la tour d'argent duck

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• The Reopening of One MICHELIN Star Tour d’Argent

A Parisian institution on their present and future

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On 5th October 2023, the 1,178,727th duck was served at the Tour d’Argent . It was a Challans duck which, like all the others since 1890, comes from the Burgaud family. Loyalty is a key word in this house, where they are continuing the legacy of Frédéric Delair, the maître d'hôtel who became owner of the Tour d'Argent and made pressed duck the restaurant's speciality. He refined the serving, cutting the duck at the end of a fork, without it touching the dish. He had the brilliant idea of numbering the ducks served, a tradition kept to this day by the Terrail family, who bought the restaurant in 1911. They are also faithful to historical recipes, such as The Three Emperors' foie gras, first served in 1867 during the Universal Exhibition in Paris, to three emperors: William I of Prussia, Tsar Alexander II and his son – the future Alexander III – as well as Chancellor Bismarck.

The change in tradition:

Chef Yannick Franques, who has been in the kitchen at Tour d’Argent for four years, is not content with perpetuating history, but rather intends to bring the restaurant into the present day: “The recipe for the pressed duck has remained intact. The duck is cut in mid-air, with very precise movements, at the table, by the maître d'hôtel, then presented in two courses: the supreme with blood sauce, served on a plate specially made by ceramist Sylvie Coquet. Then during the second course, you can enjoy the confit leg, on a small skewer, with a piece of duck pudding. Today I use – as best I can – all parts of the duck, to respond to current concerns about limiting waste. I have also twisted certain dishes, like the pike quenelle, which I also prepare with pike perch. "I'm working on lightening some sauces too, and have created new dishes like the 'mystère de l’œuf' and plantain gyoza. We studied the restaurant archives a lot and took out recipes from the boxes, such as 'the lobster of the three maharajahs'. I work with ingredients that we didn't use before like yuzu, or certain spices which I find at Ankhor, which sources its produce in France. I also wanted to rethink the first course, by offering – on the Christofle silver presentation plate – a Parisian parfait on a zabaglione  which changes every season."

Looking to the future:

This legendary restaurant opens itself up to the future just as its bay windows open onto the Seine and Notre-Dame Cathedral, or rather the latter's lengthy reconstruction project. “Contrary to what we thought, the work on the cathedral does not put off our customers – it even constitutes entertainment for them. At night, the site is entirely illuminated,” explains André Terrail III, President of the establishment since the death of his father Claude in 2006. After 18 months of work, the Tour d'Argent reopened its doors. “The 6th and 7th floors have been completely rebuilt,” explains Virginie Guyonnet, Communications Director for the Tour d’Argent group. The renovation, including the facelift of the gourmet restaurant's dining room, was entrusted to architect Franklin Azzi. The kitchen has expanded and now opens onto the room, allowing customers to watch an impressive procession of chef's hats as the team complete the theatrical dishes in full view; you can watch, for example, as the livers are crushed and mixed with Madeira and Cognac, then the carcass is put in a majestic silver press. Three new spaces have been created for the building, from the ground floor to the roof: the Bar des Maillets d'Argent, open from breakfast; the Toit de la Tour, on the 7th floor, for a drink at the top of the Tower; and the Apartment, the former home of the Terrail family, today open for an exceptional stay.

The experience at the heart of La Tour:

“All the developments made over the past 10 years at the Tour d’Argent are at the service of the table, of the gastronomic experience offered to our customers. So Le Boulanger de la Tour, our bakery, works above all for the restaurant; Kévin Derpierre, our Baker, offers a specific bread with each dish. At L’Épicerie de la Tour, you can find produce from our suppliers. On the ground floor, the Bar des Maillets d'Argent opens from 9am to midnight and extends the gastronomic experience with a cocktail or digestif. We are also working on a cigar offering on the terrace,” explains Terrail. “The cellar, today managed by Victor Gonzales who succeeds David Ridgway, still has nearly 300,000 bottles. This exceptional choice of wines is obviously also part of what customers come for at the Tour d’Argent,” he adds. While their name might translate to silver, it’s a gold medal finish for La Tour d’Argent and the team continuing to bring excellence to France’s gastronomic scene.

