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But it was in the 19th century that the Tour d'Argent became even
more famous when the owner, Frederic Delair created the ritual of the "Canard au Sang", which is a complex dish
of duck, known as pressed duck or bloody duck that uses a special solid silver press and
it was shortly after devising this now famous recipe, he declared that every duck should
bear a number and for instance, number 328 was served to King Edward VII in 1890.
Even after Andre Terrail purchased the Tour d'Argent from Frederic Delair in 1910 the
tradition of the numbered duck continued and duck number 40,312 was served to King Alfonso
XIII in 1914. Number 53,211 was served to the Emperor Hiro Hito in 1921, number
112,151 was served to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1929 and duck number 938,451 was served to
President Mikhail Gorbachev in 2001.
The Tour d'Argent celebrated its one millionth duck in 2003 and even today this tradition
still continues with the third generation of the Terrail family where you are presented
with a card showing what number duck you had for your meal and this is just one of the
reasons why this restaurant has become such a landmark
in Paris and is now famous throughout the world.
When you enter the Tour d'Argent you will immediately see displays in their small museum of items such as a menu from
the maiden voyage of the Normandie through to a table set as it was in the 1800's and this
is where you would usually be served aperitifs. However, the dining room of the
restaurant itself is actually positioned on the sixth floor, which was added in 1936, and
is accessed via a lift.
And because of its location with the fabulous views of Notre
Dame Cathedral and the boats cruising the
River Seine from the dining room, which by the way, is even better of an evening
looking at the shimmering lights of the city and the Eiffel
Tower in the distance, this is another reason why this Paris restaurant is so popular.
Obviously, because of the popularity of this haute cuisine restaurant with celebrities,
presidents and royalty, etc reservations are a must and you will need a healthy bank
balance in which to thoroughly appreciate the gourmet dining experience along with their
fabulous selection of fine wines.
Now that bring us to another point - their incredible wine cellars that hold around 400,000 bottles
from fine vintages dating back to the 1800's, rare brandies and even more rare champagnes
that date from the 1700's. The wine list itself is like reading a novel and comes
complete with its own stand! although the sommeliers are very knowledgeable and can
recommend a wine to pair excellently with your meal selection, yet prices can become quite
high, with some vintage wines costing thousands
of Euros!!
And if you are lucky enough, you may even be able to get a tour of the wine cellars before
leaving, where a member of staff will escort you down underneath the restaurant and
ceremoniously rings a copper bell to announce your arrival prior to entry into the
cellars.
Well we have kept saying there are numerous reasons to enjoy eating out here and for many,
this is a once in a life time experience.
The waiters and other staff are dressed in tails at this very traditional restaurant,
where you make sure that you are in best evening dress and even today the menu is
presented to the lady without the costs and the gentleman has the pricing listed!
But booking a table for lunch is a lost more reasonable than going all out on an evening
meal, so if you are on a budget, yet still want to splash out, then this is best option
for a wonderful gastronomic experience and a terrific view that you will not forget.
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