paris restaurant la tour d argent

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Tour d'Argent

• 15 quai de la Tournelle, Paris, 75005, France
• €€€€ · Cuisine moderne

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L'avis du guide michelin.

Fondée en 1582, l'adresse mythique des quais de Seine a fait peau neuve. Si la vue sur le fleuve et Notre-Dame est toujours aussi magique, l'immense cuisine désormais ouverte sur la salle désacralise le lieu sans lui faire perdre son âme, tandis qu'un plafond en acier à effet cinétique renouvelle le spectacle. Côté cuisine, le chef MOF Yannick Franques a su trouver le juste équilibre entre tradition et modernisme, grâce notamment à un beau travail sur les sauces. Dans une carte présentée sous forme d'un élégant triptyque, on retrouve avec plaisir les grands classiques de la maison, qui ont été modernisés sans être dénaturés, mais également une cuisine plus personnelle qui reflète les quelques années passées par le chef dans le sud de la France. Quant à l’extraordinaire cave, elle renferme plus de... 300 000 bouteilles. Dernières nouveautés : le Bar des Maillets d'Argent au rez-de-chaussée, d'esprit british 1930, et le Toit de la Tour, un toit terrasse végétalisé pour savourer un cocktail en toute décontraction.

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• Accès handicapés
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• Vue exceptionnelle

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La Tour d’Argent

• by Meg Zimbeck
• August 30, 2023 October 20, 2023

La Tour d’Argent is a 400 year-old restaurant with an exceptional view overlooking the Seine and Notre Dame. It reopened in 2023 after a long renovation, and we recently returned four our fourth visit and loved the experience. We’ve included La Tour d’Argent among our 50 favorite restaurants in Paris.

LA TOUR D’ARGENT

15, Quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Open Tuesday- Saturday for lunch & dinner Closed Sunday & Monday Reservations online or at +33 1 43 54 10 08

Their Instagram  /  Our Instagram

OUR PHOTOS OF LA TOUR D’ARGENT

IN OTHER WORDS

• Wine Spectator (2016) a profile of the history of La Tour d’Argent and its young leader André Terrail

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La Tour D'Argent: All About The Oldest Restaurant In Paris

Paris'  La Tour d'Argent , the city's oldest restaurant, is set to offer a unique view of two significant events in 2024: the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral and the 2024 Summer Olympics. As a well-known city landmark and an inspiration for the restaurant in the film "Ratatouille," Tour d'Argent has recently reopened following its renovation. This update maintained respected traditions while adjusting to the demands of the 21st century. 

Meaning "Silver Tower," the restaurant features a redesigned dining area with an open kitchen and a top-floor one-bedroom apartment, available for rent at nearly 9,000 euros (approximately INR 8,27,232) per night. Its main dish is pressed duck, cooked in its blood. Since 1890, the restaurant has provided certificates to customers, noting the number of ducks served, now exceeding the one-million mark. The kitchen staff utilises locally sourced ingredients and closely guarded recipes, including "mystery egg" starter in truffle sauce.

The restaurant also provides alternatives for those who wish to experience its unique atmosphere without committing to a complete meal. It includes a ground-floor lounge offering morning croissants, an adjacent bar providing cocktails in the evening, and a rooftop bar accessible during warmer months, showcasing the restaurant's impressive views.

The Exclusive Offerings

Today, the Michelin-starred restaurant maintains its status as one of the most exclusive dining spots in the French capital, beyond the means of many. The primary fixed-price lunch menu starts at 150 euros (approximately INR 13,789), and the least expensive fixed-price dinner is 360 euros (approximately INR 33,088)—all before delving into the 8-kilo (17-pound) book referred to as the "Bible" of its wine cellar.

The restaurant asserts itself as Paris's oldest , with its 1582 opening date embossed on the doors. It states that King Henri IV consumed heron pâté (minced liver meat) here. Sun King Louis XIV organised a meal involving an entire cow, and over generations, presidents, artists like Salvador Dalí, and celebrities like Marilyn Monroe have visited its tables.

The Information

Location: 19 Quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris, France

Timings : Monday-Sunday, 12–2:15 pm, 7–10:30 pm

For more information, click here .

Related Stories

I ate lunch at one of the oldest restaurants in Paris that's loved by royalty and world leaders, and the Michelin-starred meal transported me back in time

• La Tour d'Argent claims to be the oldest restaurant in Paris, serving diners since 1582.
• The restaurant is a Parisian institution, and was reportedly used as inspiration for " Ratatouille ."
• I ate lunch in its dining room overlooking the Notre Dame and was enchanted by its service.

La Tour d'Argent claims to be the oldest restaurant in Paris, and has been serving diners since 1582.

Translating as "the silver tower," La Tour d'Argent is a Paris fine-dining institution, and has been visited by everyone from King Henry IV, to Queen Elizabeth II , according to Time Out.

With a Michelin star — it previously had three until 1996, as noted on the Tour d'Argent website — the restaurant remains one of Paris' most revered destinations, steeped in history and tradition. 

However, its Michelin Guide demotion prompted the restaurant to announce its largest-ever renovations earlier this year, aiming to "bring the restaurant into the 21st century," according to the website.

Ahead of its nine-month closure in May, I went to eat lunch in its historic dining room.

The restaurant is located near the center of Paris, in the city's 5th Arrondissement.

The building sits just beside the Seine river, and is about a 20-minute walk from major central train stations Gare de Lyon and Chatelet Les Halles.

The restaurant is so iconic, it was reportedly used as inspiration for the Pixar classic "Ratatouille."

As the restaurant has been operating for so long without changing its classic ways, elements of it were used by the movie studio to help craft the image of the fictional restaurant "Gusteau's" , according to Lonely Planet.

When I first stepped inside the downstairs waiting area, it was like immediately being transported back a few centuries.

From the preserved wooden paneling to the old cushioned furniture, it was clear from the start that this place was not going to be similar to any dining experience I've ever had.

While I've had the fortune of eating at a few fine-dining restaurants with Michelin stars, none of their interiors felt as traditional or classic as this.

From the downstairs area, we were escorted through a hallway toward a private elevator to the dining room on the sixth floor.

The doorman and staff were quick to show us through the narrow hallway toward the elevator that would take us up to the dining room.

