Claude Chirac, daughter of former French President Jacques Chirac, and her husband, Frederic Salat-Baroux, were spotted this week dining with New Yorkbased hedge fund manager Julien Balkany of Nanes Balkany Partners at La Petite Maison on West 54th Street. Balkany, whose family is close to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni, is a 2012 election candidate for the new French National Assembly seat covering expats residing in the United States and Canada. The dinner sparked rumors that Claude Chirac, who has been her father’s personal adviser since 1994, will become a prominent supporter of Balkany.