Lunch at the Famed La Tour d'Argent

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  I am hoping you can go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP
***

It isn't every day that I lunch in a restaurant whose history dates back to 1582 nor one that causes a small tear to well in my left eye as I enter its elegant grande salon. It was so beautiful!! So Paris! I felt a bit like a princess as I was escorted with my roommate, Paula, to our table. A sea of servers and attendants welcomed us with the traditional, "Bonjour, Madame!" as we were led from the elevator into a majestically appointed and painted dining room on the 6th floor of La Tour.   My heart stopped for a second when I took my first  look out the floor to ceiling windows to see the story book picture of Notre Dame and the Seine.  It didn't matter to me how many Michelin stars they have lost over the last 16 year, I knew I was in a special place.

Here is a glimpse in pictures of our remarkable afternoon and lunch:

The Salle d'Attente on the ground floor of La Tour on 15 Quai de la Tournell.

This is where I met Paula before being escorted to the elevator and brought to our table on the 6th floor.

I think this will do just fine!

This lovely space would became our home for 3 hours as we enjoyed the 3 course prix fix lunch menu.

The view behind us.

Paula and I with the 400 page Le Carte de Vin!  

Imagine the poor sommelier who has to lug this around all day and night!

These little savory morsels were served with our Champagne apértif.

Like all great establishments, La Tour serves its own Champagne label from Chouilly, Champagne, France.  Paula enjoyed the Blanc de Blanc and I had the Rosé.

The big silver cup was our water chalice!

Monsieur Laurent (<- that is actually his prenom) was the chef de vin and the poor soul who did lug that mammoth wine menu around!

Laurent's choice for us.  A 1999 Pouilly Fuisse Grands Champs.

Amuse-Bouche.

It was creamy and had lentils...I didn't even have to try it to know I would love it :).

Between bites this was the view from our table....dreamy.

 Notre Entrée,

Bar et Saint-Jacques en Tartare aux Condiments Frits

 The La Tour's signature dish is the Canard au Sang (Duck in a blood sauce...which clearly sounds more appetizing in French). A special tool is used to press the duck to extract the blood for the accompanying complicated sauce.  Above is a picture of our server and us posing in front of this press which is used in the dining room and kept on display there.

They have 2 of these presses made of solid silver.

Voila! Le Plat!

Canette de Vendée, Pomme Verte et  Betterave

Young ducks from La Tour's own farm are daily sent by train to be served to guests.

Notice the little brown dots...this is the blood sauce.

  Palet Chocolat Noir "Tour d'Argent",   Marmelade d'Orange.

In the background, leaning against the roses, is the postcard that the restaurant gives to guests who ordered the duck. It notes the serial number of the duck served to us.  The recording started 1890.

Le Numéro de Mon Canard:  1107658

 A few of the other more famous folks who have gotten postcards with their duck's #:  328 was served to King Edward VII in 1890, number 40,312 was served to King Alfonso XIII in 1914, number 53,211 to the Emperor Hiro Hito in 1921, number 112,151 to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1929,  number 938,451 was served to President Mikhail Gorbachev 2001

Laurent paired this Banyuls Mas Blanc, 1988, with my chocolate dessert.

Looks like it has been in a wine cellar awhile, doesn't it?

 I spied Jacques Genin Chocolates!!!

 *Sigh* It is almost over.....

Behind me is a painted map representing Paris in 1582.

What does a pretty smile get you at La Tour d'Argent?  A private tour of their 2 floor wine cellar!!

Paula and I were like giggling girls in a candy shop. La Tour's wine cellar is fabled...and there we were weaving through aisles and aisles of almost 500,000 bottles of wine, some dating back to 1782!  The giggling was probably enhanced by our guide, a handsome, young French man named Franc.

Merci, Franc!

Imagine a private tasting down here....

....we weren't quite that lucky.  Next time I will smile bigger.

I left La Tour glowing. What a perfect afternoon...wonderful food, delicious wine and delightful conversation in a setting that inspires movies like "Ratatouille" :). It was a remarkable experience...probably one of my favorite dining experiences ever.  As I crossed the Seine almost floating, a young French man smiled at me and said, "Magnifique!"   I smiled back and thought, "Yep, that is exactly how I feel..."Tout est Magnifique!"