However, it very was easy to get distracted and slowed down by the decorations on the wall.

The walls leading up to the private elevator are lined with portraits and pictures of famous diners, including Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip visited the restaurant in 1948 as their first official trip outside the Commonwealth after marrying a few months prior, according to writer and historian Lauren Kiehna's blog, the Court Jeweller.

Other notable former patrons include US presidents and world leaders.

Alongside Her Majesty, US presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon could be spotted in photographs, as well as former USSR and Russian leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.

After taking the elevator to the sixth floor, I was immediately taken aback by the spectacular dining room.

The floor and tables were all incredibly detailed, enhanced by the floor-to-ceiling windows that fill the room with natural light.

Everywhere you looked, blue and gold dominated the room, with tiny detailing on every surface.

I was surprised by the unimpeded views over Paris, including Notre Dame, which remains under reconstruction.

Having been owned by the same family since 1911, the restaurant's dining room was moved up to the sixth floor to maximize its views over Paris in 1936 , according to Condé Nast Traveler. 

The sixth-floor room gives unparalleled views over the city and Notre Dame.

However, due to the fire that destroyed much of the cathedral , it remains mostly covered by scaffolding while they repair the building. This is on track for completion in 2024 , according to The New York Times.

At the table, we were first greeted with a huge silver plate, engraved with the restaurant's name.

While impressive, it was shortly removed after we sat down, and was clearly just there to be decorative.

The menu items were the epitome of traditional French haute cuisine, or "high cooking," but mine didn't have any prices listed.

Our menu was very traditional, including dishes like quenelles — a technique of creating perfect three-sided ovals — as well as hake and snails for starters. Mains included scallops or guinea fowl. 

It felt a little stereotypical to order snails in France, so I chose the hake. 

But since I didn't make the reservation, my menu didn't include a price. This was a deliberate decision implemented by the owner centuries ago, according to our waiter, due to social traditions at the time.

Our three-course set lunch menu was 105 euros at the time of visiting, or around $115. A six-course menu is also available for triple the price, as well as a la carte options with mains ranging from 95 euros to 125 euros each, or $100 to $130.  

While the food menu isn't extensive, the wine list is the opposite, weighing over 15 pounds, with over 320,000 bottles to choose from.

The restaurant prides itself on its selection of wines, claiming to have one of "the most technically perfect cellars" in Paris, as noted on the Tour d'Argent website. 

The cellar is so prestigious and valuable, that while under German occupation during World War II, the owner flew across France for one night to brick up the entrance to protect its contents before flying back , according to Bonjour Paris.

The silver tower logo of the restaurant was on everything. It was even stamped on the butter.

It's clear that the restaurant is very detail-oriented, as I struggled to find an item on the table that wasn't personalized with the logo and founding date.

Once we ordered the wine, it arrived with its own trolley and basket.

Every element of service felt well-considered, with the smallest of touches helping to make the hospitality here extraordinary.

The wine basket is used for transportation up the dumb waiter from the cellar, where a worker located the bottle among the hundreds of thousands of bottles stored.

Each dish that arrived was a clear display of French fine-dining techniques.

From the hake to the scallops, and chocolate souffle to finish, all dishes were made by chefs who were very technically proficient, with each dish beautifully presented, utilizing advanced techniques rarely seen outside of fine dining.

But despite all that, we weren't blown away by our meal.

On top of the decor, the dishes felt as though they'd also remained untouched since 1936. While that's often one of the key drawing points for visitors, I've eaten far more interesting meals for less money, such as wildly creative 20-course tasting menus that include Wagyu beef fat fudge.

However, I've never eaten anywhere with this level of high-quality service.

After lunch, a quick visit to the restaurant's attached bakery and deli was the perfect final touch.

The separate bakery on the opposite corner of the building was only opened in 2016.

From the adjacent location, customers can now buy the bread used in the restaurant as well as a range of viennoiseries — leavened pastries such as croissants and pain au chocolat — according to the Tour d'Argent website.

You can also buy a range of items such as preserves and wines under the Tour d'Argent name.

Browsing the shop after our meal was a perfect way to end the experience, and further demonstrated the attention and care the restaurant gives to its branding.

It's clear from our trip that the restaurant aims to provide a whole experience for its diners, as opposed to just providing a good meal.

Particularly in an age where service in fine dining restaurants seems to be becoming increasingly casual — which isn't a bad thing, in my opinion — this lunch was certainly a memorable one.

Despite service at the restaurant being faultless, I can see why they feel the need to modernize.

My experience at La Tour d'Argent was one I'll never forget. I really enjoyed my time here as it gave me an insight into luxury I wouldn't be able to experience elsewhere.

As the restaurant closes to modernize itself and its menu, I can understand why. While I really enjoyed my lunch, the restaurant's devotion to upholding the past also seemed to limit the menu. 

It will be interesting to see how the restaurant plans to change while preserving itself, but I'm glad I came here when I did to get a once-in-a-lifetime taste of classic French luxury.

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The Earful Tower

Paris and France by Oliver Gee

Tour d’Argent: The iconic Paris restaurant in 7 intriguing figures

We’ve just had lunch at the iconic Paris restaurant, the Tour d’Argent. In short: It was the best dining experience I’ve ever had. And the new renovation job is excellent.

It was a four-course Michelin meal with a view over the Seine, the Notre Dame, and the rooftops of Paris. And it was two-and-a-half hours in Parisian heaven.

We’ve collected seven intriguing facts and figures about the restaurant, which are compiled below with some practical details for your own potential visit.

The Earful Tower podcast episode

In this episode, Lina and I will take you inside the famed restaurant and you’ll hear our thoughts as we dine.

We also discuss our thoughts on the renovation job from 2022/2023. Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts, and scroll down for the facts about the restaurant.

1) 1582: The year the Tour d’Argent was built

The first incarnation of la Tour d’Argent opened in 1582 as an inn on the ground floor. The Tour d’Argent, meaning “the Silver Tower”, takes its name from from the glistening champenoise stone with which it was originally built.

In the 16th century, the restaurant catered toward royalty, aristocrats and nobility, providing a safe place for the elite to dine. Many Kings of France dined at the Tour d’Argent and legend has it was here that King Henry III first discovered a fork, which was at the time the latest sensation from Italy.

