First couple cuts a swath across D.C. dining scene

If you’re looking for Washington’s hottest restaurants, you’d do well to take your cues from the commander in chief. Since 2009, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have hit the local restaurant scene as if it were the campaign trail, making well-documented visits to burger joints and pizzerias, high-end restaurants and Georgetown Cupcake.

While the first couple can certainly do highbrow, if there’s one defining foodstuff of this administration, it’s a cheddar cheeseburger, which the president has ordered at restaurants across the area. The more daring eater might be the first lady, who sought out Indian at the four-star Rasika and hipster sushi at Sticky Rice. The Obamas have made multiple trips to Alexandria and the District’s funky, developing H Street NE corridor, but they’ve rarely ventured to Maryland.