Barack, Michelle Obama treated like ‘the Beatles’ on Martha’s Vineyard

OPINION:

In keeping with an old tradition, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have returned to their customary summer retreat.

The couple are visiting Martha’s Vineyard and have been quietly enjoying themselves on the low-key and picturesque island — likely to stay until the end of August according to the Martha’s Vineyard Times. The local news organization has much to cover.

“Golfing, bicycling, and visiting some of the Island’s restaurants are among the president’s August pastimes on-island. On Sunday he reportedly dined at the Red Cat in Oak Bluffs. Monday night, Barack and Michelle Obama went to The Cardboard Box — Ben DeForest’s new Oak Bluffs eatery. They emerged from the restaurant to a screaming throng outside on Circuit Ave. and waved to well-wishers before getting into a waiting SUV,” The Times reported.

The restaurant itself is a doozy, featuring everything from pan-roasted monk fish loin with chorizo sausage ($46) to a 42-ounce rib-eye steak ($100) and lamb loin chops chimichurri ($58). Translated, that means the chops are topped with a tasty sauce of chopped parsley, garlic, olive oil, red-wine vinegar and some other stuff. Yes, there’s fresh lobster, of course.

Moving beyond the menu prices, craft cocktails include “The Midnight Swim,” which features rum, pineapple, raspberry liqueur and a complimentary rubber ducky; “The Sandman’s Kryptonite” — essentially an espresso-jolted martini; and “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” a jalapeno margarita.

And as long as we’re at it, the desserts include key lime trifle, chocolate ganache tart with toasted almond crust, and a hot sticky bun served in an iron skillet with vanilla ice cream, brown sugar apple filling and homemade caramel sauce.

The aforementioned restaurant owner Mr. DeForest, meanwhile, shared a video of the former first couple exiting his eatery with a police escort, as frenzied bystanders shouted terms of endearment and chanted “Obama! Obama! Obama!” according to MassLive.com, which tracks local news.

Mr. DeForest reported that it was the “craziest scene” he’s seen in decades.

“It was like The Beatles,” he told MassLive.