NEW YORK -- An East Side eatery drew the politically curious on Friday.

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has promised not to play favorites in the presidential race, can't seem to stay away from it: He and Democratic candidate Barack Obama had a breakfast date in Manhattan.

The two men gathered the morning after Obama led a fund raising event as the famed Apollo Theater in the city's Harlem neighborhood.

The billionaire mayor and the Illinois senator chatted over eggs and potatoes early Friday at a New York luncheonette, in what could be the first of several sit-down meetings Bloomberg may have with the declared candidates.

The mayor allows his aides to openly promote speculation that he will run for president, but continues to deny any interest in doing so. He has said he intends to inject himself into the national dialogue to try to influence the debate.

"We are trying to push our agenda because it helps New Yorkers, and because what's worked in New York will work elsewhere," said Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser. "There are a lot of people we'd like to speak to and we're going to continue to press our case."

A spokesman for Obama, Robert Gibbs, said the men share a similar view: that Washington has been consumed by partisan politics.

Obama picked up the check for the $17.34 meal with Bloomberg on East 50th Street, and left a $10 tip, according to their waitress, Judith Perez.