Dinner Details Offer Nod to a French Connection

In its preview of Tuesday’s state dinner for President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte, the White House emphasized that many elements about the visit, largely planned by the East Wing, were meant to symbolically honor the historical relationship between the United States and France, an alliance that dates to the Revolutionary War.

From the menu to the décor, the choices were meant to foster a growing warmth between President Donald Trump and Macron, who is scheduled to engage in negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, trade concessions and the timeline of keeping U.S. troops in Syria.

Here are some of the details.

When the Macrons arrived Monday in Washington, they planted a tree with Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, on the South Lawn. The European sessile oak from the Belleau Wood, where nearly 10,000 Americans were injured or killed during a World War I battle, was a gift from the Macrons.

The Trumps joined the Macrons on a helicopter tour of the capital and for dinner at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, who hosted the Marquis de Lafayette there years after the two fought as allies in the Revolutionary War.

About 500 members of the military were on the South Lawn on Tuesday as the Macrons arrived for the dinner, White House officials said. Much of the ceremony on the lawn was handled by the White House Visitors Office, which manages outdoor events like the Easter egg roll. Cabinet secretaries and lawmakers attended.

The White House chef, Cristeta Comerford, used herbs from the South Lawn in some of the dishes.

First course: Goat cheese gateau, tomato jam, buttermilk biscuit crumbles and young variegated lettuces.

Main course: Rack of spring lamb, burnt cipollini soubise and Carolina gold rice jambalaya.

Dessert: Nectarine tart and crème fraîche ice cream.

Even the wines were meant to symbolize healthy American-French relations: The Domaine Serene Chardonnay Evenstad Reserve 2015, which uses French plants from Dijon grown in Willamette Valley, Oregon, was among those served.

The color scheme of the dinner was cream and gold, and Melania Trump chose Clinton-era china as the main plate for the dishes on 13 tables in the State Dining Room. Members of the first lady’s small East Wing team said they took her initial direction and ran with it, including the organizing of floral displays and designing the overall look of the room, according to Rickie Niceta, the White House social secretary.

“She was specific of what direction she was thinking,” Niceta said. “She kind of gave that to me and asked me to fine-tune it.”

More than 1,200 branches of cherry blossoms were featured in the Cross Hall of the White House. The State Dining Room had 2,500 stems of white sweet peas and about 1,000 stems of white lilacs.

The last state dinner to honor France was held in 2014 by President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. That year, Mary J. Blige performed. This year, it was the Washington National Opera.

The Trump White House, which typically does not release official details of the first lady’s fashion choices, kept that detail a secret before the dinner.

During her visit to France last year, Melania Trump favored variations of red, white and blue, and wore creations by Valentino and Hervé Pierre, who designed her inauguration gown.

Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times’ fashion critic, offered a few guesses about the first lady’s possible choices:

“Thus far, Melania Trump has been relatively hard to predict when it comes to her wardrobe choices. She has evinced clear favorites when it comes to certain designers — Dolce & Gabbana, which she wore to meet the pope and for her official photograph; Ralph Lauren, which she wore to the inauguration; Hervé Pierre, who also doubles as a fashion adviser — but they are simply first among equals. All of which means it is very hard to guess what she will wear to the state dinner. It could be, for example, Dior, which she wore on her visit to France for Bastille Day — except she might not want to repeat. She wore a Givenchy cape Monday. So my bet would be on something completely different — though I expect when it comes to silhouette she will stay with her favored simple, body-conscious lines, high heels and diamonds.”

No congressional Democrats were invited, but there was at least one Democrat on the 120-person guest list: Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana. Other attendees included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.