Food

Vice President Joe Biden, who has been out on the campaign trail in Ohio, visited Hogfather's Old Fashioned BBQ in Washington, Pennsylvania on his way to the Pittsburgh airport.

"He entered the restaurant wearing an open neck white shirt, sleeves rolled up, dark slacks, and aviator sunglasses," according to the pool report. "The crowd of about twenty folks included general patrons and a smattering of folks with Democratic Party affiliations of one kind or another."

After placing himself under a "Free Beer Tomorrow" sign for a bit, Biden picked up his food--"a big piece of carrot cake ... [and] "a couple of racks of ribs," according to the owner--and proceeded to "[insist] on paying for the food." But a curious thing happened: "An aide paid for the check, 'about $30,'" according to the pooler. The aide left "a generous tip," the pooler quotes the owner as saying.

"Leaving the restaurant after about half and hour, the patrons again applauded," we learn from the pooler. "Outside, Mr. Biden stood on the door sill of his vehicle and waved to a small knot of people waving and taking pictures from across the street."

One additional note: While inside, Biden was asked about a New York Times report from this morning saying that some conservatives might bring up President Obama's controversial former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, this election season. (The conservatives thinking about doing this have since confirmed that they won't.)

"I was looking at my Blackberry on the way in and guys look," Biden said, when asked to respond. "I think guys like that so misunderstand the state of the nation they act like its 1942 or something. I mean think the public is so so far beyond. And then I heard getting out of the car it looks like they are not going to do that now. Look there are certain things that are sort of so morally clear and straight–straight lines about it–it almost doesn’t warrant commenting."

Cafe Hawelka, Vienna
I'm currently on assignment for THE WEEKLY STANDARD in God-awful Vienna, Austria (just trying not to make my colleagues envious). It's been almost 20 years since I spent a year in the old city as a student, and it's fascinating seeing what has changed (I've already stumbled across two Starbucks) and what hasn't (the grocery stores are still closed on Sundays).

When I finally accepted the fact that I was to be an unmarried man of 47, the first call that came offering to introduce me to a woman was from my then friend, Taki Theodoracopulos (politics has since parted us). I didn’t know that it was to be the only such call I would ever receive in more than three years of eligible bachelorhood – but it didn’t matter. Because Taki was calling me from the noisy pay phone at Elaine’s, the restaurant on 2^nd Avenue and 92^nd Street.