The grilled rack of lamb also got the brown sauce, with eggplant, but suffered less.

But oven-roasted baby back ribs were soft and bland; hold out for grilled barbecued racks available elsewhere.

"It's wild mushrooms and grilled rack of lamb, but I still need to have chicken soup and gefilte fish for the 60- to 90-year-olds."

Following closely behind is outstanding grilled rack of lamb.

I was less taken with a special grilled rack of veal, which was dry.

Tonight's dinner, with grilled rack of lamb as the main course, is the 27th such affair, slightly more than President Bush held in his single term.

The menu features dishes like grilled peanut-crusted rack of lamb ($26.75) and sea bass steamed in banana leaves ($22.50).

Lamb abounded, in the form of salty brochettes, spicy merguez sausages, grilled rack and tagine with artichokes.

Perhaps the consolation prize would be the grilled rack of lamb with mushroom ragout or the seared red-tail venison.

A grilled rack of lamb special (rare as ordered) was also tasty; it was served with mushrooms, peas and potato chunks.