By Roxanne Roberts and Ann Gerhart
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday; Page C01

It was just Vicente, his pal "Jorge" and a few close friends last night. The White House dinner for Mexican President Vicente Fox was, President Bush said, "like a
family gathering" -- albeit an exceptionally elegant one that ended in an extravagant explosion of fireworks.

The first state dinner of the Bush administration celebrated both the close association between the United States and Mexico and the Bushes' border-state
upbringing. "Laura and I welcome you to the United States and to the Casa Blanca," Bush told his compadre.

The evening began with cocktails and the receiving line in the East Room, then moved to the State Dining Room for the official pre-dinner toasts. President Bush,
who does not drink alcohol, raised a glass of 7-Up to his guests. The dinner, he said, is a recognition that "the United States has no more important relationship in the
world than our relationship with Mexico."

Fox, abandoning his prepared remarks and speaking eloquently in English, talked of his friendship with Bush. "We not only have in common that we wear boots,
Western boots," he said. "We not only have in common that we like to go to rest to our farms. We have in common that we like to see things happen."

Deconstructing state dinner guest lists is a social science, almost a subject for code-breakers, and the Bushes managed to pay homage to a few venerable lions of
Washington while studding the room with their own political favorites -- and a star or two. The list of 136 included Secretary of State Colin Powell, Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan and Chief Justice William Rehnquist, brother Jeb Bush and twofers like the dos Dons: old friends Donald Evans, commerce secretary,
and Donald Ensenat, chief of protocol. For a bit of glitz, there were flinty Clint Eastwood and maestro Placido Domingo, whose wife, Marta, is Mexican-born.

Among the many prominent Hispanics at the dinner were White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and housing secretary Mel Martinez, producer Emilio Estefan,
Dallas Mavericks basketball player Eduardo Najera and NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz.

Political foes were welcomed to an evening that the White House had said was designed to promote intimacy and congeniality. Sen. John McCain, recuperating from
prostate surgery, attended as did Democratic critics Sens. Tom Daschle and Joe Biden and Rep. Dick Gephardt.

"They had to invite some Democrats," said Biden with a laugh. "Maybe it's because I'm the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee."

But Republicans trolled for their own. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott reached for Eastwood's sleeve. "We're looking for a candidate for governor of California,"
he called out as the movie star moved into the grand hall. "Hey, come back!"

The list was curiously short on wealthy business executives from either side of the border, although soft-drink moguls Douglas N. Daft of Coca-Cola and Roger
Enrico of PepsiCo were included, as was the man with the truly Texas-size fortune, Ray Hunt. In a departure from state dinners in the previous administration, the list
was long, however, on wives with the same last names as their husbands.

Then there were those who seem to have been invited because of their well-timed retirement announcements: Sens. Jesse Helms and Phil Gramm and football player
Darrell Green.

Walking across the marble entrance, the retiring Redskins cornerback faced his second camera barrage in as many days. He was thrilled, he said, to be at his first
state dinner. His wife, Jewell, had been obsessing about it for three days. Not fretting over her husband's retirement news conference? "Oh," she joked, "I just had to
fit that in."

The dinner was formal, which meant long dresses for the ladies and tuxes and cowboy boots for the men, including both presidents. Laura Bush debuted a gown by
Scaasi, an off-the-shoulder beaded red lace top over hot pink with a red taffeta skirt. A massive rhinestone necklace by the designer adorned her decolletage.
Mexico's new first lady sported an aubergine strapless column dress with a matching chiffon shawl. She wore black pumps with four-inch heels -- and managed to
walk in them very well indeed.

Sen. Gramm, on the other hand, offered a preemptive quote. "See you in the Style section," he said with a grin. "I lost my button on my shirt." (Happy to oblige, sir.)

The Bushes decided the dinner should be held in the smaller State Dining Room, which seats about 130 guests, to create a feeling of intimacy. The room was
packed, with the 13 tables crowded cozily.

"I think it makes for a nicer evening," said Mrs. Bush.

It was, at the very least, nice for her, seated between the tall and dashing Eastwood and President Fox. Her husband sat between Martha Sahagun de Fox and
Tricia Lott.

The color scheme was white, gold and green. The tables were covered with sage damask tablecloths, and the Bushes selected the new gold-rimmed Clinton china,
vermeil flatware and gold candlesticks. The centerpieces featured white roses, white hydrangeas and white Casablanca lilies, accented with fresh limes.

White House chef Walter Scheib designed a menu to combine the spicy flavors of the Southwest with sophisticated American cuisine. The Bushes requested red
meat for the main course and, along with close friends, tasted several sample dishes before deciding on a crab appetizer, bison and a mango dessert. "The entree
was picked by acclamation," said the first lady -- which is to say that the president tasted one bite of the Colorado bison and declared it his favorite.

The meal opened with Maryland crab and chorizo pozole, followed by the bison crusted in pumpkin seeds, whipped potatoes and a fava bean and chanterelle
ragout. A salad of gold and red tomatoes was served before the show-stopping dessert designed by White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier: a mango and
coconut ice cream dome, with fresh peaches and raspberries, served with red chili pepper sauce and a tequila sabayon. Two of the wines served were created by
first-generation Mexican Americans from California.

After dinner, the guests returned to the East Room. There soprano Dawn Upshaw attempted to turn the room into a cabaret, performing with piano an eclectic mix
of novelty tunes by American composers, a few sentimental ballads by Latin American and Mexican composers.

In an evening of traditional social values, the boldest strokes were the bison, the first lady's hotly hued gown and a gorgeous, nearly 20-minute display of pyrotechnic
virtuosity. The famed Zambelli fireworks company of Brooklyn set off the fireworks from the Ellipse as guests watched from the balcony off the Blue Room. Bush
aides said they did not know the cost of the elaborate display, which lit up the White House switchboard with calls from startled residents upset by the noise. ("I
think it's the height of insensitivity for the White House to wake up its neighbors," said Daniel Quinn of Adams Morgan, whose 5-year-old son was awakened on a
school night.)

The president hoped that would finish the night with a flourish. He was wrong. "For those of you who like to stay up late, you are welcome to dance," he said. "For
those of us who like to go to bed early" -- and he paused and acknowledged a glance from the first lady -- "I'll guess I'll be here for one dance."

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