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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

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

La tour d'argent: the history.

After 60 years at the helm of the world famous restaurant, Claude Terrail retired, turning over the management to his son (Andre) whom he has been for years grooming for the position. Diners enjoy the best views of Paris from the front seats of La Tour d’Argent and have been patronizing the famous restaurant for decades. Tourists, particularly, seem to be enamoured with the restaurant's formal service, excellent food, and extensive wine list. La Tour d’Argent is particularly famous for its pressed duck recipe, revived in 1890 by the then owner Frederic Delair after he found it in an old cookbook. He then decided to number each canard a la presse and present the tag to the diner. On June 21, 1921 Emperor Hiro Hito ate duck 53,211, and fifty years later on October 3 duck number 423,900. In November 2002, Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, consumed duck number 971,612. Caneton Tour d’Argent consists of two-courses, first the breasts are cooked in port, cognac and the essence of pressed duck carcass. Later, the legs are presented in the heavy but delicious sauce for the pleasure of the diner. All this must be washed down with delightful Cotes du Rhone wine, worthy of the excellent taste of the caneton. Claude Terrail is the epitome of an old-fashioned impeccably dressed, and mannered French restaurateur who is diplomatic. He has always maintained that discretion in the restaurant trade and attention to detail are two very important factors for success. During his long career, he served thousands of royalty and dignitaries like King Edward VII, Theodore Roosevelt, J.F. Kennedy, Nobel prize winners, Alexander Fleming just to name a few. On Mondays the restaurant is closed, and then the cleaner gets the best table enjoying his home-cooked meal reheated in the venerated La Tour d’Argents kitchens.  

Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu  

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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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The Paris institution has reopened after a wide-ranging renovation led by André Terrail, whose family has owned the restaurant for more than a century.

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La Tour d’Argent, the Paris institution known for its pressed duck and spectacular views of the Seine, has had a makeover.

The restaurant, which traces its roots back to the 16th century, reopened on Aug. 29 after a 17-month renovation, marking its most wide-ranging overhaul since the dining room was moved to the sixth floor of the building in 1936.

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In an effort to make the venerable eatery more welcoming to locals, Terrail has added a ground-floor bar and a rooftop terrace, while out-of-town guests can rent a full apartment on the fifth floor.

“The Tour d’Argent before it closed was already a great experience, but now we’re taking it to the next level,” he says during an interview in his office as workers put the finishing touches to the building.

Tweaking an icon is always a delicate exercise. For Terrail, who was only 26 when he took over in 2006 from his father Claude, it means honoring the family legacy while taking bold steps to propel the restaurant into the 21st century. Chief among them: opening the kitchen headed by chef Yannick Franques.

“It’s a very big decision, but it’s consistent with who we are, because La Tour d’Argent has always been a theater. That’s how my father saw it. It was his stage. He always wanted to be an actor, so opening the kitchen to show the cooks perform makes sense,” he says.

Indeed, with its breathtaking panorama of Paris, ballet of waiters, 400-page wine list and elaborate duck carving ceremony — which involves lifting the bird with a fork without allowing it to touch the platter — the main dining room already provides plenty of entertainment.     

But with a lunch menu at 150 euros, and dinner menus starting at 360 euros, the Michelin-starred restaurant has always been reserved for the happy few. In the spirit of opening its doors to a broader crowd, the family acquired the nearby Rôtisserie d’Argent in 1989 and also runs an adjoining bakery, gourmet grocery and even an ice cream truck in summer.

With the new downstairs bar, named Maillets d’Argent after his father’s former polo team, and Le Toit de la Tour, serving Champagne and cocktails on the roof, Terrail hopes to create a neighborhood haunt with a laid-back, festive atmosphere.

