:
The Sweet Life Café, one of Martha’s Vineyard’s fine-dining restaurants, features contemporary French-American cuisine with an accent on local catches and produce. Executive Chef Scott Ehrlich masterfully combines flavors and textures that subtlety surprise and please, without overpowering the senses. Not surprisingly, French owner Pierre Guérin has created a wine list that includes a great selection of Bordeaux wines, but an equally wide range of New World wines is available as well for even the most discerning wine enthusiast to discover. Dinner is served in one of the intimate dining rooms of the restored Victorian home or in the romantic garden under the twinkling lights. Working closely with her knowledgeable staff, co-owner Susan Guérin has orchestrated all of the elements to create a memorable evening.
Housed in a charming Victorian house, this island favorite’s warm tones, low lighting, and handsome antique furniture will make you feel like you’ve entered someone’s home—but the cooking is more sophisticated than home-style. Dishes on the menu are prepared in inventive ways; duck breast is roasted with a lavender-rosemary-honey glaze, and the gazpacho is a white version with steamed clams, sliced red grapes, and smoked-paprika oil. The desserts are superb; try the warm chocolate fondant (a sort of soufflé) with toasted-almond ice cream. There’s outdoor dining by candlelight in a shrub-enclosed garden, with heaters for cold nights. The same owners run Slice of Life (50 Circuit Ave. 508/693-3838), a more casual, less-expensive bakery and café nearby.
One of the most hotly debated topics on the island is where the Obamas will eat. The Martha’s Vineyard Gazette reported last week that some residents are booking restaurants on the off chance of landing a seat next to them. On their last trip, the Obamas dined at the Sweet Life Café in Oak Bluffs, a favourite with Chelsea Clinton. This time, the local black community is betting on Deon’s, because it is the only black-owned restaurant on the island and it specialises in the kind of spicy food that the President is said to adore. But up islanders are backing State Road, which has an interior designed by the Obamas’ White House decorator, Michael S Smith. – from Telegraph