2) 1936: The year the Tour d’Argent moved upstairs

In 1922, owner André Terrail purchased and merged buildings 15 and 17 on Quai de la Tournelle, which allowed him to add a new top floor. And so it was in 1936 that the restaurant shifted from the ground floor to the top, allowing a more contemporary design including those enormous bay windows for panoramic Paris views.

3) 16: Total months for the new renovation

From April 2022 to August 2023 the Tour d’Argent had an extensive renovation. The project, led by interior designer Franklin Azzi, brought the restaurant into the 21st century.

The designers added a metallic, “kinetic ceiling”, a carpet inspired by the Seine, and expanded the kitchen into the dining room.

Artist Antoine Carbonne added a modern fresco he called “Perle”, which depicts a medieval-inspired map of Paris that blurs the lines between fantasy and history.

Down on the ground floor, where the original Tour d’Argent was located, is the Bar des Maillets d’Argent. Cafe by day and cocktail bar by night, the bar’s 1930s design pays homage to the last years the Tour d’Argent was located here. Perched on the very top floor is the Tour d’Argent’s bar Le Toit de la Tour , which is a reservation-only rooftop bar .

4) 1,179,385: The number of the duck we had

In 1890 Frédéric Delair codified the recipe for canard au sang (pressed duck), which specified preparation, sauce and service. To maintain the recipe’s longevity he decided to start numbering the ducks served. To this day, the restaurant gives clients an embossed card recording which number duck they received. We shared duck number 1,179,385.

5) 300,000: The number of wine bottles in the cellar

The Tour d’Argent is famous for having one of the largest wine collections in the world. The cellar, guarded around the clock, contains more than 300,000 bottles – with some of the bottles dating back to the 18th century. Of those wines, about 15,000 are offered to diners in the 5kg, 400-page “anthology wine bible”.

Safe to say, we’re not wine connoisseurs. When we spoke about the wine list on the podcast, we admitted to being “first pagers”, and were more than happy to go with the recommendations of the sommelier.

6) €150: Cost for one lunch at the Tour d’Argent

There is certainly a sliding scales of prices at the Tour d’Argent. For €150 (160USD and 250AUD) per person, you can have the four-course lunch (drinks not included). On the other end of the scale is the nine course tasting menu for dinner priced at €1,582 (1,680USD and 2650AUD).

Our four course lunch included scallops, sea bass, roasted duckling, and clementine meringue ( see the November menu here ). Quite simply: It was the best dining experience of my life. Pure excellence from chef Yannick Franques. You can hear more about the food in the podcast episode.

7) 1: The number of Michelin stars for the Tour d’Argent

The Tour d’Argent was once the proud owner of 3 Michelin stars, but lost one in 1996, and another in 2006. In recent years they have been on a mission to reclaim their stars.

Practical details for the Tour d’Argent

• Tour d’Argent address : 15 Quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris
• Peruse the menu here.
• Book a table here . 

Here’s The Earful Tower’s podcast episode again in case you missed it, with new episodes every Monday. The next one will be all about “U is for…”. You’ll have to tune in next week to find out what it is.

Do you like The Earful Tower? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower  here  to support this show and get extras (this week including some extra pictures from the restaurant).

Want to do a tour? Get in touch on The Earful Tower’s social media or book directly here . The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson, find his Substack here .

Interested in finding more fine-dining restaurants? Here is a list of six classic restaurants on the left bank .

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• Book Reviews

La Tour d’Argent, Paris | A Delicious Evolution, A-/B+

A room with a view

Reinventing a restaurant as famous as La Tour d’Argent was always going to be fraught with problems. Why? Well, if some clients might welcome the changes, perhaps even muttering under their breath, ‘Thank goodness, it’s about time!,’ others would denounce even the most reverent tinkering with the experience of a meal here as heresy. “They’ve absolutely ruined the place!” these sanctimonious self-appointed guardians of tradition would fume.

Unfortunately, in Paris, in 2016, the culture of the city is generally more in sympathy with a static status quo than innovation. In almost every realm, the past is reflexively judged to be more perfect than the present, which leads to the city’s bizarre officially sanctioned cantankerous determination to become a sort of genteel open-air museum. It also explains the existence of certain restaurants that are fussy, fretful gastronomic mausoleums that commemorate culinary traditions and a stuffy service style few people enjoy anymore, if they ever did.

But change had to come at La Tour d’Argent, which has been rather rudderless for a longtime. Since the death in 2006 of Claude Terrail, the natty gravely voiced boulevardier whose charm was the axis on which this perched table turned for over sixty years, this restaurant has been on an earnest but occasionally fumbling quest to renew its raison d’etre. The old formula of gallantly pandering to a self-satisfied international beau-monde that kept its reservation book full just wasn’t working anymore. In fact, the framed photos and autographs of the socialites, royals, and other celebrities who adored this place in its post-war hay day from 1950 to 1975 are decidedly momento mori now, and in any event, the general public is less impressed by such pedigrees in the age of the selfie and—woe is me– the Kardashians.

Langouste, soupe froide, cucumber

So leaving the visual possibility of an alarming overly ambitious facelift happily to one side, the kitchen had to be the place for any serious relaunch of this legend, and happily, that’s exactly where it’s happened. But first, for anyone who prefers a short-take, here it is: Now run by Andre Terrail, son of Claude, the Tour d’Argent has a brilliant new chef who has made the restaurant a serious gastronomic contender in Paris again.

With the arrival of the superbly talented Philippe Labbé, it looks like this grande dame of Gallic gastronomy has finally been granted a deeply delicious new lease on life. This means it’s a place you not only can go to again but one you should prioritize if you want an impeccably cooked meal of exquisite classical French cooking in a romantic setting with magnificent views.

I knew nothing about this, of course, when I somewhat ruefully headed here for lunch the other day, having received an invitation from Penelope, aka “Penny,” a second cousin from Philadelphia whom I hadn’t seen in at least a good twenty, maybe twenty-five, years. This is why my first response to her note—the invitation came on a heavy cream-colored monogrammed notecard, was a phone call to try to delicately suggest that maybe we might eat at another classic Parisian table of her choice, one where the food was likely to be better. But she stuck to her guns, saying she wanted to see the view again after so many years, and that she was sure the food would be “just fine.”