Terrail has decorated the downstairs bar with wood paneling and opened its windows onto the street. On a sweltering afternoon, he personally hauled an armchair into its cozy annex, which features a chimneyplace and an array of vintage or specially commissioned furniture.

“This is my idea of a dream bar,” he enthuses. “To have a little club sandwich in the afternoon and to sit in front of a roaring fire with a glass of white wine specially selected by our head sommelier Victor González — that’s paradise on earth.”

Still, exclusivity remains at the core of the offering. The 1,600-square-foot guest suite is named after Terrail’s grandmother Augusta Burdel, who used to live on the premises, and features a dining table for private entertaining, a bedroom and a sauna — the latter a nod to Tarja Räsänen, the owner’s Finnish mother.  

As might be expected, the price is available on demand. Terrail notes that his grandfather, also named André, was a famed hotelier who founded the Georges V in Paris and headed an empire that also included the Bellman and San Régis hotels, as well as caterer Potel et Chabot.

“So in a way, it’s a return to the family roots,” he says. “It’s a way of broadening the experience well beyond the gastronomic event.”

Terrail has been paving the way for the transformation for the last decade.

In 2016, he raised more than 725,000 euros by selling off some of the contents of the restaurant and its legendary wine cellar at auction house Artcurial. A silver-plated duck press, used to prepare the signature Caneton Frédéric Delair, named after the 19th century chef who invented the recipe, went for more than 40,000 euros, more than six times its high estimate.

Terrail sees himself as a custodian of the family’s heritage.

“I was thrust into the business by my father,” he says. “In the beginning, I felt it was important to be humble toward this house. I needed some time to understand it and to make it my own, even if I’ve lived here my whole life. My 40s felt like the right age, the right moment, to start to shake things up and take some risks.”   

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La Tour d’Argent

Brief Background

Is this the most important restaurant in French cooking since 16th century? Very probably. Down the centuries, La Tour d’Argent (The Silver Tower), has been visited by many royal families and has often been used to host foreign politicians. With such a history, it’s hardly a surprise that the place inspired the movie Ratatouille. Today, although its 63 years of Michelin 3-star glory are long gone, it continues to deliver a high standard of cooking, showcasing some of the best French classics. La Tour d’Argent also has one of the most important wine cellars in the world, containing a staggering 450,000 bottles – valued at some 25 million Euro – including some that are extremely rare. If you fancy a bit of a work-out before dinner, try asking for the full version of the wine list. Why? Because, with over 400 pages, containing 15,000 wines, it weighs over 9Kg!

Signature Dish

Pressed Duck is one of the most iconic and complex dishes in French cuisine. Raised on the restaurant’s own farm, the duck is first roasted before the breast and legs are removed, and the carcass is crushed using a specially designed press. The liquids that result from this process are then thickened and flavoured with liver, butter and Cognac to form a sauce. And all this happens with diners watching on, at a special counter in the restaurant dedicated to duck preparation.

And if that’s not different enough for you, consider the Duck’s certificate! At La Tour d’Argent, you see, every pressed duck comes with its own uniquely numbered certificate. Some of them are famous, such as Certificate 112,151, which went to President Roosevelt, and Certificate 253,652, which went to Charlie Chaplin. Our own certificate wasn’t that far behind – it’s number is 1,165,489! It’s worth noting that, if you’d like him to (which many did), Chef Philippe Labbé will personally sign your certificate as part of a photo opportunity. Oh, and one final word on the Pressed Duck – if it’s a course that takes your fancy, you need to pre-order it, at least two days in advance.

