The Obamas Dine at Oyamel Again, Plus More Intel

Andrés and Obama, mutual admiration society

Talk about a love fest between chef José Andrés and President Barack Obama. The White House announced that the mega-chef will be a recipient of one of the 2015 National Humanities Medals, a major honor bestowed on only twelve individuals this year.

And according to White House pool reporters, the President and First Lady made a return visit to Andrés’ Mexican restaurant Oyamel last night. Eater has reached out to the restaurant for any details on their dinner. It’s a repeat visit for the couple to the restaurant.

Chef shuffles

A couple of chef changes, courtesy of Washingtonian. First, a big one: The Grill Room’s chef Frank Ruta will head to upcoming French American restaurant opening at 900 16th St. NW (name still being finalized, though Plateau has been mentioned). The fine dining and burger expert is a good get for restaurateur Hakan Ilhan of such restaurants as Ottoman Taverna and L’Hommage Bistro.

Meanwhile, over at Trummer’s, Jon Cropf takes over. He comes to D.C. from Charleston, working at The Drawing Room there. Trummer’s previous chef, Austin Fausett, recently went to Penn Quarter wine bar Proof. [Washingtonian]

Poke by the numbers

D.C. already knows that poke is oh so hot here. Eater.com takes a look at how the trend scales up nationally, deep diving into the statistics around poke and Hawaiian restaurants nationwide. [E]

Renovation report

Marvin’s bistro is back in business, after a few weeks of renovations. They have some new menu items to match, too.