Arriving a little early, I lingered on the banks of the Seine across the street from the restaurant, and peering down at the dark moss green waters of the river, I hoped she’d be right and recalled the first time I ever ate there, which was also a good twenty years ago when I was writing a restaurant column in English for the pages that Time Out , the London arts-and-listings magazine, then published in the back of Pariscope . It was an incompatible marriage because the Paris weekly never quite achieved the quality level of the ten-page supplement the British publication edited. To wit, Time Out prided itself on a certain critical acuity and occasionally biting wit, while Pariscope never dared bite any hand that might feed it.

In any event, I had suggested to the editor of Time Out Paris that we might do an eating guide to Paris that reprised my weekly columns and add other new material, and so we did, with the help of many other talented local English-speaking reviewers, including the lovely Rosa Jackson, who eventually became editor of the guide and who now runs a superb cooking school, Les Petits Farcis , in Nice.

In the context of the severely straightened circumstances of editorial budgets in 2016, it now seems astonishing, but Time Out actually paid for every meal that was reviewed in its pages. They were good for a median priced meal for two, plus the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu, with any other extras being at the charge of the reviewer. Since La Tour d’Argent was a big fish, I asked Lemisse, one of the other editors on the guide, if she wanted to join me, and so we met in a café nearby for a Dutch courage glass of wine before we rather improbably cast ourselves into a tableau of la vie en rose that neither of us could have otherwise afforded short of escort work, winning the lottery or an inheritance.

Stepping through the doors, we found we’d unwittingly entered a steeplechase of courtesies that brought us to our table exhausted by the exertions of graciously acknowledging a good dozen or more ‘Bonsoirs’ of varying degrees of warmth and sincerity. Miraculously, though, we had a window table. To be sure it was at the far end of the dog’s leg dining room, and so with a partial view, but it was a window table nonetheless.

When our solemn waiter arrived with menus, he paused first and slowly eyeballed us. His verdict expressed by raised eyebrows and his nose wrinkled into a clenched pink knot like a rabbit was so gloriously theatrical that we had trouble not immediately dissolving into gales of laughter. Because this was exactly what we’d expected. To wit, we’d signed up for that most bizarre of gastronomic coinages, the gourmet meal that was meant to be politely and humbly endured rather than enjoyed.

Chef Philippe Labbé

So we were studying the menu with no small degree of financial trepidation, when someone delivered a testosterone riddled boom of a tableside greeting, “Bonsoir, Madame, Bonsoir, Monsieur!”

We looked up. A handsome older man with steel gray hair was half bowed tableside, and neither of us had a clue as to who he was or what response was expected from us. “Bonsoir,” I finally mumbled back.

“Is this the first time you’ve dined at La Tour d’Argent?” the man inquired. We nodded. “Is it a honeymoon?” We vigorously shook our heads. “I see…” He stroked his chin. “May I advise you then?”

“If you’d like,” I said noncommittally, since I was seeking to head off a serious wound to my wallet with my rent due just three days later. And then, when I noticed the bachelor’s button in  his lapel, I realized with a blood-chilled chagrin that I’d been speaking to none other than Claude Terrail himself.

We ended up with starters of scallops with truffle shavings and artichoke stuffed with crabmeat—nice food, if not memorable, and then we tucked into the Canard de l’An 2000 (Duck of the year 2000), which entitled us to the numbered postcards that are the great souvenir of a meal here—every duck served is numbered, but otherwise disappointed. Instead of tableside service, we were served two juicy ducks breasts in red wine sauce and duck thighs with a vinegary salad on the side. All told, a pleasant if unremarkable meal with a sad and particularly penurious half-bottle of Chinon.

Treating ourselves to a needed night-cap after dinner, Lemisse and I agreed that neither of us would ever need to repeat that particularly experience again, and so this is where I’d left off with La Tour d’Argent. Occasionally, friends visiting Paris did go, however, and their post-prandial comments were generally middling to wilted, with the view usually being mentioned as the highlight of the experience.

And so finally I crossed the street and met my second cousin in the reception area of the restaurant. She was wearing a dress of pistachio-colored linen, a cameo and Victorian style red coral jewelry that I’m sure her mother had bought on a trip to Sorrento around 1880. The retired headmistress of a prestigious girl’s school on the Main Line, she still had an imposing aura about her despite the girlishness evoked by the coral- colored velvet Alice band that held her oat-colored hair back.

The waiters seemed to understand that this was a woman not to be trifled with either, and we were promptly escorted to a table with a spectacular full-on view over Paris that took my breath away. On an intermittently overcast day, the city was heart-breakingly beautiful in its summer-stunned majesty, with the gardens behind Notre Dame sticking into the Seine like a green trident and sea gulls mixing with pigeons against a backdrop of pewter gray roofs punctuated by notable domes and spires.

When the great surprise of Philippe Labbé’s arrival was unveiled while we were having a glass of Champagne, the day suddenly became infinitely festive. Oh, I knew my second cousin, a classicist, would bring up the fact that I had been a terrible Latin student in high school and also ask me why I wasn’t married, but I wasn’t going to let these arrows dim my pleasure in a good meal. And with the passage of time, it occurred to me that however well-aimed her remarks might be, their effect was now more likely to be briefly startling, like pricking your finger on a needle, than wounding, since I no longer sought after or much cared about her ‘good’ opinion of me.

“Isn’t this lovely,” she said when she started reading the menu. “Please throw all cares to the winds, Alec. It’s my treat, of course, and another old relative popped off recently and left me some loot, so let’s spend some of it, shall we?” Emboldened, I ordered the Breton langouste (145 Euros) as my starter, and the beautiful copper-and-calico-colored crustacean was brought to the table live for my inspection before reappearing in an enthereal puddle of cool pink bisque seasoned with lemon verbena. The langouste (rock lobster) had been shelled, and its tender meat road small buoys of cucumber, a beautiful contrast of textures between the crunchy vegetable and the sweet flesh of the lobster.