Despite the fame of the Pressed Duck, though, my favourite course of the evening was actually the grilled duck foie gras , which came topped with a layer of spiced apple crumbs and sorrel sauce. The foie gras itself had a nice crispy skin with a silky centre, a sign of perfect preparation. The best part was that it was served on a small piece of French toast and finished with a drizzle of maple syrup. And we’re not talking ordinary maple syrup, it was maple syrup from Quebec that had been aged in bourbon! Silky, crispy, buttery, rich, smoky, sweet – what a mixture! I really loved every single bite of this dish.

Mecca of French cuisine

Service-wise, the staff were undeniably friendly and attentive, but they were somewhat let down by their colleagues in the kitchen. No food arrived for a full 30 minutes after ordering – then the amuse bouche came together with the starters! This rather abject failure of timing was repeated at the end of the meal when, once again, there was a long wait, followed by the simultaneous arrival of the pre-dessert, dessert and petits fours. Also, I’d expected a longer and more detailed tableside demonstration of the duck preparation process, rather than just a quick explanation at the beginning.

On the other hand, the sommelier was a model of professionalism. We had ordered a bottle of 1990 Puligny Montrachet from Domaine Boillot, and – as expected in this standard of restaurant – she poured a small tasting sample for herself before serving us. What we hadn’t expected was for her to taste the wine herself and declare the bottle unacceptable. She then apologised to us and brought us a fresh bottle. She tasted this one, too, before giving it the thumbs-up.

In summary, this iconic restaurant has a historically acclaimed dining room with a wonderful view of the River Siene and Notre Dame, and is an excellent place for a special occasion. OK, so it’s a bit touristy, and yes, it’s rather old fashioned. And, for sure, the food didn’t strike me as mind-blowing. But hey – it’s the Mecca of French cuisine! I had to visit it once in my life.

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The Epicurean's Atlas: La Tour d’Argent

T he name translates as the Silver Tower: suitably mythical for an establishment that is not so much a restaurant as a legend. Located in Paris’ 5th arrondissement with a spectacular view of the River Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral, it is said to be one of the oldest eateries in Paris: an inn stood here from at least 1582, and France’s King Henri III was supposedly introduced to the latest technology here: a three-pronged eating implement known as a fork. Whether or not this story is true (and Henry’s queen came from Italy, where forks were already in use), it fits well with La Tour d’Argent’s reputation as a place at the forefront of gastronomic innovation. The duck press created by 19thcentury owner Frédéric Delair, along with the elaborate ritual of carving it by the table, implements flashing and the bird never touching the plate, was so successful that the dish is still on the menu. In an inspiration that may have been even cleverer than the press itself, Delair numbered every duck. Edward, Prince of Wales ordered number 328 in 1890; his great-granddaughter ate the dish in 1948 on her first official trip abroad after her wedding, four years before ascending the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. (She also tasted an 1848 port that was said to have crossed the equator five times). President Roosevelt ate number 112,151; Marlene Dietrich 203,728. The restaurant celebrated its millionth duck in 2003.

There have been other firsts: when the Michelin Guide introduced the third star to Paris in 1933, La Tour d’Argent was among the few to be honoured and held the accolade for more than half a century. Even the dining room broke the mould: owner Claude Terrail decided to build a sixth floor so his restaurant could take full advantage of its superb location, but Paris buildings were not permitted to be over five stores in 1936: Terrail had to take his case all the way to the Assemblée Nationale. His son André, owner since his father’s death in 2006, remains aspirational in every sense: in April 2022, the restaurant closed for renovations, reopening in June 2023 with, among other improvements, a brand-new seventh floor.

Today, the only sight more impressive than the majestic view may be the cellar that Englishman David Ridgway oversaw for more than 40 years, which contains upwards of 300,000 bottles. Ridgway and his successor Victor González are continuing a proud tradition: by 1867, a guide to the pleasures of Paris was noting that, at La Tour d’Argent, “one eats very well, especially if one takes the trouble to order a leg of lamb ‘à la Gasconne’ and a flask or several of Volnay or Coulanges.” Nothing has been allowed to harm this magnificent collection, not even the German invasion in 1940. Before going off to fight, Claude Terrail carefully disguised his cellar. The senior Nazi who commandeered the building never discovered its secret and the hidden wines stayed safe until the liberation.

