Obama & Medvedev at the Ray's Hell Burger Summit

President Obama and Russian President Medvedev met today at the Arlington culinary institution Ray's Hell Burger to discuss foreign policy concerns over a meal of classic American burgers.

As domestic pressure continues to mount on President Obama over the ongoing leak in the Gulf of Mexico and the replacement of General Stanley McChrystal with General David Petraeus as the head of US Military forces in Afghanistan, a photo op over sandwiches at Ray's Hell Burger with Medvedev may well have been one of the more pleasant portions of the President's afternoon. According to the Washington Post, Obama went with the classic cheeseburger at Ray's Hell Burger today, while Medvedev spiced things up with a burger topped with onions, jalapenos and mushrooms. If there was still any doubt that the era of the Cold War has finally passed, it is worth making note that Obama and Medvedev were even willing to share and order of fries. The two leaders had plenty of privacy at their small table in Ray's Hell Burger, but there was plenty of cheering onlookers who greeted Obama and Medvedev as they left the premises.

President Medvedev is currently visiting Washington to spend some time with President Obama before they travel to Canada to participate in a G20 meeting. While there is no doubt that Medvedev and Obama have plenty of serious matters to discuss, the atmosphere surrounding their lunch at Ray's Hell Burger appears to have been fairly light-hearted as the two socialized before heading over to the White House for a news conference.

Ray's Hell Burger is one of the best known burger joints in Arlington, Virginia and has enjoyed multiple visits by President Obama, including a lunch with Vice President Joe Biden in 2009 that launched the restaurant to national fame. The establishment offers fresh root beer on tap, fresh ground aged beef, seared fois gras and a wide range of choices for high quality cheeses to top your burger. Despite their reputation and the quality of their ingredients, the burgers at Ray's Hell Burger are so reasonably priced that even the most hardened critics of the Obama Administration will have difficulty finding fault over this minor expenditure of the tax payer's resources.

It is unclear at this time which President took care of the tip.

Sources:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/06/obama-medvedev-chow-down-at-ra.html?wprss=44
http://www.dryerbuzz.com/2010/06/photobuzz-russias-president-medvedev-and-u-s-president-obama-have-burgers-medvedev-gets-the-social-treatment/
http://uktodaynews.com/6391/rays-hell-burger-in-arlington-sees-presidents-obama-and-medvedev-munching-on-cheese-burgers/