Quenelles de brochet

I was so engrossed in the elegance of this dish, so lost in my own selfish trance of pleasure, that I was surprised to hear someone speaking to me, my cousin. “Would you like to taste this?” she asked, and of course, I did, since she’d ordered a “Quenelle du 21eme Siècle” as part of her lunch menu. Looking as my second cousin’s leonine profile as she sipped her Chassagne Montrachet, it fleetingly occurred to me that she could be a lesbian, but then again, she had been married to the late Oliver, a nice soft-spoken book editor at a now equally defunct Philadelphia publishing house (all of publishing is now extinct in Philadelphia, to my knowledge, and this is a shame, since these small houses often took chances on books that were judged too unlikely to be financially successful by the New York editors).

The pillowy quenelle, a pike-perch dumpling native to Lyon and environs and one of my favorite classical French dishes, was simply brilliant in an impeccably deconstructed sauce Nantua (crayfish sauce) that was a richly flavored as it was astonishing light. Ornamented by a little ring of tiny girolles mushrooms, baby peas, and fragile leaves of salad burnet and woodruff, the quenelle was very beautiful, too. I guessed that it was these vegetal garnishes, and perhaps a tiny dose of vanilla added to the sauce Nantua, that made the dish 21 st century, since it was otherwise a flawless homage to Escoffier. And yet it was also very subtlely modern, since Labbé has an extraordinary talent for calibrating infinitesimal tweaks to a dish that move it almost imperceptibly off-center and make it his own.

As we ate there was family chatter between us, including a reminiscence by Penny about a Thanksgiving dinner at my paternal grandmother’s during which another cousin suddenly decided to breast feed her baby at the table. I was just on the verge of adolescence at the time, but it struck me as a perfectly normal thing to do and also sort of fascinated me to see the baby going at the distended nipple so greedily. For almost everyone else, though, it was a high distasteful lapse of good manners. And then there was another cousin who came with his Bolivian girl friend—he’d been in the Peace Corps there, who had long thick black braids and wore a black bowler hat to lunch and cracked and sucked on the bone of her drumstick.

We laughed over these memories, but I couldn’t quite place Penny’s sympathies during their recitation.

What I left unsaid, however, was that my main interest in going to that particular meal was the thrill of blowing on the embers of the hopeless crush I had on another second cousin, the smolderingly handsome Bart, who had unwittingly won my ten year old heart the summer before when he looked after me and my brother at a Long Island beach club.

My honey-roasted Challans duckling breast was served in a sauce of vinegar-spiked pan juices with candied peaches, fresh almonds and a side of Szechuan pepper laced muesli. Now, this was one very sexy dish, and a sly one, too, since Labbé had had his own way with the restaurant’s traditional fowl. Juicy, flavorful, and a perfectly toothsome balance between chewy and tender, this bird struck me as Labbe’s own edible version of La Marianne, that kitschy female incarnation of France that appears in bust forms in government buildings.

Meanwhile, across the table, Penny was apparently very happy with her John Dory filet in an acidulated sauce seasoned with lemongrass and ginger with garnishes of girolles, radishes, and tomatillos, the first I’ve ever seen in France. We exchanged a smile or two while were ate, but were otherwise quiet like some companionable long-married couple. Or so I thought.

When our plates were removed, she cleared her throat. “Alec, you know I’ve always been rather jealous of you.” I think she enjoyed my look of surprise. “I mean the reckless, selfish throw all cares to the winds way that you moved to New York City after college, studiously avoided all of the ‘nice’ young people your Aunt wanted you to befriend, and threw yourself into, as I’ve been made to understand, a whirlwind of nightlife and sex and illicit substances.”

I said nothing.

“Well, I just wish I’d had the courage to do the same thing. I wish I’d gone to Studio 54 and dated famous dancers and, well, all of that. I mean, it must have been so much fun.”

“It was. But then so is this lunch. Life changes, and new pleasures come along to replace the old ones,” I said.

“Yes, but I’m sorry I didn’t know any of those old ones,” Penny replied.

When waiter interrupted us to take our dessert order, I caught the gaze of the heavily rouged, kohl-eyed older woman with a necklace of apricot-sized amber beads and a silver-headed cane at the table next to ours, and she winked. Ah, so we had an audience, and suddenly the previously matronly looking dining room with its royal blue carpet with a bronze flourish patter, mirrored ceiling, and royal blue velvet covered Louis XVI or something chairs revealed a side of itself as a setting that might have tantalized the late photographer Helmut Newton. I ordered caramelized white peaches with lime sorbet and lemon-verbena yogurt. Penny chose strawberries marinated in wine with black olive puree and sugared scrambled eggs with pistachios, a fascinating entremet.

We smiled at each other when our desserts were served, but after a single strawberry, Penny put her spoon down.

“Did you know that I did a junior year abroad in England?”

“I didn’t.”

“Yes, in London, where I studied ancient languages and Victorian literature.” She looked out the window, and I respected her long pause.

“I went away for a weekend once with one of my professors, to Brighton we went, me and Charlotte, and we had a lovely time. I often wonder how different my life might be today if I’d stayed. I was in love, but, well, I just couldn’t see how it could work out. Or rather, perhaps I just didn’t have the courage to make it work, so I went home and married Oliver.”

I put my hand on top of hers on the table. So this was why she’d wanted, or rather needed, to see me so badly.

“Mais Cherie! Vous etes toujours tres belle! C’est jamais trop tard!” called our neighbor, and Penny started laughing so hard she had to blot up tears with her napkin. Then the lady excused herself with a chuckle and a little wave and slowly made her way across the dining room.

A minute later the waiter reappeared and poured us some very good Champagne, explaining that it was a gift from ‘Madame.”

Like Philippe Labbé’s superb cooking at La Tour d’Argent, perhaps a life well-lived then is all about the appreciating the seasons, celebrating subtlety and getting the details right in the end. I hope I don’t have to wait another twenty years before I return to this wonderful restaurant.

15 Quai de la Tournelle, 5 th Arrondissement, Paris, Tel. (33) 01-43-54-23-31, Metro: Maubert-Mutualite or Sully-Morland. Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday and Monday. www.tourdargent.com Average a la carte 250 Euros, prix-fixe menus 210 Euros, 220 Euros, 350 Euros; Lunch menu 105 Euros.

