1802. Bonaparte, who was then First Consul, decided to have a theatre built on rue des Fosses Saint-Victor, on the very spot where, in the 13th century, a fortification wall stood, known in the manuals as "the enclosure of Philip Augustus." The "Theatre Latin" [Latin Theatre]-which it was called-was inaugurated in 1803. During the Empire and Restoration periods, its artistic fortune experienced several setbacks, but after 1830, it became one of the meccas of Parisian nightlife.

It was not one of those Right-Bank cafes-concerts ("caf-concs"), where "light-hearted songs prevailed," but a fashionable establishment frequented by a heterogeneous clientele among whom artists of every ilk rubbed elbows with the middle class, intellectuals, students, workers, merchants, and those aristocrats willing to associate with riff-raff. It was the world of "Illusions perdues" [lost Illusions] of Honore de Balzac who was himself a loyal client of the Latin Theatre. Writers, poets, journalists, politicians and "literary" fauna, in particular, haunted the main room in the basement, which they nicknamed "the Literary Watering Hole."

1870. During the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck besieged Paris. A fire destroyed the Theatre Latin. For fifteen years, its charred ruins testified to the unfortunate events that had befallen the Nation.

1887. Paris was preparing for the "Exposition universelle" [World Fair] of 1889. Under no circumstances could those ruins be permitted to remain just five hundred meters away from Notre-Dame! Gustave Eiffel, whose construction of the Eiffel Tower had already begun, was assigned the task of rebuilding the new theatre. Eiffel, 55 years old at the time, fell in love with the theatre site and its history. He discovered the outstanding quality of its foundations and decided to use them to support a structure with an elegant metallic reinforcement design.

2 January 1889... The new theatre was inaugurated under its new name : Paradis Latin. It was an immediate triumph and performed to sell out crowds. Musicals and ballets were produced there, which though very popular for their era, have been lost in time.

But the crowning consecration for the Paradis Latin was when of Yvette Guilbert, (the great performer of the Moulin Rouge immortalised by Toulouse-Lautrec) chose the Paradis Latin as the location for her solo performance of the World Fair of 1889. She would later become the first International French Star. At the same time as a part of the programme, the Paradis troupe presented their adaptation of a libertine tale written by... Machiavelli, "La Mandragore".

At the end of century, Montmartre would become the most fashionable area of Paris, and The Paradis Latin would suffer fromthe geographical relocation of the centre of Parisian nightlife. As a result the Paradis Latin would have many faces during the years that followed until it closed its doors in the 1930's.

1973. A real estate developer, Jean Kriegel, bid for the building which stood at 28 and 28A, rue du Cardinal Lemoine. He wanted to restore the old building and transform it into apartments. Jean Kriegel began, logically enough, by taking an inventory of the premises. To his great surprise, he made one discovery after another.

The first was... eighteen thousand test tubes and petri-dishes left over from the preceding activity and forgotten by the most recent owner.

Then, when the plaster walls and false ceilings were destroyed, Eiffel's metallic structure appeared, along with poster fragments and the remains of the former decor. On the second floor, workers uncovered an astonishing cathedral complete with gilding, columns, framework and capitals. But the most amazing discovery was still to come: a superb dome painted to glorify pantomime, operetta, ballet and "excentricities."Charmed by the magic of the place, Jean Kriegel decided to devote this theatre to the celebration of Paris, which should have always been its raison d'etre.

1973-1976. The theatre was restored according to Eiffel's plans-720 seats; ceiling height, 17 meters; state-of-the-art equipment: 300 projectors, kilometers of electric cables, 20,000 lights and 70 Murano mouth-blown glass chandeliers.

1977. The theatre's artistic creation, direction and production were entrusted to Jean-Marie Riviere. On 14 November 1977, he presented "Paris Paradis," a poetic burlesque show produced with the aid of his accomplices, Pierre Simonini and Frederic Botton. It was a triumph.

This event marked the revival of Paradis Latin.

After "Paris Paradis," Jean-Jacques Debout and Roger Dumas created "Nuit de Paradis" [Night in Paradise] (1979) for Jean-Marie Riviere. Frederic Botton-who was back with the team again, but assisted this time by Francis Lai (he had temporarily set aside writing film scores) and a very promising young talent, Michel Berger, presented "Paradisiac" (1981).

When Jean-Marie Riviere retired to the West Indies, the watchword was: "the show goes on": this time with "Champagne" in 1984, "Hello Paradis" in 1987, and, lastly, "Viva Paradis," the "Revue du Centenaire" [Centennial Revue].

The latter three revues were co-written and directed by Christian Dura.

May 1995. A few years after his old accomplice Riviere and an artistic life bolstered by six revues performed before an audience of two million theatre-goers during sixteen hundred "Paradise-filled" evenings, Jean Kriegel, in turn, decided to quietly take his leave. Sidney Israel and his son Harold carry on the tradition.

A new era had begun for Paradis Latin.