“Here, France’s King Henry III was introduced to a three-pronged eating implement known as a fork”

The cellar is no longer bricked up, though its walls are reinforced with battleship-grade steel. The array of bottles includes multiple vintages of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (“They imbue you with a unique feeling of wellbeing; they transport you to a higher plain,” Ridgway has said of these worldfamous Burgundies). Nonetheless, the Head Sommelier has an annual buying budget of €1 million to top up supplies of wine and other beverages. Ridgway’s decades in the job meant many vignerons were the grandchildren of the proprietors he first met. It will be for González to continue those relationships and ensure that the allocations of the world’s finest and rarest wines continue to flow into the cellar by the Seine.

Whether diners choose one of La Tour d’Argent’s traditional dishes or a more modern interpretation by Yannick Franques, who has overseen the kitchen since 2019, they will be guided to the part of the wine list that gives them the most pleasure. This goes both for style and for size: the cellar features an impressive number of half-bottles, much kinder to the wine than any serving by the glass, since bottles left open can’t help but come into contact with more oxygen.

Perfection is the aim: in the décor, the menu, the staff whose quiet efficiency doesn’t prevent them from chatting or joking with customers. Nothing disturbs the calm of the dining room, unless it’s a flamboyant tableside performance, such as the deboning of that famous duck or the Left: The entrance to the building of La Tour d’Argent, located on Quai de la Tournelle, Paris. Above: A sommelier chooses from more than 300,000 bottles in the restaurant’s cellar expert flambéing of Crêpes Mademoiselle. The menu no longer features heron pâté, as it did in the 16th century, or the entire cow that the Duke of Richelieu arranged for King Louis XIV and his courtiers in the 17th century. Today’s guests are more likely to be tempted by langoustine in a yuzu bisque with smoked milk tartare, or duckling sausage with truffle juice. Nonetheless, the delicate equilibrium between tradition and innovation is maintained. The numbered duck is a fixture. There is caviar – how could there not be? – and cheeses from La Tour d’Argent’s own farm. The new roof features a Champagne bar, in accordance with Claude Terrail’s stated belief that “there is no party without Champagne.”

Dining at this restaurant, which is the pinnacle of French cuisine, may be a serious matter, but nobody at La Tour d’Argent has forgotten that eating out is also meant to be fun. After all, as Claude liked to say: “There is nothing so serious as pleasure.”

Photos by Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images, Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images, Alamy/HJBC

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photo credit: Sara Lieberman

La Tour D'Argent

Sara Lieberman

April 5, 2024

For the best old-school, elegant dining experience in Paris, book a table at this legendary restaurant that dates back to 1582. The recently redesigned dining room, with window walls and a mirrored ceiling that reflects the Seine below, is the platonic ideal of a Parisian restaurant. And that’s not hyperbole—it inspired Ratatouille . The panoramic view and classic French food make it the place to be for an anniversary, engagement, or an absurdly over-the-top meal.

Beyond its decor, which looks a bit like you’re on a modernized cruise ship complete with teak walls and royal blue carpeting, the service is outstanding: Expect a rotating crew of servers in suits who whizz around in an almost symphonic fashion. Once they remove the silver Christofle plates, the show begins and the classic, reliable French hits keep coming. 

While pressed duck “Frédéric Delair” is their signature dish, and prepared tableside—blood and all—it’s not included in the prix fixe lunch, but a delicious roasted version is. The John Dory fish with parmesan foam and arugula pesto wow with its lightness. Even the various breads served with the meal, like turmeric focaccia, are memorable and feel like their own course. And allow them to wheel over the giant wine book that’s longer than a George R. R. Martin novel—the cellar has over 300,000 bottles, or, more accurately, 299,920 since over one million dollars in wine was nabbed . Gulp.