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Michelin-Starred La Tour d'Argent In Paris Served Historic Kings

If you had the chance to take a step inside the film "Ratatouille" and experience the world-class dining experience of the fictional Gusteau's restaurant, would you? As it turns out, you can come pretty close. The restaurant that was the source of inspiration for the film has a long history of serving well-known guests. Launched back in 1582, La Tour d'Argent in Paris is said to be the oldest restaurant in the city, and its doors have seen the faces of royalty and prominence ever since.

When the restaurant first opened back in the 16th century, it was a hotspot for kings and princes because it was a safe location for those of noble status to dine in public (it's located across the Seine River where the king's palace used to be). King Henry IV inaugurated the use of the first fork at the restaurant, which was an up-and-coming utensil only seen in Italy at the time.

On a more extravagant note, four world emperors — Alexander II, Czar of the Russian Empire, the Czarevitch Alexander III, Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, and Germany's Prince Otto von Bismarck — met for dinner at La Tour d'Argent in 1867, feasting on a hefty menu that included five appetizers, six main courses, and four desserts.

La Tour d'Argent gets a makeover

Since its days serving historical kings, La Tour d'Argent has welcomed other high-profile guests like Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Boris Yeltsin. The restaurant became known for its iconic pressed duck, classic and ornately decorated interior, and Michelin-star status . Before 1996, La Tour d'Argent held three Michelin stars, dropping to one that year. To modernize the space and turn things around, the restaurant closed for remodeling between April 2022 and August 2023.

The renovations were put in the hands of architect Franklin Azzi, who wanted to retain the restaurant's historical charm. The recipe for the famous pressed duck remains the same, but the kitchen has expanded into the face of the dining room, so guests now have an impressive view of their meal being prepared. Moreover, there are now three additional spaces for breakfast, drinks, and overnight stays. In the fall of 2023, La Tour d'Argent served its 1,178,727th pressed duck — a numerical symbol of its long and rich history.

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Tour d’Argent: Paris’ Oldest Restaurant

by Marla Norman, TCO Publisher

As one of the world’s capitals, Paris never ceases to amaze. From grand museums with priceless art collections, historic architecture to iconic monuments — the city has it all. But best of all, at least for us, is that Paris features thousands of marvelous restaurants, from the humble corner café to the 3-star Michelins. Food is a kind of art for the French and Paris showcases these consumable masterpieces like no other place.

The oldest restaurant in Paris, La Tour d’Argent opened in 1582. Photo by Marla Norman.

Among the city’s many noteworthy establishments is one of the most revered — La Tour d’Argent (Silver Tower) . Located just across the Seine River from Notre Dame, this storied restaurant is a must for any visitor, as there are a number of elements that make the place truly remarkable.

In 1582, the first incarnation of La Tour d’Argent opened as an inn. Kings and princes frequented the site, because it was one of the few safe places available to dine out. The tower is located on the river, very near the king’s palace (which today is the Louvre Museum). Royalty could make a quick retreat if unsavory guests arrived. It was tough eating out back then!

Later, as things became a bit more civilized, Henry IV introduced the first fork at the restaurant. Only a few Italian establishments made use of the utensil at the time. Henry was so enamored of his fork, he wore it around his neck.

In the 18th century, The Duke of Richelieu, nephew to the notorious Cardinal, hosted a dinner at La Tour d’Argent for 40 guests. The menu featured beef cooked 30 different ways. And another first, small cups for coffee to finish off the meal.

Perhaps one of the most memorable dinners was served in 1867, when four Emperors were seated at the same table: Alexander II, Czar of of Russia; the Czarevitch, Alexander III; William I King of Prussia; and Prince Otto Von Bismarck of Germany. For this illustrious dinner, the chef prepared five starters, six main courses and four desserts. For many years after, a glassed-in table was set at the entrance of the restaurant with the original place settings and glassware from that noble night.

A few years later, Frédéric Delair worked his way up from a position as headwaiter at La Tour d’Argent to owner. He then went on to establish the restaurant’s most celebrated recipe: Canard à la presse  (Pressed Duck.) Delair was so confident of the success of his new recipe that he began issuing every duck he served a number. To this day, if you order “Le Caneton Frédéric Delair” you’ll receive a certificate with the number of your duck — at this point, well over a million numbers have been issued. (You do not want to be a duck in Paris.)

“Le Canard Certificat” at La Tour d’Argent.

In addition to its astounding history — and fabulous canard — La Tour d’Argent has many other pleasures:

At night, when Notre Dame is lit up, you feel as if you could almost touch her. And to sit at a table with such magnificent views of the Seine River and Île de la Cité is incredibly romantic — a moment that stays with you forever.

Another magical element is the elegance of the Tour d’Argent dining rooms and the exquisite service provided by the staff. Wearing two-piece suits, white gloves and bow ties, they move gracefully and professionally among the diners. It’s regrettable that some of the foreign tourists who visit La Tour d’Argent sometimes underdress, as if they’re picnicking at the beach.

Once the Sultan of Brunei and his retinue of a dozen or so people were seated next to our table. They were, of course, beautifully dressed, as you’d expect of one of the world’s wealthiest men and his best friends. You never know who’ll turn up at La Tour d’Argent.

Of particular interest to us, of course, is the wine list. One of the largest collections in the world, the restaurant offers well over 15,000 wines in a 400-page book. The cellar, guarded around the clock, contains more than 300,000 bottles, whose value is conservatively estimated at some $30 million. The collection even survived the Second World War when the Terrail family, current owners, walled in the cellars to hide them from the Nazi invasion.

Michel studies the 400-page wine book at La Tour d’Argent. Photos by Marla Norman.

But the main attraction at La Tour d’Argent is the cuisine and, accordingly, the restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star. “The soul of La Tour d’Argent has moved with the times, and its menu, a veritable palimpsest reinterpreted by MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) Chef  Yannick Franques, has preserved the memory of several decades of French haute cuisine.” ( Michelin Guide )

In more pedestrian prose, I’ll simply add that we’ve always had remarkable experiences at La Tour d’Argent. During our last visit, we booked a lunch. The mid-day menu is not as wide-ranging as the dinner offerings, but the service is still superb, of course, and the value is excellent. We enjoyed the following: an amuse bouche of salmon, red beets, crème fraîche & mushrooms. Starters were asparagus with an almond milk “snowfall” & shrimp as well as a Pike Quenelle with a crawfish gratin.

