Inaugural Luncheon
U.S. Capitol
Statuary Hall
Saturday, January 20, 2001
1:00 p.m.

Following the swearing in ceremony, the new President saw former President Clinton off from the East Front of the Capitol (Clinton went to Andrews by motorcade rather than helicopter due to the weather) and signed some papers in the President's room off the U.S. Senate chamber, before joining congressional leaders and other invited dignitaries for a luncheon in Statuary Hall.  The U.S. Army Brass Quintet provided music.  About 230 dignitaries dined off U.S. Senate china, enjoying lobster pie, grenadine of beef supreme and sour cream drop biscuits.  At the head table were President and Mrs. Bush, Vice President and Mrs. Cheney, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY, chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies) and wife Elaine Chao, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT, member of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies) and wife, Speaker Denny Hastert and wife, Reverend Franklin Graham and Pastor Kirbyjon H. Caldwell.  After the meal Sen. McConnell presented Bush with a specially commissioned crystal bowl.  Created by Lenox, the nine-inch hand-blown bowl weighs five pounds and has a 35-pound base; it shows the U.S. Capitol flanked by cherry trees and, on a smaller scale, the White House.

Menu

LOBSTER PIE
Morsels of lobster sauteed with fresh herbs and winter vegetables in a rich cream sauce; served in a flaky pastry crust, topped with fresh lobster, garnished with lemon leaves and lemon wedges.
 

GRENADINE OF BEEF SUPREME
Petit filets of prime beef tenderloin individually tied, marinated in garlic and fresh herbs, interlarded with vegetables, well seasoned and sauteed topped with a turned mushroom cap and presented over steamed green beans with Madeira demiglace;

Chartreuse of vegetables - a puff pastry ring filled with chestnuts, brussels sprouts and parisienne vegetables to include carrots, squash, broccoli stem, zucchini and yellow and red tomatoes;

Puree of small roots - to include celery root, navet and parsnip.
 

SOUR CREAM DROP BISCUITS
Served warm.
 

TOFFEE PUDDING
A moist, dense nutmeat pudding loaf served with caramel sauce, surrounded with navel and blood orange slices topped with crystallized ginger and sugared pecans and presented warm with very rich very vanilla bean ice cream scoops.
 

DEMITASSE CAFE AND TEA
Pass chocolate dipped ginger, candied fruit rinds,
fresh strawberries florentines, macaroons and truffles.

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Sonoma-Cutrer, Les Pierres, Chardonnay 1998
Fetzer Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 1997
Korbel Natural "Special Inaugural Cuvee" Champagne N.V.
 


Notes: 
Menu from Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.  Design Cuisine of Arlington, Virgina catered the event. 

Mary Blasinsky, chief of staff of the National Federation of Independent Business, served as volunteer luncheon coordinator.  The head table was set with blue china, on loan from Barry Landau of New York, featuring a picture of the Capitol as it looked 1801; the rest of the tables were set with limited edition reproductions made especially for the occasion.  These were donated by NFIB and later given to attendees (people dined off of U.S. Senate china).  Under S.Con.Res. 89, which established the JCCIC, the committee was permitted "accept gifts and donations of goods and services to carry out its responsibilities."  Brown-Forman Corporation donated the wine and champagne (Lenox, which produced the bowl given to Bush, is also a subsidiary of Brown-Forman).  The American Council of Life Insurers donated flowers.