What it's like to eat dinner at the same restaurant as the Obamas

President Barack Obama will be in Chicago on Monday to discuss community organization and civic engagement.

As we all know, the Obamas have impeccable taste in food, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the former president surveying the Chicago dining scene when he returns stateside. Will he visit the renowned Alinea? Or return to an old Obama favorite, Spiaggia?

Last September, my husband and I had a chance run-in with Barack and Michelle, who were in New York City for their last visit as president and first lady.

Here's what it was like.

We were headed to Cosme in New York's Flatiron District to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

We have been craving the #D... @ pattyl914

We obviously had no idea going into this that the Obamas would be making an appearance.

I made the reservation exactly 30 days in advance, knowing that a table at the trendy Mexican restaurant is hard to come by. Since opening in 2014, Cosme has been one of the hottest restaurants in New York City.

The restaurant's most famous dish is its duck carnitas, pictured above. The dish features a half of a duck, braised for many hours, accompanied by homemade tortillas and house sauces.

Walking to the restaurant, I knew something was up.

The first sign was a group of about 20 New York Police Department officers on motorcycles. They were huddled outside Gramercy Tavern on East 20th Street, a block south of Cosme.

I knew President Obama was in the city to bid farewell to the United Nations General Assembly, so I figured he was eating at Gramercy Tavern or Trattoria Il Mulino next door. After all, the Obamas have great taste in restaurants.

But when I got to East 21st Street, the security was even more intense. It turned out the Obamas were eating at Cosme, too. After getting over the initial shock that we had chosen the same restaurant as the president, I began to worry we might not get in at all.

A line of ambulances blocked off the street entirely to cars, and about half of the block was closed to pedestrians.

I walked up to about five police officers and told them we had a reservation at Cosme, thinking they would let us past the blue tape barricade.

Their response was to "get lost," "keep walking," and "find somewhere else to eat."

Thanks, Obama.

I pleaded with the cops until one let us through the police tape. We were handed off to a group of Secret Service officers who were guarding the restaurant.

This was definitely the most intense security check I've ever gone through. One officer checked my purse and sifted through everything in my wallet as well as my makeup case. A second officer ran a metal detector wand up and down my body.

On our way in, I got a glimpse of 'The Beast,' the president's armored limo.

The Secret Service officers told us the restaurant had found out that the Obamas were coming only five minutes before they arrived. A reservation was made for them earlier under a pseudonym.

When we finally sat down, around 7:40 p.m., the restaurant was buzzing. Everyone was talking about the Obamas, who had arrived about 15 minutes before us. They were seated in a private room, though, so we couldn't see them. Secret Service officers were everywhere.

#longweekend#labordayweeken... @ jennys_apron

Here's a photo of what a table looks like inside Cosme.

According to Grub Street, the Obamas ordered tuna tostadas, burrata, lobster, short ribs, and the duck carnitas.

Crushed it!! Outstanding me... @ jrborges81

Source:

The lobster with shiso, ginger mojo, and brown butter was one of my favorite dishes.

Lobster, ships, ginger mojo... @ mondodinner

I knew we needed to stretch out our meal as long as possible if we were going to get a glimpse of the Obamas leaving. We took a long break between each course, and the carnitas kept us going for a while.

Finally, around 9:30 p.m., the Obamas emerged from a door in the back of the restaurant. Everyone, including servers and diners, stood up to applaud.

Michelle headed pretty quickly for the front door, but President Obama shook a few hands and smiled on his way out.

We didn't get a handshake, but we did get a few grainy photos.

Thanks for the best anniversary gift ever, Obamas!

What it's like to eat dinner at the same restaurant as the Obamas

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!