Here is an article from the New York Times in June of 2006 that shares some of the interesting history of La Tour d'Argent:  Paris Landmark

Plan YOUR Adventure:

Restaurant de La Tour d'Argent

15 quai de la Tournelle

75005 Paris FRANCE

Tél : +33 (0)1.43.54.23.31
resa@latourdargent.com

 

website: La Tour d'Argent

 

The Good, the Bad and the "Phhfff"

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  I am hoping you can go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!
*****

As of today, I have been in Paris for 9 months.  Besides a small break to go home for Christmas, the last ~270 days have been all Europe all the time. Which has been great.  That is why I came. I wanted to be here to experience a new culture, learn a new language, travel to see all that the Schengen Area has to offer and pick-up some French cooking tips.  However, what I have just realized this last week, is that my honeymoon-stage with France is officially over.  I don't know what or when the changing point was...perhaps just the daily living that makes any place feel less like a fairy tale (even Paris!) and more like any city where all the elements of the human condition exist: good, bad and otherwise....but it did.  I guess it had to happen at some point.

Now that the rose-colored glasses are gone (perhaps I left them on the metro), I think I am now entering a different and perhaps more "real-life" stage of my experience here.

To acknowledge this, ehr, milestone (?) I thought it would be apt to note a few of my favorite French things, most hated French things as well as new French gestures, facial expressions or nuances I have taken on since living here.

THE GOOD

This is a piece of cake...or perhaps I should say "a morsel of Pierre Hermé's Infiniment Chocolat macaroon" :)! Here are some highlights I really haven't talked about before:

1) Being called "Madame"!

We, in the USA, need to lose the "Ma'am" and adopt the "Madame"...seriously.  It is so elegant. And even when it is preceded by telling me something I don't want to hear, just by ending with Madame seems to make it okay. Alright, I exaggerate...but I do enjoy it.  Just last night on the metro, some young man bumped me as he went to sit down.  His, "Excusez-moi, Madame!" was so delightful that I thought I wouldn't mind being  bumped again. I do appreciate the formality here, and I will never tire of, "Merci, Madame!" "Bon journée, Madame!" or even "C'est pas possible, Madame!"

2) The expat community.

Yeah, yeah...I know, the only way I will improve my French is to have French friends.  And I do.  Trust me. But as the saying goes, 'birds of a feather'....so I flock to the wonderful world that is known as the expat community.  My friend list here reads like a great ratatouille recipe, but substitute the fresh veggies with vibrant nations from around the globe.  China, Ireland, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, India, Japan, Australia, England, Canada...and, of course, America. The people I meet here are from every walk of life, so well-traveled and usually d*mn interesting! It is also through this community that I have been able to participate in literature courses, cooking classes, museum visits and the BEST wine tasting classes that I have ever experienced.

3) The terms of endearment in the beautiful French language.

Who wouldn't want to be called "ma chérie"? Definitely not me.  I think is is soooo adorable, and the French love to refer to their significant others this way.  You won't hear,"My boyfriend and I are going to the movie tonight."  No, no, no! But you will hear, "Mon chéri et moi, nous allons au cinema ce soir." Ah, always makes me melt. The French also have some other ridiculously cute names for partners (they seem to like to use animals...and one small insect): Mon Poulette/Ma Poule (My Chicken), Ma Biche (My Doe....but you don't call a man, My Stag...FYI :) ), Mon Lapin (My Rabbit), Ma Puce (My flea!!).  I will definitely update you if I am ever called a flea!

 Me taking notes at one of the fantastic cooking classes I learned about through the Parisian Expat community.

We made Coquilles Saint Jacques aux Pommes with Braised Endives that day. Our instructor's name is Francoise and she opened the first private cooking studio in Paris.

THE BAD

1) The cardinal red bureaucratic tape.

No news here, but unless you live it I don't think you can comprehend how stifling it can be at times.  I didn't.

