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On Tuesday, May 22, 2001, from 6:30-9 PM, the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program and The Hay-Adams Hotel are replicating a State Dinner in the hotel's elegant John Hay Room. This formal evening at the historic hotel, which directly overlooks the White House, is designed to closely replicate the banquet given by President Ronald Reagan for Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. The Hay-Adams Executive Chef Frédéric Lange is preparing the special dinner menu and the cost of the evening event is $155 per person for Smithsonian Resident Associates Program members and $200 per person for non-members.

Guests will begin the experience with a reception on the roof terrace of the vintage Italian Renaissance-style hotel. The Hay-Adams rooftop vantage has stunning views of Lafayette Park, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Potomac River in the distance, ideal scenery for savoring an aperitif and sampling canapés. The reception is followed by a four-course dinner paired with the sommelier s choice of wines from the hotel s list. On display in the beautiful John Hay Room is china once owned by the Czar of Russia and presidential china, glassware, dinner programs, and menu cards from the Momjian Collection, the largest outside of the White House. Avid collector Set Charles Momjian, who has been acquiring rare pieces for more than 40 years, recounts the evolution and history of presidential dinnerware.

During dinner, discover the protocol secrets of White House affairs and the rules of decorum for complex social occasions from Peggy Post, America's foremost etiquette expert, spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute and etiquette columnist for Good Housekeeping magazine. Learn how the White House chooses its guest lists; the proper way to reply to the invitation; what to wear; how to act on arrival at the White House; what to expect in the Diplomatic Reception Room while passing through the receiving line before entering the State Dining Room; how to understand the table setting and use your napkin, cutlery, and crystal properly; how to make sparkling conversation with your dinner partners, and how to depart graciously.

May 22nd State Dinner Menu at The Hay-Adams Hotel:

Passed Hors d'oeuvres on The Hay-Adams Hotel Roof Terrace
Beggar's Purse with Spinach & Fontina
Mini Crabcakes
New Potato with Créme Frâiche and Caviar
Aperitifs & Mineral Water

White House State Dinner in the John Hay Room:
Columbia River Salmon & Lobster Medallions en Gelée with Caviar Sauce & Fennel Seed Twists
Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms in Champagne Sauce with Tarragon Tomatoes & Corn Turban
Medley of Garden Greens with Brie Cheese with Crushed Walnuts, Vinegar & Avocado Dressing
A Trilogy of Sorbets in a Tuile Cookie Cup
Red & White Wines
Coffee & Tea

For more information, or to make reservations for the State Dinner, contact The Smithsonian at 202.357.3030.

Edited by Stacey Brown

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