Speculating that President Barack Obama will replace Vice President Joe Biden with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the 2012 ticket has been a private pastime among some Democrats over the past few months, and it broke into the open Tuesday night when investigative reporter Bob Woodward said in an interview on CNN it was a possibility.

His wife Michelle is on vacation in Spain – but President Barack Obama still had some A-list company as he celebrated his 49th birthday on Wednesday.

Obama paid a visit to one of his hometown's best restaurants, Graham Elliot in Chicago, with a guest list that included Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and longtime pals Eric Whittaker and Marty Nesbitt.

"We were humbled and honored that the president decided to join us for dinner on such a special occasion," chef Graham Elliot tells PEOPLE. "The [restaurant] team is super-psyched we have such a foodie sitting in the White House."

Elliot, whose restaurant bills itself as Chicago's first "bistronomic" eatery that prepares updated classic American dishes, was only a little stressed about his high-profile clients – because he'd been in Los Angeles doing PR for his new FOX show, Master Chef, on which he is a judge.

"My flight was actually held up due to Air Force One landing at O'Hare, so we were racing to the restaurant to head him off," says Elliot

But the dinner was a success, and after the meal Obama visited the kitchen to thank the staff for the food.

On Thursday morning, the president was back to work, appearing at the Ford Motor Company plant in Chicago, where he told workers, "It is good to be back in Chicago. It's good to see some friendly faces, be back in the old neighborhoods."

When one member of the audience shouted "Happy Birthday" to the president, he responded, "Thank you. I’ve gotten a little more gray hair since I was last down here. But it is wonderful to be back home."

Between fielding questions about the economy, Afghanistan, and racial tensions in the U.S., President Barack Obama got down to the important stuff on The View Thursday: the alleged rants of Mel Gibson, the jail term of Lindsay Lohan and Jersey Shore's Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi – and the burning question of should she run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

Quizzed by Joy Behar in a "lightening" round, Obama was asked if he knew if Lohan is in jail. "I actually know that, yes," the President responded.

But Snooki stumped him. "Should Snooki run as mayor of Wasilla?" Behar asked. Obama, laughing, responded, "I gotta admit, I don't know who Snooki is."

On his final question, the Chief Executive was thrown – or simply being diplomatic – when Behar inquired if he thought Gibson needs "anger management."

"I … I …," the President stuttered and then joked, "Let me answer the Afghanistan question!" He informed the panel he "hadn't seen the tapes."

Obama, who has two young daughters, Sasha and Malia, said he'd met Justin Bieber and thought he was "a very nice young man."

On a more serious note, the President discussed unemployment with the conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck and racism with Whoopi Goldberg. Ultimately, he said, he remains optimistic the economy will improve, and acknowledged that "I'm not perfect, my administration's not perfect."

Obama also touched on the fact he was not invited to Chelsea Clinton's wedding and said that when the time comes he also intends to keep Sasha and Malia's weddings private – and therefore probably wouldn't be inviting any of the ladies on The View.

Rapper Drake, who got his showbiz start as an actor, is interested in playing President Obama in a biopic. “Any time I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel. I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice,” he told Paper magazine. “If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions …” The Toronto rapper had a recurring role on the TV show, “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”