Skate with Menton Lemon, capers, almonds and hazelnuts.

For dessert, caramelized Millefeuille, Tatin-style, with vanilla Ice cream, iced fromage blanc & apple juice salt.

Our main courses were Skate with Menton Lemon, capers, almonds & hazelnuts followed by roasted duck with spices, an emulsion of licorice and balsamic, a side of stuffed turnips and roasted baby onions. For dessert, caramelized Millefeuille, Tatin-style, with vanilla ice cream, iced fromage blanc & apple juice salt.

Trying new restaurants in Paris is always a treat. We have a long list of favorite spots, as well as places we’re eager to sample. But dining in this ancient tower, steeped in history, with views of the city’s monuments is something apart altogether. Paris is famously known as “The City of Light.” It all began with Louis XIV, the Sun King and the Age of Enlightenment, around 1715….when La Tour d’Argent was already 133 years old.

With it’s magnificent views of Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame, extraordinary wine cellar and award-winning menu, La Tour d’Argent is easily one of Paris’ top restaurants. Photo courtesy of La Tour d’Argent.

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La Tour d'Argent Menu

Menu added by users march 13, 2024, menus of restaurants nearby.

The Story Behind The Restaurant In Ratatouille

Ever wondered if Gusteau’s restaurant in Pixar’s Ratatouille is actually real? Well, the Parisian establishment that inspired it has a fascinating history, and it just reopened after a huge renovation. 

Is The Ratatouille Restaurant Real? (& Can You Visit?)

There’s nothing quite like Pixar’s Ratatouille . It isn’t just a film – it’s an enduring (and beloved) tale of ambition, imagination and kindred spirits. It’s not just an animation, either; it brilliantly captures a chef’s (ahem, rat’s) genius, not to mention the distinct magic of restaurants. All of this means it’s a film that will make you hungry – and it’ll likely also make you want to snap up a booking at your nearest French restaurant.

Can You Visit The Restaurant In Ratatouille ?

The short answer is yes. While Gusteau’s itself isn’t a real eatery, there’s one restaurant in particular that inspired it: La Tour d’Argent in Paris. Like Gusteau’s, La Tour d’Argent stands on the banks of the River Seine, and it serves up outstanding French fare. Ratatouille ’s director, Brad Bird, apparently spent hours perfecting drawings of the restaurant’s dining room to use as inspiration onscreen; both the lamps and the cheese trolley in Gusteau’s were, in fact, replicated from those in La Tour d’Argent. 

Aside from its cinematographic significance, however, La Tour d’Argent has an impressive legacy all of its own. It relaunched in August 2023 after a 15-month refurbishment, but the date of its actual opening is contested; the building itself is believed to date back as far as 1582. The restaurant has welcomed a string of famous guests including Queen Elizabeth II, Theodore Roosevelt and John F Kennedy, though it’s perhaps best known for housing a staggering 300,000 different wines in its cellar – with some bottles valued at €25,000.

Does It Serve Ratatouille?

Unfortunately, you won’t actually find ratatouille on the menu at La Tour D’Argent, but there’s one dish that’s sure to catch your eye: canard au sang , which translates to ‘bloody duck’. As the restaurant’s signature creation, it consists of seared duck, which is filleted at your table and served with a rich sauce consisting of cognac, port and juices from the crushed duck carcass. (Perhaps not a dish you’ll want to sample during Veganuary .) 

How To Visit

If you fancy dining at La Tour d’Argent, table reservations are required and can be made at tourdargent.com .

Find the restaurant at 19 Quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris, France.

Paris restaurant La Tour d’Argent ‘loses’ more than £1.25m worth of wine

The one-star Michelin restaurant sits on the banks of the Seine and boasts sweeping views of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

La Tour d’Argent, which provided the inspiration for the film Ratatouille , is renowned for having one of the world’s greatest wine cellars.

The tightly-guarded cellar is home to more than 300,000 bottles, and the collection’s worth has been conservatively estimated at £24m.

Staff recently conducted their first inventory since January 2020, and they discovered that 83 bottles had vanished.

They could have gone missing at any time during the past four years, a sommelier at the 422-year-old restaurant told Le Parisien .

Prestigious wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are among those missing, according to the sommelier.

La Tour d’Argent has filed a complaint to the French police. No evidence of a break-in was discovered but the Third Division of the Paris Judicial Police is investigating the disappearance of the wines.

The restaurant has been an icon of Paris ever since it was founded in 1582. It was frequented by King Henry IV, and it has gone on to welcome famous diners from around the world.

Queen Elizabeth II was the guest of honour in 1948. Other famous visitors include Theodore Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin and Bill Clinton.

Guests will see pictures of the famous diners when riding the elevator up to the restaurant, which is located on the sixth floor of the Quai de la Tournelle in Paris’ 5th arrondissement.

The wine list is an enormous book, which is so heavy that it needs to be wheeled out on a cart to each table. It specialises in old wines, with vintages dating back to the late 19th century, and it houses back vintages of almost every top wine from Burgundy , Bordeaux , the Rhône , Alsace and the Loire .

La Tour d’Argent is also famous for late owner Claude Terrail’s quick thinking in 1940, when he hid his most prized bottles behind a fake wall as the Nazis prepared to seize the restaurant.

Yet for many people around the world, the restaurant is primarily known as the inspiration for the hit Pixar animated film Ratatouille , in which a young rat with heightened senses of taste and smell takes over the kitchen and wows Parisian society with his culinary creations.

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Découvrez la composition probable de la finale Angleterre-Espagne d'aujourd'hui ! (Euro 2024)

Quels sont les joueurs pressentis pour le match Angleterre-Espagne de ce dimanche 14 juillet 2024 à 21h pour la finale de l'Euro 2024 ?

• Publié le 14-07-2024 à 07h32

Le monde entier va savoir : qui de l'Espagne ou de l'Angleterre va devenir champion d'Europe et succéder à l'Italie ? Cette rencontre se jouera du côté du stade olympique de Berlin pour la finale de l'Euro 2024. Une finale qui s'annonce disputée entre deux des favoris à la victoire finale.

