One of the oldest and most historic restaurants in Paris, a symbol of French gastronomy, with the largest wine cellar in the world. Over 500,000 bottles! La Tour d'Argent restaurant has been around since 1582…
According to the historical evidence given by the restaurant itself during the reign of Henry the Third a businessman named Rorteau opened an elegant inn that would mostly welcome the king's lords, and other distinguished persons of the time. The building next door was Le Château de la Tournelles made of a special stone that gave off silver reflections in the sun. This feature gave the owner of the inn the idea to name it La Tour d'Argent (Silver Tower).
It is the first restaurant in France to use forks. This practice in France (it already existed in Italy) will be inaugurated - according to the legend - by King Henry IV himself at a historic dinner in the Silver Tower. The king would dine regularly and the restaurant would become one of the most important of his time. The place for the most beautiful dinners.
A dinner hosted by the Duke of Richelieu, nephew of the Cardinal of Richelieu, which gathered 40 people around a menu consisting exclusively of beef, prepared in 30 different ways, has gone down in history. At the end of this dinner coffee cups appeared and were used for the first time.
The restaurant was also known for its excellent chocolate. In a letter in 1671 Madame de Sevigné wrote to her daughter that she tastes her chocolate every day at the Quai de La Tournelle (the address of the Silver Tower). Louis the 14th himself - the sun king - was leaving Versailles with part of his court to dine at the silver Tower.
After the French revolution the chef of the Emperor Napoleon Lecoq will restore the glory of the restaurant by taking it into his own hands. The most important figures of each historical period will pass through this space.
In 1890 the owner Frédéric Delair gave the restaurant a new direction. The recipes of "duck in blood" or "silver tower duck" became a trademark, as did the new ways of serving and presenting the dishes to the customer.
To this day these dishes are on the menu of the restaurant. They slice the entire duck in front of the customer serving it in three different stages three different ways. This is the time when they start listing each duck that is consumed, giving the customer a card with its number.
In the 20th century, the name of the restaurant was associated with the Terail family, to which it still belongs since 1911.
In 1933, he received his third Michelin star, which he maintained for almost 60 years.
His reputation is becoming global and over time he becomes a legend in the field of haute cuisine.
The view it has of the Seine and Notre Dame is impressive and unique. There is no other restaurant that offers this sight... It is even said that the restaurant partially finances the lighting of the back of Notre Dame to have the most beautiful view.
In 1940 when the Nazis occupied Paris, they settled in the place and Claude Terail built with his own hands a double wall to hide the wine cellar where 500,000 bottles were kept everywhere. Fortunately for him, the Germans never discovered her. It is still considered the largest and most important restaurant cellar in the world. There are some bottles that date back to the French revolution. Many stories have been written about this unique cellar… I have been one of the lucky ones to have visited it; it is a truly impressive huge space with countless bottles of wine placed on special shelves from the floor to the ceiling reaching five meters and sloping staircases for the high points. Several well-heeled wine lovers offered Claude Terail blank checks to buy some rare and unique bottles. As the caption always goes, the owner never accepted any offer, even if it amounted to astronomical sums.
In 1982 it celebrates its 400th anniversary.
In 2003, the millionth duck is consumed - an event reported by the French press - and on the occasion of this event, Claude Terail, at the age of 84, hands over the reins of the business to his son André.
In 2006 they will lose their second Michelin star.
"Inviting someone means taking care of their happiness while they are under your roof"
&
"There is nothing greater than pleasure"
They were two of Claude Terail's main mottos…
Kyros