Red, white, blue theme is set for state dinner with Macron
WASHINGTON » Butterpoached Maine lobster, beef with shallot marmalade and an American cheese trio will be served when French President Emmanuel Macron takes his seat as the guest of honor at a red-white-andblue themed White House state dinner, the first for President Joe Biden.
Dessert will be orange chiffon cake, roasted pears and creme fraiche ice cream.
Everything, from the menu to the entertainment to the table settings and other touches, was designed by the White House — and first lady Jill Biden — to highlight the ties that bind America and its oldest ally, France. Red, white and blue are the colors of both countries' flags.
A state dinner is a high diplomatic honor that the United States reserves for its closest allies.
Biden said she was handling Thursday's glitzy dinner in the same way that her mother handled family dinners when she was growing up. Her mother brought out the china and fresh flowers, and lit candles “even if we were only having fish sticks from the freezer.”
“I learned that setting a table can be an act of love,” the first lady said, before staff allowed journalists to see the tablescapes for the dinner, which is part of a broader state visit to the United States by Macron and his wife, Brigitte. Macron landed in the U.S. on Tuesday night.
Biden said the first White House state dinner since 2019 will be “an expression of welcome and friendship, a way to connect through a language that transcends words.” She did not take questions from reporters and departed the State Dining Room, where the preview was held, after her brief remarks.
White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo, who has worked for the Bidens for more than a decade, said “making people feel comfortable and at home” matters most to the couple.
The glitzy, black-tie dinner party will be held in a heated pavilion on the South Lawn with an expected 300 or so guests. They will be seated at a mix of square and rectangular tables, covered with dark blue silk cloths and decorated with red candles and arrangements of red, white and blue flowers, including roses and irises, the official flower of France.
China from the White House collection will not be used since it is not allowed outside of the house.
An image of the Statue of Liberty, a gift to the U.S. from France in the 1800s, will be the backdrop for toasts by the presidents. American sparkling wine poured into silver French champagne vessels will be served for the toasts.