NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)(HONOLULU) — The first dinner of 2015 for the First Couple was a multi-course, hours-long meal at the exclusive Vintage Cave of Waikiki, where the prix fixe menu starts at $295 per person, according to local food blogs.
The restaurant also offers $500,000 “memberships,” which includes a private wine cellar, discount on meals and an investment stake in the restaurant.
Its website says “gifted masters of the culinary arts” prepare bites to please “the most discerning palate.” “Secure in the natural embrace of the cave-like environment, guests are encouraged to relax, ‘hit reset’ and escape the ordinary,” the site says. The White House said it was the Obamas’ first visit to the restaurant. No word on whether they became members.
Earlier on New Year’s Day, the presidential entourage went snorkeling in beautiful Hanauma Bay, which they had entirely to themselves for four and a half hours. Normally the beach and park would be packed with tourists on a holiday. Aides who were also in the waters tell ABC News they were tranquil and fish-filled. While POTUS swam, Coast Guard ships patrolled offshore and Secret Service agents blanketed the hills overlooking the sea. The outing’s security measures illustrate the extensive (and expensive) steps to protect presidents when they recreate.
Haunama Bay would normally be packed w snorkelers on a holiday. Today, exclusively for Obamas (pic by Arden Farhi) > pic.twitter.com/Cbi62g7Hxk
— devindwyer (@devindwyer) January 1, 2015
After snorkeling, the Obamas stopped for shave ice at Island Snow, a local joint that’s become a family favorite. The president, dressed casually in beachwear, enjoyed a melon/lilikoi/cherry concoction next to his daughter Malia as they mingled with other patrons.
Pool reporter Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal, who was on scene, noted that one in particular stood out in the crowd: She “had a large parrot on her shoulder and told [the] pool that her husband said he’d give her $1,500 if she got POTUS to hold the parrot on his shoulder. That did not happen.”
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