No Big Macs on the menu for Xi visit

PALM BEACH, Fla. — When President Barack Obama hosted a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, then-candidate Donald Trump promised there would be no such extravagance for the Chinese leader when he became president.

"I would not be throwing him a dinner. I would get him a McDonald’s hamburger and say we’ve got to get down to work because you can’t continue to devalue (the Chinese currency)," Trump told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. "I would give them probably a double-sized Big Mac."

That was then.

Kicking off a day-and-a-half of meetings with the Chinese president, Thursday's formal dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort includes a choice of pan-seared Dover sole or dry-aged prime New York strip steak, with dessert and wine pairings.

To be clear: The dinner is not an official state dinner, although it seems to have much of the same formality.

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Reporters given a tour of the dining room found a long, candle-lit table of 32 chairs with ornate place settings and orange and yellow flowers.

It's rare for state dinners to be held outside of Washington; the last time it happened was President Ronald Reagan's dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II in San Francisco in 1983, according to the White House Historical Association.

The main course menu at Mar-a-Lago, according to the White House.

Caesar Salad with homemade focaccia croutons, parmigiano-reggiano
Pan-seared Dover Sole with champagne sauce
Herb-roasted new potatoes
Haricots verts, Thumbelina Carrots

OR

Dry Aged Prime New York Strip Steak
Whipped Potatoes
Roasted Root Vegetables

Dessert options:

Chocolate cake with vanilla sauce and dark chocolate sorbet

OR

Trio of Sorbet (Lemon, Mango, and Raspberry)

Wine options:

2014 Chalk Hill Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast
2014 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley