Lapérouse celebrates its reopening with a masked ball
One of the most mythical places on the Left Bank has reopened its doors after months of restoration work. To mark the beginning of a new chapter in Lapérouse’s long history, its new owners Benjamin Patou (of Moma Group) and Antoine Arnault hosted an 18th-century inspired Masked Ball. Performers from the Cabaret Manko, dressed in period clothes, were stationed on every floor of the mansion. The guest list included Maria-Grazia Chiuri, Arielle Dombasle, Chantal Thomass, Vincent Darré, Hugo Marchand and Thaddaeus Ropac—their faces half-hidden by either a mask or a “fan-voyeur” (its two holes a perfect way to observe the evening’s madness with complete discretion). While Claude Lelouche was filming the evening for his next film, Michel Houellebecq—a Lapérouse regular—and Frédéric Beigbeder isolated themselves to chat privately in the restaurant’s famous lounges, redesigned by Parisian architect Laura Gonzalez. Amongst the gastronomic surprises: two kilograms of Nordic caviar, appetizers by starred chef Jean-Pierre Vigato, and desserts by pastry chef Christophe Michalak (both chefs are behind the new Lapérouse menu). The celebration continued through the night in the restaurant’s underground cellar: one of the most secret places in all of Paris (according to legend, it’s connected to the Senate by a tunnel…)
