La Tour d'Argent

Duck man on display

It doesn't get more classicaly French than this restaurant.  Established in 1582, this resto is located in its original buildling on Quai de la Tournelle on the rive gauche across from the Ile St. Louis.  From its 6th floor panoramic dining room, the view is to die for.  With the large buildings of La Defense in the distance on one end and the Bois de Vincennes on the other, the towers of Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur seem to be at arm's reach.  (But we Paris peeps know that is not at all the case).

Amuse Bouche

At 65€, the 3 course lunch menu was just mediocre.  I had poached / roasted fish "dumplings" to start, the "cannette" with apricots as my main, and a fraisier dessert.  None of the courses were exceptional, even if I did earn my duck #1090401 postcard. (It's a tradition, they started counting in 1890 and go through roughly 15,000 of their own farm-raised ducks per year.)

However, going to La Tour d'Argent is not just about the food, it really is about the experience.  Even at lunch on a Tuesday, there was at least one waiter for each table, ready to answer every question we had - trust me, we asked everything from the history of the resto to the murano glass ducks on the table.  The current owner, André Terrail (quite the bogosse), even stopped by to say hi.  However, the worst part of the place was the dated decor - yellow table cloth, silver goblets and printed carpets.  And not in a vintage chic or classy way.  As RN puts it, it needs either a woman's or a gay man's touch to bring it back to life.  Now I understand how it went from three michelin stars to just one..
 

As you exit, you pass by hundreds of signatures and photos of celebrities, heads of states, royalty, that have once ate at the Tour d'Argent. L-R: Kennedy, Trudeau, Giuliani

I would return, because I didn't get the try the infamous "Pressed Duck" - signature dish invented by this resto - which is not in any of the set menus, and I was quite disappointed.

Across the street, there is also a Tour d'Argent boutique where they sell wine from their reserve of 480,000 bottles, foie gras from their farm-raised ducks, and honey from the bees that live in attic above the restaurant.

Enjoy!

angie.loves.rien x