The frustration level that most of us feel inside when dealing with the French authority was once best exhibited outwardly by a young Asian woman. I was at the Cours Municipaux D'Adultes run by the City of Paris.  Like her, I was trying to sign up for one of the language classes (along with a sea of other étrangers).  Going into the experience I had resigned to the fact that I would get a lot of "Nos" because the classes are SO in demand and frankly, I hadn't exactly done everything required to get a spot (I got 4 different "nos" from 4 different people...but they all said, "No, Madame," so I was fine). Her reaction was different.  I can only assume she thought she had a spot or she had done everything correctly, but when she was met with the same stone cold faces as I was with a "NO" and with no suggestions for alternatives, she went wild.  She first started crying, then screaming, then tearing all the papers and posters off the wall...she was finally carried out kicking and screaming by security.  The bureaucrats  behind the desk who had delivered the disappointing news, stayed emotionless and motionless the entire rant.  Apparently, they must see this reaction all time.

I think most of us have that little Asian girl inside of us when we have to renew our visas, apply for citizenship, apply for health cards, etc...the hard part is containing her.

2) The high calcium in the water.

Perhaps trivial, but it is as annoying as arriving to the boulangerie right after the last baguette has sold (BTW - this is not a pretty site and can be riot inducing)!  Limescale spots are everywhere...on glasses, faucets, silverware, shower glass.  It is harmless to the hair or for drinking (it is actually better for you!), but as aesthetically-inclined as the French are you would think they would clamor for another .5% addition to the VAT to figure out how to rid their water of it. Who knows, peut-être of the 1.6% VAT increase that Sarkozy just announced, a portion is already earmarked just for this cause.

3) No SNACKING!

This is perhaps one of the most astounding and disheartening cultural phenoms to me (being a Pringles-between-meals girl), but the French really aren't into snacking.  My experience has been that too close to a meal time and a Frenchy won't share a baguette with me (or even take a bite!). If it is after a meal, he/she won't even eat one of the peanuts in the little bowl served with glass of wine. OH THE DISCIPLINE IS SO IRRITATING! And to top it off, forget about ordering popcorn at the movies!  I once thought that a French man had invited me to a movie because he knew I was a good-American and would smuggle in candy.  Nope. I think he was a bit disappointed in me when I gleeful opened my purse to reveal my stash of M&Ms.  He politely declined, and said he never eats during a movie.  What!? What is the point to going?

The verb for "to snack" in French is grignoter. Probably the least used word in the French vocab. Oh well, saves on learning how to conjugate it in the conditional past tense :).

The reason why  l'administration francaise remains manageable!

 THE NEW BEHAVIOURS

If I am living with them, I am going to start acting like them!  Here are a few of my new french-inspired behavioral acquisitions:

1) Blowing air out of my lightly pursed lips making a "Phhfff" sound when I don't know something, am exasperated by something or surprised by something.  Add a light shoulder shrug, raise the eyebrows and shake the head a bit with the "I don't know" Phfff sound and one might think I was born in Normandy versus San Diego...that is how good I am getting it at it. :)

2) The "don't you dare talk to me" face while walking the rues of Paris. At home, well in most countries, I am a very smiley thing...but it is definitely out of place here, so I have turned my smile upside down!  It is a lot of work, but when in Paris....

3) Eating with my fork in my left hand and my knife in my right.  Gone are the days were I keep one hand under the table and eat with just my right hand.  And as a note, the French do wonder what we do DO with that other hand hiding under the table :)!

 One of the things I love about France!

Her national emblem is a strong woman named Marianne.  She represents liberty, reason and the triumph of the Republic. You can find this Delacroix piece at the Louvre.

***

The honeymoon may be over, but I do still love every day here.  However, my love has transformed.  It is no longer the flash-in-the-pan, desirous love of a new romance, but rather a more comfortable, unconditional love that is found when you accept your love for his flaws as well as his exceptionalism.  The love that allows a relationship to flourish.

Looking forward to mois 10!  One of my goals in the next few months is to go to an escargot farm!  I know, "Aim high, Jen."

Plan YOUR Adventure:

This is where I have found a lot of my great cultural, food and wine classes:

http://wice-paris.org/

Sweet Success...A Camel is Named!

