President Obama's Credit Card Denied At Trendy NY Restaurant

That must have been one uncomfortable situation for their waitress. In a speech to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees on Friday, President Obama explained that last month when he dined out with the First Lady in New York City, his credit card, embarrassingly, was denied. Luckily, the First Lady had her credit card on hand to deflect the date night blunder. There were reports last month of the first family eating out at the trendy Estela restaurant in Noho, so the incident most likely happened there.

"I guess I don't use it enough, so they thought there was some fraud going on," he said. "Luckily, Michelle had hers. I was trying to explain to the waitress that I've really been paying my bills."

The re-telling of this story was a part of the president's announcement of the credit and debit card technology system to improve responses to possible fraud. The new law will make chip and pin technology compulsory on all federal government credit and debit cards, and will be introduced by the end of next year.

The date night wasn't a complete flop, as the Obamas dined on burrata with salsa verde and charred bread, and an endive salad with walnuts and anchovies during their dinner at Estela. 

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi