On our second day in Paris we walked from the Opera Garnier, past the Louvre, along the right bank of the Seine to Ile de Cite (the home of Notre Dame Cathedral) across the bridge to Ile St-Louis, then it started to rain. We were on our way for lunch at La Tour d’Argent (www.latourdargent.com , 15 quai de la Tournelle Paris 75005, 1.43.54.23.31) on the left bank opposite Ile St-Louis. The owners claim that the restaurant has operated on the same location since 1582, that’s right, they have been serving dinner here for 429 years. It had been a 3 star Michelin restaurant until 1996 and is currently has 1 Michelin star.
I made this lunch reservation months in advance based on the popularity of the restaurant, particularly at lunch when they offer a 3 course meal for 69E, which is inexpensive considering the starters range in price from 49-210E, mains courses from 70-140E, with desserts are all priced at 24E. This would easily be the most expensive restaurant I have ever eaten at.
The greeting by the maitre’d was the first and only snooty treatment we received from someone in Paris. It was clear to us that we were less than welcome in ‘his’ restaurant. We were sent off to waiting room for over 30 minutes while they prepared our table. Other were greeted at the door and immediately escorted to the elevator that takes you to the restaurant on the top floor of the building overlooking the Seine. We were the second people to arrive for lunch at noon sharp, however by the time we were escorted to the restaurant there were at least 2 dozen people seated. Our persistence paid off, we would be seated for lunch. The surroundings were outstanding, the view over the city was gorgeous, the room decorated impeccably and the staff operate with surgical precision.
While we may have glanced at the a la carte menu we were quickly drawn back to reality of the prix fixe menu which is what we were there to indulge in. After being some tiny canapés we ordered our lunch. I started with their famous pike quenelles. In this dish comprised of creamed pike that is mixed with eggs and poached in cream sauce and finished under a broiler (salamander). The result is a heavenly dish of silky smooth poached pike in a rich buttery sauce.
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| Pike Quenelles |
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| Cold Poached Salmon |
Jeff ordered the cold poached salmon which arrives looking like a piece of art. They poach a perfectly shaped side of salmon that has a thin layer of spinach topped with aspic and garnished with micro greens and a drizzle of green sauce. The presentation is like nothing either of us has ever seen before.
For our main course we decided to both have the Canette de Vendee (duck breast). A dish that was prepared to perfection. At no point did I ever consider the need for seasoning since it was all, quite honestly, perfect.
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| Jeff's Dessert |
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| Chocolate Tartlette |
Dessert and coffee were again incredible. Especially the ice cream and figs that Jeff ordered. As you can see this dessert was both gorgeous and delicious.
My dessert was a chocolate tartlette, I barely recall how good mine was since I was so taken by Jeff’s dessert. By the time we had finished our espresso, chocolate truffles and cookies we realized we had been at lunch for 2 ½ hours. The bill for lunch for two including two very small, but expensive glasses of white wine was almost 200E. Which is very inexpensive compared to the people dining around us. One table of note was a lady in her late 40’s who sat alone at a table for 6. Although her presence was inconspicuous through our meal Jeff noted that the bottle of wine she was drinking was a 1961 vintage Bordeaux, which would have easily cost 8,000-10,000E. There is clearly no shortage of wealth in Paris!
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