Posted on 06/02/2006 2:46:55 AM PDT by NYpeanut
Hillary and Bill Clinton took a break from the South Beach Diet on Wednesday to do lunch Buffalo-style: spaghetti Parmesan and chicken cacciatore at Chef's on Seneca Street.
"I figure once a year, it's OK," said former president and quadruple by-pass survivor Bill Clinton, as he chomped down on a cannoli while simultaneously shaking hands with adoring fans.
The Clintons were at Chef's with about 40 convention organizers and volunteers to wrap up their appearances in Buffalo for the state Democratic convention.
"That was amazing!" gushed hostess Kim Ehnes, 19, of East Aurora, moments after the powerhouse political duo was swept away by Secret Service agents.
"We thought that the Sabres coming in here was a big deal, but that blew that away," she said.
"It's an awesome feeling to meet a president of the United States of America," said Samuel A. Herbert, a convention volunteer who showed up outside Chef's to take a photograph of himself with the Clintons with his cell phone camera.
"I will treasure this picture," Herbert said.
The Clintons made the rounds in the restaurant, shaking hands with workers and patrons and delighting them with their down-to-earth demeanor, before sitting down to mounds of Italian-American dishes.
"The president said we just put 10 pounds on him and took 10 years off his life because of all the cheese," said waitress Anne Johnston, 21.
Customers, too, were delighted by the surprise visit.
Barb and Ted Gorney, a retired couple from West Seneca, were in downtown Buffalo running errands and just happened to decide to come to Chef's Wednesday afternoon.
"I thought I'd surprise her and take her to lunch at Chef's," Ted Gorney said.
They were worried at first when they saw the long line of black Secret Service SUVs in front of the restaurant, but were thrilled when they saw who the special guests were. The Gorneys made sure to get a table near the aisle so they'd get a chance to shake hands with the Clintons.
"If it was [President] Bush, I wouldn't even speak to them," Barb Gorney joked.
Andrea Gallo, 59, a retired Buffalo Envelope worker and regular at Chef's, said she strode up to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton with a pointed message: "I told her I want her to run for president and that she'd be just as good as her husband."
Sen. Clinton replied: "I need your help in November, first."
To which Gallo replied: "You got it."
For the record: The restaurant picked up the tab but waitress Johnston said the party "left a nice tip."
Geez, when are we going to be done with these two?
If he's worried about cheese, then he doesn't know anything about the South Beach Diet. He should be more worried about the carbs.
I think this story is a bunch of PR BS.
Wonder how much push polling was done to select the meal? Everything about them is political, how sad.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Wow, what's going on with Hillary's jacket in that second photo?
Is it an overactive peplum, or is she that broad-beamed lately?
Good one.
What a charming thing to say to your host who's giving you a free meal. Bubba's still got it.
They like it that way because the largest employer in Western New York is the government and the good ole boy network is in full bloom. It is a self-feeding monster. Government gets bigger needs more "workers". For an analogy see the plant "Audrey II" from Little Shop of Horrors.
Prolly not. When Billy was still pres, and she was running for senator, she visited western New York at the same time we had booked a stay at Letchworth Park. Needless to say, she closed down most of the park (security reasons, doncha know), our ressies were cancelled so the SS could have our rooms, and our lunch at the Glen Iris was postponed till she and her henchmen left. When we finally sat down, our waitress was in a huff. She said there was no tip at all from Hillary or her staff, but she thought they might have sent a few dollars in to the chef!
Well, at least they got that part right.
Was "Letch"worth Park named after Bubba?
Fortunately, he wasn't there to defile the place.
Hmmm I'm still waiting for the disclaimer, "but SOME patrons said..." then something negative, (the way the mainstream media always does with OUR stories.)
Can you imagine such a drippy, glowing report about President Bush?
The mainstream media is loathesome in its bias.
Denied our kings and queens, we make do with what's at hand; once when invited to dinner at a schoolmate's house, I asked what was for dinner, opening the refrigerator door to show me the chub sitting proudly on the plate, he replied, "Center-cut Bologna."
Truman was definitely one of a kind. If I remember correctly he returned to live in his Mother-In Laws home.
I also seem to remember a story where he had to borrow money to try to save his Mothers farm.
The words Clinton, blows, and staff should never be used in a headline about food.
Gosh, New Yorkers must be dumb yokels. All it takes is a sophisticated Arkansawyer to boll them over.
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