Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren Every cohort of White House staffers has staked its claim on a nearby cafe or restaurant as the go-to place to steal a few minutes away from campus. Obama-era staffers were so prone to meet with outside officials and lobbyists (off the books) at the Caribou Coffee across the street (RIP) that the New York Times wrote an article about it. Swing’s Coffee Roasters has been a hit with Biden staffers, along with Peet’s Coffee. Everyone has loved Teaism, save the escalating prices and paucity of seating. But in recent weeks, a new “it” spot has emerged: Tatte Bakery & Cafe. Ever since the Boston-based chain opened a new location earlier this month across from Lafayette Park, White House officials have been unable to stay away. During lunchtime, dozens of people with blue and green White House staff badges tucked into their pockets line up to order iced honey halva lattes and homemade sourdough grilled cheeses. On Tuesday afternoon, Office of Management and Budget director SHALANDA YOUNG stopped in to pick up the breakfast sandwich with a runny egg before heading back to the White House to brief reporters on the debt ceiling agreement. It was a bold lunch order given how messy that sandwich can be. But Young — who was carrying a bag of new clothes she’d just purchased after falling behind on laundry during negotiations — said the sandwich was so delicious that she couldn't resist. It was her second day in a row ordering it. Young is not the only person who has made multiple trips in one week to Tatte. Nor is it just White House officials frequenting the cafe. AP’s ZEKE MILLER has been spotted three (!!!) times in the past week and WSJ’s ANNIE LINSKEY on Tuesday was enjoying a roasted peach and ricotta tartine when Young walked in (she managed to chat up the OMB director before she headed to the briefing room). Linskey was back in line again on Wednesday. CNN’s KEVIN LIPTAK and OAN’s CHANEL RION were among Wednesday’s lunch crowd (but not together!) while AP’s JOSH BOAK popped in post-briefing. ABC’s White House team has displayed a particular fondness for the bakery, with MARY BRUCE, BEN GITTLESON and MOLLY NAGLE all making appearances this week. The NYT’s MICHAEL SHEAR and GLENN THRUSH have also been among Tatte’s customers. They may be coming for Tatte’s decorative touches: the shiny white tile, industrial lamps and bentwood chairs. But the cafe’s also right across the street from their office. The frequency of the visits may say something about the lunch food landscape that surrounds the White House — what could generously be described as a culinary paint-by-numbers mosaic. There are some nearby food trucks and the few remaining classical haunts (we’re talking about you, Loeb’s deli). But you’re largely confined to high-end restaurants designed for the D.C. power set or chain food options that can make you wonder why you stepped outside in the first place (another Chop’t salad!). Tatte, frankly, has quickly become more ubiquitous in D.C. than Lime scooters and bad boat shoes. But for the White House staff and the accompanying press corps it is still new and precious (seriously, the halloumi sunny-side breakfast sandwich can only be described that way) — and that matters more than it being decidedly bougie, a tad expensive, and not quite as healthy as the presentation suggests. It’s also quick. And that may be its biggest draw. White House staffers are busy people, so most order their food to take back to their desk. Principal deputy press secretary OLIVIA DALTON was spotted Friday waiting at the wood-paneled to-go counter, while chief of staff for the Office of Domestic Climate Policy MAGGIE THOMAS carried out her lunch on Tuesday. Assistant press secretary MICHAEL KIKUKAWA on Wednesday picked up an online order and ERNIE APREZA, deputy press secretary for the vice president, rolled in for a late-afternoon caffeine hit. National Security Council spokesperson ADAM HODGE did not order ahead on Wednesday and may or may not have gotten pigeonholed by Eli while he waited for his food at the counter. West Wing Playbook will be staking out Tatte until further notice. We invite all administration officials to come have lunch with us anytime. MESSAGE US — Are you the TATTE BARISTA from this morning? We want to hear from you. About why that cappuccino didn’t have any foam. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
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