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CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN

Gherkins & tomatoes … since 2008, la tour d’argent poinct ne leurre *, or, pressed duck, blood and guts and all.

What is sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander but is not necessarily sauce for the chicken, the duck, the turkey or the guinea hen. ~ Alice B. Toklas

The famed, if slightly faded, Parisian restaurant, La Tour d’Argent, embodies the French idea of culinary hegemony.

So do ducks.

As you stand outside the window, peering into the sanctum sanctorum of the restaurant, traffic clattering behind you on the Quai de la Tournelle, you might not realize that the signature dish served inside this actually began because of Spanish immigrants to the Vendée region in 1650, during the reign of Philip IV of Spain.

They captured the wild ducks munching on the crisp marsh grasses there and domesticated them.

The Challandais ducks served at the Tour still come from that region.

It’s hard to picture the Tour – which began serving meals in 1582 to such luminaries as Henri III, Cardinal Richelieu, and Madame de Sevigné – as anything other than the gastronomical palace it is today, but in 1929, as Julian Street makes clear, today’s Tour, like cuisine, evolved from a somewhat less glorious state:

When I first knew the Tour D’Argent it was a plain place with a wooden floor covered with sawdust, but it was none the less a temple of gastronomy, for it was presided over by old Frédéric Delair who, with his high bald forehead, his steel-rimmed spectacles, and his whiskers, resembled Ibsen or Thackeray, and who, like Ibsen and Thackeray, was an artist, though in a different field.” (From Where Paris Dines , 1929)

Once you walk through those heavy wooden doors, and you settle down in the plush-bottomed chairs, the waiter hands you a large menu covered in black leather, about the size of a small briefcase. Trying to find a comfortable position against the ornate caned-back chairs, you’ll choose from the following dishes, featuring Challandais ducklings:

Caneton Marco Polo, sablé parmesan aux asperges   140 €

Caneton “Tour d’Argent”, pommes soufflés    140 €

Caneton à l’orange, carotte aux agrumes et pain d’épices   140 €

Caneton rôti de saison    70 €

Just so there’s no shock, when you order Caneton “Tour d’Argent ,” you will be privy to a very exclusive ritual, a practice that may seem barbaric.

Your duck, you see, died by strangulation so as to preserve its blood for the sauce. No more than twenty-four hours later, the chef lightly roasts the dressed carcass, the liver set aside for the sauce, removes the legs and breast, and the duck arrives at the customer’s table. The canardiers wheel out a large silver “duck press” and go to work, pressing the duck carcass so that the blood trickles out into a sauté pan. The maitre d’ mashes the liver and mixes in the blood, along with Madeira, Cognac, and lemon juice. (See link to recipe below.) The process has roots in the custom of salmis ( salmigondis ), or game stew.

What emerges is a sauce the color of dark chocolate, with the unmistakable tang of blood that you know from biting your tongue or cheek too hard. Wild, salty, iron-like, primitive. You could almost be sitting on the banks of a river in the twilight, the heat of a small fire fading, instead of at table overlooking the Seine and the Ile de la Cité, gazing at the birthplace of Paris.

Terrail kept a diary and recorded the number assigned to each duck and the name of the person who ordered it. Upon leaving, customers received a certificate the size of a postcard with this number. The Prince of Wales ate duck number 328 in 1890. Forty years later, Franklin D Roosevelt enjoyed duck number 112,152.

What strikes me about this treatment of duck?

It resembles in some ways the idea of pressed duck found in Chinese cuisine, though the blood isn’t used in the same way. And that, as you can guess, requires some looking into.

But blood figured in many ancient recipes in Europe, too. Coq au Vin comes to mind, as does blood sausage. In fact, many dishes in regional French cuisine utilized blood as a thickening agent, due to the coagulation of proteins in the presence of heat. Or just air. Sanguette , where the blood of a chicken cooks in a nest of lard strips and herbs and then is fried, another way in which the French used animal blood in cooking.

