It isn’t every day that I lunch in a restaurant whose history dates back to 1582 nor one that causes a small tear to well in my left eye as I enter its elegant grande salon. It was so beautiful!! So Paris! I felt a bit like a princess as I was escorted with my roommate, Paula, to our table. A sea of servers and attendants welcomed us with the traditional, “Bonjour, Madame!” as we were led from the elevator into a majestically appointed and painted dining room on the 6th floor of La Tour. My heart stopped for a second when I took my first look out the floor to ceiling windows to see the story book picture of Notre Dame and the Seine. It didn’t matter to me how many Michelin stars they have lost over the last 16 year, I knew I was in a special place.
Here is a glimpse in pictures of our remarkable afternoon and lunch:
The Salle d’Attente on the ground floor of La Tour on 15 Quai de la Tournell.
This is where I met Paula before being escorted to the elevator and brought to our table on the 6th floor.
I think this will do just fine!
This lovely space would became our home for 3 hours as we enjoyed the 3 course prix fix lunch menu.
The view behind us.
Paula and I with the 400 page Le Carte de Vin!
Imagine the poor sommelier who has to lug this around all day and night!
These little savory morsels were served with our Champagne apértif.
Like all great establishments, La Tour serves its own Champagne label from Chouilly, Champagne, France. Paula enjoyed the Blanc de Blanc and I had the Rosé.
The big silver cup was our water chalice!
Monsieur Laurent (<- that is actually his prenom) was the chef de vin and the poor soul who did lug that mammoth wine menu around!
Laurent’s choice for us. A 1999 Pouilly Fuisse Grands Champs.
Amuse-Bouche.
It was creamy and had lentils…I didn’t even have to try it to know I would love it :).
Between bites this was the view from our table….dreamy.
Notre Entrée,
Bar et Saint-Jacques en Tartare aux Condiments Frits
The La Tour’s signature dish is the Canard au Sang (Duck in a blood sauce…which clearly sounds more appetizing in French). A special tool is used to press the duck to extract the blood for the accompanying complicated sauce. Above is a picture of our server and us posing in front of this press which is used in the dining room and kept on display there.
They have 2 of these presses made of solid silver.
Voila! Le Plat!
Canette de Vendée, Pomme Verte et Betterave
Young ducks from La Tour’s own farm are daily sent by train to be served to guests.
Notice the little brown dots…this is the blood sauce.
Palet Chocolat Noir “Tour d’Argent”, Marmelade d’Orange.
In the background, leaning against the roses, is the postcard that the restaurant gives to guests who ordered the duck. It notes the serial number of the duck served to us. The recording started 1890.
Le Numéro de Mon Canard: 1107658
A few of the other more famous folks who have gotten postcards with their duck’s #: 328 was served to King Edward VII in 1890, number 40,312 was served to King Alfonso XIII in 1914, number 53,211 to the Emperor Hiro Hito in 1921, number 112,151 to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1929, number 938,451 was served to President Mikhail Gorbachev 2001
Laurent paired this Banyuls Mas Blanc, 1988, with my chocolate dessert.
Looks like it has been in a wine cellar awhile, doesn’t it?
I spied Jacques Genin Chocolates!!!
*Sigh* It is almost over…..
Behind me is a painted map representing Paris in 1582.
What does a pretty smile get you at La Tour d’Argent? A private tour of their 2 floor wine cellar!!
Paula and I were like giggling girls in a candy shop. La Tour’s wine cellar is fabled…and there we were weaving through aisles and aisles of almost 500,000 bottles of wine, some dating back to 1782! The giggling was probably enhanced by our guide, a handsome, young French man named Franc.
Merci, Franc!
Imagine a private tasting down here….
….we weren’t quite that lucky. Next time I will smile bigger.
I left La Tour glowing. What a perfect afternoon…wonderful food, delicious wine and delightful conversation in a setting that inspires movies like “Ratatouille” :). It was a remarkable experience…probably one of my favorite dining experiences ever. As I crossed the Seine almost floating, a young French man smiled at me and said, “Magnifique!” I smiled back and thought, “Yep, that is exactly how I feel…”Tout est Magnifique!”
Here is an article from the New York Times in June of 2006 that shares some of the interesting history of La Tour d’Argent: Paris Landmark
Plan YOUR Adventure: Restaurant de La Tour d’Argent 15 quai de la Tournelle 75005 Paris FRANCE Tél : +33 (0)1.43.54.23.31resa@latourdargent.com website: La Tour d’Argent
