Tour d’Argent - Restaurant in Paris, France

I recently took an all-too-brief trip to Paris and very quickly became obsessed with finding the perfect places to dine, shop and simply look around. Of course all of the usual suspects made my list, like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris, etc. However, I really wanted to experience the best-of-the-best and, while researching, I stumbled upon the glorious restaurant Tour d’Argent, or “The Silver Tower.”

This restaurant dates all the way back to 1582 and is rumored to have been frequented by Henri IV.

Tour d’Argent specializes in pressed duck and it raises its own ducks on its very own Parisian farm. Diners ordering the legendary pressed duck (Canard à la presse, Caneton à la presse, Caneton Tour d'Argent) receive a postcard with the serial number of the duck as a certificate of authenticity and as a memento of their dining experience. As most who travel to France know, dining is not an in-and-out experience and one might very well spend hours and hours dining at a fine restaurant. I must admit that the American in me thinks that sometimes there can be too much emphasis placed on “savoring the experience,” but Tour d’Argent also boasts an impressive wine cellar containing more than 450,000 bottles of wine, so spending an entire evening there doesn't really sound too laborious. 

The restaurant is run by the Terrail family. The current owner and manager is André Terrail, who took over from his father Claude, who subsequently took over from his father…you get the idea. While the restaurant’s Michelin ratings have fallen slightly over the past few decades, the restaurant has received a recent boost in popularity, as it served as inspiration for the restaurant portrayed in the Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures movie Ratatouille (a delightful feature about a rat who dreams of becoming a chef).

Sadly, I came to the conclusion that not only could I not afford the quite hefty prices of most of Tour d’Argent’s dishes, but I also had to remind myself again and again that I don’t eat duck, pressed or not pressed. I must say, however, that images of what could have been, along with this restaurant’s amazing history, gorgeous views of the river Seine and Notre Dame de Paris, often run through my head at night. Next time Paris calls my name, I’ll be ready to take one for the team and tackle the Canard à la presse.

Written by Kaisa Talaga