Recipe for Canard au Sang , from Vincent Price’s book , A Treasury of Great Recipes (1965).

For visual tour of a duck-pressing experience see FXCuisine .

*”The Silver Tower does not deceive.” Motto inscribed on the covers of the menus cases.

© 2012 C. Bertelsen

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Paris › Restaurant

La tour d’argent.

Everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Orson Welles has dined in this venerable restaurant, famed for its history (a restaurant has stood here since 1582), its impeccable service, and its sweeping view of the Seine and Notre-Dame. In 2023, the place was given a makeover, adding a 1930s-inspired bar: Bar des Maillets d’Argent on the ground floor and a rooftop for wine and cocktails. Inside the panoamamic 6th-floor dining room, where you gaze out over Paris though huge windows, chef Yannick Franques woos well-dressed crowds with inventive French cuisine and the establishment’s coveted signature dish of pressed duck (each duck has been numbered since 1890). Five or six different waiters will visit your table at one time or another, accomplishing various tasks (opening wine bottles, pulling out your chair, and even leading you to the bathroom) with utmost professionalism and not a hint of snobbery. For something simpler and cheaper, check out the Rotisserie d’Argent, just across the street—the Tour’s gingham-clad sister establishment with a terrace that sprawls out onto the Tournelles bridge just outside

- Anna E. Brooke

Note : This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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Frommer's only recommends things we think you will enjoy and that will make your trip both authentic and unforgettable. Our experts personally appraise each choice in terms of their overall enthusiasm for it.

Our star system does not denote hotel amenities but it does denote the level of our approval. A place with one star is worth a look—after all, it made the list. A rating of two stars means it's excellent, and three stars is the highest praise we give.

Tout est bon dans le Caneton

At the rôtisserie d'argent, a lively and heartwarming house, we fully assume both our lyonese and parisian heritage....

• See our menu

19, Quai de la Tournelle Paris V ème

Itinéraire & plan

Open all week from 12:00 A.M. to 1:45 P.M. and from 7:00 P.M. to 9:45 P.M.

[email protected] +33 (0)1 43 54 17 47

A MOST PARISIEN BISTROT

Ideally located on the left bank, between the Seine and the Saint-Geneviève mountain, our Rôtisserie – huddled next to its older sister La Tour d’Argent – is just a few steps away from Notre-Dame.

With its checkered tablecloths, its red leather sofas and its famous rotating rotisserie, our house has become overtime an iconic hangout of the 5th quarter where reins a wam and typicallly latin quarter atmosphere.

Beef rib steack, Roquefort cheese sauce & French fries

Final touches...soon ready to welcome you.

Half Label Rouge farm chicken, garlic in its skin & potato purée

BON APPETIT & LARGE SOIF

Here, our menu respect the seasonality of products and season. the kitchen, open on the dining room, cooks at the rythm of the rotating rotisserie, giving products ample time to express its aromas. the chef cooks our signature dishes as well as heartwarming typical little recipes..

May it be our blown pike dumplings, our famous roasted duck from our producer Burgaud our the unmissable roasted chicken, our Starters (Egg mayonnaise, white asparagus, duck foie gras…),our savory recipes (beef filet with bearnaise sauce, veal kidneys with mustard sauce, pork belly glazed with mild spices …) or else our sweet temptations (Chocolat tard fondant Grand Cru Tour d’Argent, the delicious pastries from our bakery…), at our table everything is grand, homy and generous!

Wines are not forgotten and it is with great passion that our Tour d’Argent Head-Sommelier Victor Gonzalez has selected some very very fine bottles, often aged to perfection. Betweeen old vintages, discoveries and younglings… your choice will obviously be the right one!

World Champion eggs with mayonnaise, potato salad & mustard seeds

Cocktail of the season : Geneviève à la pêche