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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
I was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, the chic suburb bordering the Bois de Boulogne in western Paris. When my father [Nicolas Sarkozy] was elected president of France, I lived at the Élysée Palace – exciting for a 10-year-old. The protection officers definitely influenced my decision to study at Valley Forge Military Academy & College, Pennsylvania.
In 2020 my wife, Natali Husić, and I were in Washington without a place to live when we discovered the Fairmont Hotel. We negotiated a price and stayed for seven months, a fascinating experience. The 413-room hotel was designed in 1985 by Czech-American architect Vlastimil Koubek, and there was only one other guest. Today we have a pretty house just outside DC: I don’t like overdosing on city life but Natali does, so we found a compromise in Maryland, where we plant herbs and saplings from American Plant in our garden. The latest addition is a hardy arborvitae tree.
I work out daily at the massive complex that is Georgetown University’s gym, Yates Field House. This makes me hungry, so afterwards it’s off to Boulangerie Christophe, where I salivate over everything in sight: some people eat to live, I live to eat! The owner, my friend Didier Martin, says that the lavender-roasted goat’s cheese salad, with a baguette hot from the oven, recalls his St Tropez home; I dive into his tarte tropézienne on the tiny terrace.
History is my passion. I’ve just finished writing a book on Napoleon Bonaparte, who famously remarked, “They wanted me to be another Washington.” The cover is borrowed from Jacques-Louis David’s handsome painting, which hangs in the National Gallery of Art (admission free). I loathed Ridley Scott’s disappointing film, a catastrophe! To take my mind off it, I reserved a table at the Michelin-starred Seven Reasons restaurant, and delighted in chef Enrique Limardo’s Latin‑American specialities – sweet potato ceviche, Latin falafel, Guava cheesecake.
Shopping is not one of my passions, although the possibilities in DC are diverse, often exotic, and endless. Recently I acquired a 19th-century candleholder at Kensington Antique Row, an exciting maze of alleys and architectural gems. I also couldn’t resist the ring I recently got Natali at Bulgari DC. It’s inspired by the history of ancient Rome and the Colosseum – the joke is that I bought it more for myself! To celebrate, we went to The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to see a Tchaikovsky production by Ballet West. (No offence to Tchaikovsky, but I’m an aficionado of Schubert’s piano pieces; Natali, a talented pianist, prefers Chopin.)
At Code Red DC, the theme is the Prohibition era. Although I’m more or less alcohol-free, I heartily savour a glass of Guinness to go with the restaurant’s Wagyu beef sliders and smoked bone marrow. When family and friends are in town, we invite them to Silver Diner. Initially they turn their noses up, but Americans do eggs, bacon, gravy and burgers better than anyone in the world. The blueberry pancakes are addictive, everything comes in huge portions; our guests wipe their plates clean.
As an experimental cook and passionate meat eater, I frequently source ingredients – ground bison, elk and deer – from The Organic Butcher in Bethesda. Everything’s in season, served by a dedicated team in an immaculate setting. Cheese is another weakness; you can never have too much cheese. I buy my favourites – emmental and comté – from Balducci’s, an upmarket grocery run by foodies for foodies.
Jogging past architect John Russell Pope’s neoclassical-style House of the Temple (near The White House), I’m often concerned that we construct too many parking lot-style buildings these days. If I could buy one building in DC it would be the Library of Congress; I would close it to the public and install a pool table and whisky bar in place of the research desks. Then I’d kick back with friends and contemplate the beauty of western civilisation.
I’m in awe of Washington, this handsome city, the cultural capital of the USA. It holds the everlasting promise of the American dream.
Napoleon’s Library: The Emperor, His Books and Their Influence on the Napoleonic Era, by Louis Sarkozy, is published on 30 May by Pen & Sword Books at £22
FTWeekend Festival: U.S. edition
The FT Weekend Festival will be in Washington DC on 4 May 2024. To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us