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  I am hoping you can go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!
*****

This morning I woke up and wiped the sweat from my brow.  A February heat wave in Paris, you ask? Nope, it was a frigid 24° Fahrenheit when I popped my eyes open. Perhaps the apartment was much too warm?  Never! I have decided the French don't believe in insulation. The windows seep so much cold air that I chill my Sancerre wines under them. The drafts drive me and my derrière  to firmly attach ourselves to one of the old water-heated radiator units anytime I am upright.   No, alas both are not true. The reason  my heart went racing this morning was none other than an important, pending decision: What name will I chose for my camel!?  (Dah dah dah dah)

Thanks to the incredibly creative effort of my friends and family, I gathered up the 30+ names submitted to my camel-naming contest and headed to a place that was sure to produce clarity of thought and decisiveness, the famed patisserie of the great and legendary chef de patisserie, Jaques Genin! On y va!

Before combing through the names, I ordered a little somethin' somethin' to sustain myself through the arduous task.  Jacques Genin creates a Baba au Rhum that is so special he refuses to allow anyone on his team other than himself to create it.  Soaked in 30 year old rum and topped with decadent vanilla Chantilly, this cake dessert has been described as "meditative".  Hmmm, sounds perfect!  Uh, what, Madame Serveure? Monsieur Genin does not make the Baba the entire month of January...including the first day of February? Oh la la (although most French would use the catch-all "Putain" here)! I guess I will take a tarte au citron instead. *sniff*

Slightly pouting, I started to sift through the names.

Tawny, Jewel, Belle. Ah, so cute!

Lady, Jolie, Creamsicle. Lovely!

Sandy.

Sandy again. Popular!

So is Camela.

Casino. Huh?

Chewie. Double Huh? Alright, I am open minded.

I added all to the list.  

Gigi, Mona, Passepartout. ADORE!

Oh, this is going to be harder than I thought!

Clementine, Chameau.....

The tarte au citron arrived at the most perfect moment...I needed the break.

Ideal thinking food!

Although I wasn't fated to experience the fabled Baba au Rhum this afternoon, nothing that Jacques Genin produces is less than memorable.  His tarte au citron masterfully balanced the flavor of lemon and a hint of basil (oui! basilic!).  The texture was light and creamy and the crust so delightful that I think I let out a little whimper after the last bite. And to top it all off, he served it with two of his scrumptious chocolates. Magnifique!

The crust, being the color of camel fur(?), jolted me back to my duty at hand...

With the list of names by my side, fork and knife in hand and a sizable bite of citron goodness in my mouth, I started the serious task of contemplation.  Oh, but there are so many I like! How do I decide? Is there one that inspires me over the rest? 

I came to the conclusion that the process is a bit  like shoe shopping in Paris!  There are too many to chose from and, worse, too many I like!  How is it even possible to chose just one!  My brow furrowed with fret, I took another bit.

Then it hit me! It is JUST like shoe shopping in Paris...and what happens when I can't make up my mind between two incredibly indispensable, unforgettable, perfect pair of shoes that literally speak to me when I try them on? It is obvious...I chose them both.  Or in the case of the no-longer-nameless camel, I chose all 4!

So it is with much pleasure and pride I present to you.....*drum roll*

CHARLOTTE "BON VIVANT" DJENNÉ  from the SAHARA

For short, she will go by "Bonbon" (which also means candy in French).

My bevy of creative geniuses include Mark, Dayna, Brynn, Drew, Amy, Vincent and Mom....all will have something postmarked from Paris in their mailboxes by the end of this month!  Félicitations!

Thank you to everyone for indulging me with your participation and wonderful ideas.  Each one was received with sincere delight.

On the metro ride home, after Bonbon's name had been chosen and the final crumb scrapped from my porcelain plate, I sat across from two young boys speaking Arabic. They were enthusiastically counting and recounting stacks of used metro tickets. Their tallying seemed like a sort of competition so I reached in my pocket and pulled out all the used ones I could find and handed them to the youngest boy (whose pile looked the most pathetic). His eyes lit up and he heartily grabbed my hand and said, "Shukran" and "Salam Alaikum" (Thank you and Peace be Upon You).  Likely coming from a country near or in the Sahara, I thought this young boy wrapped up my sentiments exactly as I now close this camel naming contest....SHUKRAN and SALAM ALAIKUM!

Bonne nuit! Biz!