Posted on 08/01/2004 4:54:01 AM PDT by Peach
Weekend, July 31 - August 1, 2004
Copyright © 2004 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc. This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent.
Was the real lunch choice Wendys or fine dine
What was being served inside the bus? While Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, and their families were having a lite lunch at Wendys in the Town of Newburgh Friday, drumming up local support right after the national convention in Boston, their real lunches were waiting on their bus.
A member of the Kerry advance team called Nikolas Restaurant at the Newburgh Yacht Club the night before and ordered 19 five-star lunches to go that would be picked up at noon Friday. Management at the restaurant, which is operated by CIA graduate chef Michael Dederick, was told the meals would be for the Kerry and Edwards families and actor Ben Affleck who was with them on the tour.
The gourmet meals to go included shrimp vindallo, grilled diver sea scallops, prosciutto, wrapped stuffed chicken, and steak salad. The meals came to about $200.
The entourage had also expected to stop at the Alexis Diner at Route 9W and North Plank Road in the Town of Newburgh. In fact, the Kerry advance team had ordered 125 lunches for the team and supporters. Their buses drove right by the diner on I-84 and proceeded straight to Wendys.
Kerry may still have the vote of Wendys manager John Garrett. Im for anyone who comes in and likes double cheeses, Garrett said. Im a big supporter of anyone who orders our food.
Apparently the restaurants they frequent are the five star kind. The Wendys and Burger King fast food joints are strictly for the great unwashed masses. I wouldn't spend such a huge tab on lunch. As aristocrats, they prefer to keep their contact with ordinary folks to the minimum possible. Upon reading stories like this, its amazing 40 percent of the country would still vote for a haughty eminence grise pair like Deadwards.
"Just give me a rack of ribs!" :-)
The gourmet meals to go included shrimp vindallo, grilled diver sea scallops, prosciutto, wrapped stuffed chicken, and steak salad. The meals came to about $200.
What a great article! Do you remember how much press the story about Bush Sr. got when he went through a supermarket checkout line and expressed surprise at the scanner being used?
Two days of saturation coverage of this story would probably destroy Kerry's campaign.
Reporter laziness, I guess. How hard is it to write Culinary Institute of America.
Credit where credit is due...Hubby found it. Slowly he is becoming a FReeper...lurker.
Slightly off-topic, I owned a carry-out pizzeria in Inkster, Michigan in 1980, and the Reagan campaign staff in nearby Dearborn placed an order one night when Reagan was to arrive for a rally to be held the following day. They cancelled the order when Reagan's plane landed early and they had to rush off to meet it.
They could have had the pizza free if I'd thought a slice would make its way to the Gipper. Extra cheese, too.
Yes... how can you live without a great chef? Now I know why the Cheris look down on the food most Americans eat: its not up to their exactingly high French culinary palates.
LMAO !
Well, give my thanks to your husband too! It's made my day to see this PUBLISHED vignette of what Kerry/Edwards are really like. In addition, it is the kind of news that regular people can relate to...BIG TIME.
Actually, CIA is the common acronym for the school. I guess you have to be a foodie to know that, though.
I just sent the story to CNN. I'm not holding my breath.
Given what we know about Kerry's staff shorting the Nantucket Caterer via the Nantucket Airport Authority, I'm not suprised that the total "bill" came to $200.
Now what the restaurant actually asked to be paid is an entirely different matter.
FREEPERS AND FRIENDS: WE MUSTN'T FORGET A VERY IMPORTANT ITEM NOT MENTIONED IN THE STORY. DID THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES LEAVE A LOUSY TIP OR DID THEY STIFF THE WAITERS???
http://www.pojonews.com/enjoy/reviews/nikolas.htm
NIKOLA'S
Rating breakdown
Overall **** (Very Good)
1 Park Place at the Newburgh Yacht Club, Newburgh; (845) 561-5255; international cuisine; serving lunch and dinner seven days a week: lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner, 5:30-10 p.m. Call for hours because restaurant may close to accommodate private functions; children may be accommodated; smoking is permitted in the bar/lounge area; reservations suggested; handicapped accessibility; all major credit cards accepted.
Entrée price range $16-$20.
Since you can't tip at a Wendy's, they did the next best thing and left their trash on the table for the staff to clean up.
Review of Nikolas at http://www.pojonews.com/enjoy/reviews/nikolas.htm
The lunch was prolly more like $2000 than $200.
I didn't mean Wendy's. I meant the fancy shmancy restaurant they ordered from
Well this explains what a billionaire does when faced with a forced fast food campaign.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.