Clinton chomps on couscous, quaffs Maccabi beer

WASHINGTON -- If President Bush dined at Lebanese Taverna in the midst of a major U.S. Middle East peace initiative, he might have faced accusations of bias toward the Arabs.

So did President Clinton display a tilt toward Israel last weekend?

As his chief Middle East peace envoy arrived in Tel Aviv, Clinton and the First Lady broke bread at the Tel Aviv Cafe, a suburban Washington restaurant.

Known for its young Jewish dinner crowd, the restaurant has become one of a handful of Middle Eastern hot spots around the nation's capital.

"The food's great, simply wonderful," Clinton said, according to a report by a Yediot Achronot correspondent who was at the restaurant last Sunday evening.

Chelsea Clinton has dined at the restaurant several times and apparently recommended it to her parents. It didn't hurt that the owner's wife is also one of Hillary Clinton's hairdressers.

As he drank Maccabi beer, an Israeli import, Clinton munched on Middle Eastern appetizers before digging into a fish and couscous dish. "The atmosphere is great here," Yediot quoted Clinton as saying.