D'un côté, l'Espagne est l'équipe qui a le mieux négocié son parcours. Fort de ses six victoires sans passer par les pénaltys, la Roja a dominé tous ses adversaires. Elle a notamment gagné contre la Croatie et l'Italie lors des poules. Avant de sortir avec facilité la Géorgie en huitième et de se battre aux prolongations contre l'Allemagne. En demi-finale, elle a éliminé la France grâce à un but de la pépite Lamine Yamal et de la révélation Dani Olmo . Cette magnifique équipe espagnole est parvenue à se réinventer tout en gardant son style caractéristique. Si elle sait garder le ballon et mettre en place son jeu de possession, elle sait aussi faire mal en étant beaucoup plus vertical. Notamment grâce au gamin du Barça, mais aussi à l'autre flèche Nico Williams. Elle peut aussi compter sur Rodri, le meilleur joueur du monde à son poste, et Dani Olmo qui a parfaitement suppléé Pedri, blessé contre la Mannschaft.

De l'autre, l'Angleterre a beaucoup plus galéré pour se hisser en finale de l'Euro 2024. Mais elle compte d'innombrables atouts dans son jeu. A commencer par un nombre d'individualités impressionnant. Jude Bellingham , Bukayo Saka ou encore Harry Kane : les trois joueurs sont tous parvenus à sortir leur équipe d'une mauvaise situation pour avancer dans le tournoi. Les deux premiers ont marqué en huitième de finale pour éliminer la Slovaquie dans la douleur. Tandis que le troisième a marqué un but sublime pour sortir la Suisse. En demi-finale, elle a pu compter sur son banc de touche avec Cole Palmer, passeur, et Ollie Watkins, buteur, pour venir à bout des Pays-Bas en demi-finale. Des choix qui ont permis à Gareth Southgate de revenir en grâce sur l'île britannique après avoir été beaucoup critiqués.

Les compositions probables de l'Angleterre et les Pays-Bas (Euro 2024)

Pour l'UEFA , l'équipe d'Espagne devrait jouer comme cela :

Simón comme gardien ; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella comme défenseurs ; Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo comme milieux ; Yamal, Morata, Williams comme attaquants.

Sur papier, cette équipe fait peur. Sauf surprise, elle devrait effectivement jouer comme cela. Par rapport à la demi-finale, Luis de la Fuente va donc récupérer Carvajal sur le côté droit et Robin Le Normand. Ils devraient donc remplacer Jesus Navas, qui avait bien contenu Kylian Mbappé, et Nacho qui avait été aligné dans l'axe de la défense.

Pour le reste, l'entraîneur ne devrait pas changer une équipe qui gagne. Dani Olmo offre autre chose que le malheureux Pedri qui s'est tordu le genou. Le joueur de Leipzig est l'une des révélations du tourni et a marqué en quart et en demi-finale de l'Euro.

S'il n'a marqué qu'un seul but, Morata reste aussi un joueur très important. Le capitaine joue son rôle de pivot à la perfection et essaye, par ses déplacements, de faire de la place aux deux pépites que sont Lamine Yamal et Nico Williams.

Pour l'UEFA , l'équipe d'Angleterre devrait jouer comme cela :

Pickford comme gardien ; Walker, Stones, Guéhi comme défenseurs ; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Shaw, Bellingham , Foden comme milieux ; Kane comme attaquant.

Gareth Southgate est parvenu à se remettre en question. D'un 4-2-3-1, il est passé à un système avec trois défenseurs axiaux, deux latéraux et milieux de terrain et un trio offensif. Le système a changé, pas les hommes. Mais cette nouvelle formation a permis à Phil Foden d'avoir beaucoup plus d'influence. Contre les Pays-Bas, le meilleur joueur de la saison en Premier League a semblé libéré et est parvenu à se procurer des occasions.

S'il est le seul des quatre fantastiques à ne pas avoir marqué ou offert une passe décisive, il a touché l'équerre contre les Bataves et Dumfries lui a enlevé un goal en sortant le ballon sur la ligne. Face aux Oranje, Gareth Southgate avait osé sortir rapidement Trippier, droitier, qui évoluait à gauche. Shaw l'avait remplacé et s'était montré à son avantage comme étant un vrai spécialiste du poste. Le joueur de Manchester United devrait donc être titulaire pour la première fois du tournoi à la place de celui de Newcastle. Un pari fou puisque le défenseur a été blessé toute la saison chez les Red Devils.

Où regarder le match Angleterre-Pays-Bas ce soir ?

Pour admirer cette finale, rendez-vous dès 21h sur la RTBF en Belgique et sur M6 et beIN SPORTS 1 en France.

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Quand et sur quelle chaîne regarder la finale Angleterre – Espagne aujourd'hui à 21h, en Belgique et en France ? – Euro 2024

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Kate Middleton a eu droit à une standing ovation à Wimbledon sous les yeux émerveillés de Charlotte (VIDÉO)

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L'actrice Shannen Doherty est décédée à 53 ans après un long combat contre le cancer

Le débat DH du jour

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Cocktail du toit : le bee my baby.

En hommage aux ruches qui ornaient le toit de la Tour jusqu’en 2016, notre Chef Barman, Diego d’Agnolo, a imaginé un cocktail unique : le « Bee my Baby ». Cette création célèbre l’harmonie des saveurs et l’esprit d’innovation qui caractérisent notre établissement.

Ce cocktail est une association exquise qui promet une expérience semblable à la dégustation d’un champagne millésimé. Le vin de pollen pétillant fait maison forme la base de cette création, apportant une effervescence délicate et une douceur florale riche rappelant le meilleur miel. Cette base est subtilement complétée par la complexité d’un whisky français single malt de la Maison Benjamin Kuentz, choisi pour ses saveurs nuancées et sa finition douce. Pour apporter une touche de fraîcheur, une pointe d’eau de gingembre est incorporée, introduisant une épice subtile qui persiste agréablement en bouche.

Le « Bee my Baby » est une expérience à savourer sur le toit de la Tour, où l’atmosphère et la vue complètent parfaitement ce cocktail raffiné. Nous vous invitons à venir découvrir cette création unique en réservant votre table en ligne : ici

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