The dazzling sight of beauty rhythm an gaiety
Talented artists, an original choreography, a symphony of colours and a loyalty to a great tradition : the Revue of the Paradis Latin is like a champagne cocktail of beauty and joyful living, both exciting and romantic, with its striking ballets and surprising attractions. The dynamism and humour of the hosts, the elegance of the surroundings, the pleasant and attentive waiters of the famous Brigade de Salle of the Paradis Latin only add to the quality of the show to guarantee you an unforgettable moment of a very Parisian "Vie en Rose".

The most Parisian of the great cabarets
The Paradis Latin considers itself the most Parisian of the great cabarets. This calling can be seen in the decoration of the theatre built by Gustave Eiffel, in the incredible world famous French CanCan and in most of the ballets. The famous shows of the Paradis Latin, such as Paris Paradis, Nuit de Paradis, Paradisiac, Champagne, Hello Paradis, Viva Paradis have all remained loyal and reflect the Parisian spirit. Still, today we tastefully present scenes that are both modern and exciting without undermining this view of Paris. Having premiered to rave reviews, Paradis d'Amour, with its extremely cosmopolitan dance troupe, shimmering costumes, created by designer Ingrid Israel, and under the direction of Christian Dura and choreography by Molly Molloy, is a veritable hymn to Love and will enthral audiences from around the world.

The Paradis Latin serves as many as 720 patrons every evening, and sometimes in the afternoon. The meals are cooked on-site in up-to-date facilities exceeding 200sq meters. Every year patrons consume 45 kilograms of caviar, 280 kilos of foie gras, a ton of smoked salmon, 4.2 tons of fresh salmon, and six tons of beef fillet.

Priority concern. Our restaurant is of primary importance to us at the Paradis Latin. It is supervised by Harold Israel, the no. 2 man of our management team, who began his career in the most prestigious cooking school of the world, the french cooking school "Le Cordon Bleu". "The traditional cabaret," he explains, "often provides mediocre food and a great show. At Paradis Latin, we decided that the food would be delicious, and the show, fabulous."

The suppliers are the best. They use fresh produce for every meal. "We pay close attention to the quality of our suppliers,"Harold Israel points out, "we fight with the best restaurants in Paris over their service!" The patisserie desserts are created by Serge Breda, recognized as "Meilleur ouvrier de France - Patisserie" [master artisan (pastrycook) of France]. For gala private evening parties, the Management of Paradis Latin do not hesitate to hire the most qualified for the task: for example, Jean-Jacques Masse, another "Meilleur ouvrier de France."

An admirable wine cave. The Paradis Latin also offers its patrons a very special wine cave (80,000 bottles of Bordeaux and 45,000 bottles of Champagne are consumed yearly) and its most enlightened wine enthusiasts can make their selection from the house wine menu list of Bourgogne (Vosne - Romanee), Margaux, and Sauternes (Chateau Romer du Hayot. We recommend the 1989 vintage!).

The Cigar Cave lists 15 different brands, whereas the competition rarely offers more than two or three brands.

Prestigious sponsors. To crown all these efforts, the Paradis Latin is now officially recommended by the "Chaine des rotisseurs" [group of restaurants serving roast or grilled meats], an organization never accused of awarding unjustified labels. The "Ecole du Cordon bleu" [Cordon bleu School] is one of our partners-it sponsors a menu-and Harold Israel, a member of the Academie culinaire de France [cooking academy of France], was recently awarded the "Medaille Vermeil de la Ville de Paris" [gold medal of the City of Paris] by the French cooks' mutual corporation .

VIP Seating

Diner Spectacle "Festival"

Mousseline de saumon "maison", sauce persillee
ou,
. Delicat feuillete de crevettes
ou
Salade riche Perigourdine

***

Feuillete de fricassee de volaille
ou
Pave de saumon frais, dome de riz basmati, beurre blanc
ou
Grande assiette vegetarienne

***

Symphonie de sorbets
ou
Glace panachee

***

½bouteille de vin de Bordeaux
¼ bouteille de champagne
½bouteille d'eau minerale

(Sous reserve de modification)

Diner Spectacle "Star"

Foie gras de canard, fine gelee au Pineau des charentes
ou
Saumon fume norvegien tranche main
ou
Effeuille de Jambon de Parme

***

Filet de bar au fenouil, flan de legumes
ou
Chateaubriant, sauce aux quatre poivres,
timbale de gratin dauphinois et pois gourmand
ou
Emince de magret de canard frais a l'orange
riz basmati et legumes du Jardin

***

Tarte fine aux pommes, sauce caramel
ou
Symphonie de sorbets
ou
Opera Latin

***

½ bouteille de vin de Bordeaux
¼ bouteille de champagne
½bouteille d'eau minerale

Diner Spectacle "Prestige Le Cordon Bleu"

Escalope de Saint Jacques en Marinade
ou
Millefeuille de crabe, jus d'huile d'olive extra vierge

***

Duo de poissons en eventail, sauce champagne ou
Tournedos de boeuf, a la Rossini
ou
Noisette d'agneau dans son jus

***

Paradis d'Amour
ou
Nougat glace
ou
Opera sauce anglaise

***

Cafe

***

½ bouteille de vin de Bordeaux
¼ bouteille de champagne
½ bouteille d'eau minerale

***

(Sous reserve de modification)

Carte selectionnee par les Chefs de l'Ecole de Cuisine et de Patisserie "Le Cordon Bleu"