President Barack Obama and First lady Michelle Obama chose Rasika, a popular Indian restaurant in Washington’s West End, for a private dinner to celebrate his 52nd birthday.
Owned by New Delhi-born Ashok Bajaj, Rasika has emerged as a popular rendezvous of downtown Washington in recent years, patronised both by power elite and others fond of Indian cuisine.
“The President and First lady are going out to dinner to celebrate his birthday,” the White House said on Thursday. Obama, who turned 52 on Sunday, spent his birthday weekend celebrating with friends and family at Camp David in Maryland.
The Raskia outing was also billed as a pre-vacation Washington dinner for the first family. On Saturday, the Obamas proceed to Martha’s Vineyard for their annual August holiday. They plan to spend nine days on the Massachusetts island, with no public events during the vacation.