Louis Sarkozy’s guide to Washington DC

Unlock Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, editor-in-chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.

I was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, the chic suburb bordering the Bois de Boulogne to the west of Paris. When my father [Nicolas Sarkozy] I was elected president of France, I lived at the Élysée – fascinating for a 10-year-old child. Protective Officers definitely influenced my decision to attend Valley Forge Military Academy & College in Pennsylvania.

In 2020, my wife, Natali Husić, and I were in Washington without a place to stay 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 nice house just outside of Washington: I don’t like to overdose on city life, but Natali does, so we found a compromise in Maryland, where we plant herbs and young American Plant trees in our garden. The latest addition is a hardy arborvitae tree.

I would buy the Library of Congress and install a pool table and a whiskey bar

I train daily in the huge gymnasium complex at Georgetown University, Yates Field House. This makes me hungry, so head to Boulangerie Christophe, where I salivate at everything that’s happening: some eat to live, I live to eat! The owner, my friend Didier Martin, says that the roasted goat’s cheese salad with lavender, accompanied by a freshly baked baguette, is reminiscent of his Saint-Tropez home; I dig into his tropézienne tart on the small terrace.

History is my passion. I just finished writing a book about Napoleon Bonaparte, who said, “They wanted me to be another Washington.” The cover is borrowed from the beautiful painting by Jacques-Louis David, exhibited at the National Gallery of Art (free entry). I hated Ridley Scott’s disappointing film, a disaster! To take my mind off things, I reserved a table at the Michelin-starred restaurant Seven Reasons and enjoyed chef Enrique Limardo’s Latin American specialties – sweet potato ceviche, Latin falafel, guava cheesecake.

Shopping is not one of my passions, although the possibilities in Washington DC are diverse, often exotic and endless. Recently, I acquired a 19th-century candlestick from Kensington Antique Row, an exciting maze of alleys and architectural gems. I also couldn’t resist the ring I recently bought for Natali from Bulgari DC. It’s inspired by the history of ancient Rome and the Colosseum – the joke is, I bought it more for myself! To celebrate, we went to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to see a Ballet West production of Tchaikovsky. (No offense to Tchaikovsky, but I am 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 happily enjoy a glass of Guinness to accompany the restaurant’s Wagyu beef sliders and smoked marrow bone. When family and friends are in town, we invite them to the Silver Diner. At first they turn their noses up, but Americans prepare eggs, bacon, gravy and hamburgers better than anyone in the world. The blueberry pancakes are addictive, everything comes in huge portions; our guests wipe their plates.

As an experimental cook and meat enthusiast, I frequently source my ingredients—ground bison, elk, and venison—from Bethesda’s organic butcher. Everything is seasonal, served by a dedicated team in an impeccable setting. Cheese is another weakness; You can never have too much cheese. I buy my favorites – Emmental and Comté – at Balducci’s, an upscale grocery store run by foodies for foodies.

As I drive past architect John Russell Pope’s neoclassical-style Temple House (near the White House), I often worry that we’re building too many parking lot-style buildings these days. If I could buy a building in Washington, it would be the Library of Congress; I would close it to the public and install a pool table and whiskey bar in place of the research offices. Then I would relax with friends and contemplate the beauty of Western civilization.

I am in awe of Washington, this beautiful city, the cultural capital of the USA. It holds the eternal promise of the American dream.

Napoleon’s Library: The Emperor, his books and their influence on the Napoleonic era, by Louis Sarkozy, appears on May 30 by Éditions Books about pens and swords at £22