Reviews of Paris restaurants: Tour d’Argent, Le Cinq, Ange20,...
 

You might say that I piggyback on Woin's best restaurants thread, but I have no intention to steal his thunder ^^

Many people have been asking around if this and that is good for eating, and sometime the menu is so expensive you do have to wonder if it's worth it, and how exactly it's worth it. I enjoyed my meals, and enjoy looking at it from all aspects, so I thought why not detail them. I'm in no ways a picky eater, nor do I have sharp senses, but I worked in some restaurants and some kitchens for a while so I care for them.

Rating and the price of my meal will be given at the end of each post (rating is by 5 muffins maximum).

Part 1: La Tour d’Argent (as promised)

Link for review, rating and photos:
https://moveablefeastofamess.wordpre...dargent-paris/
If you don't want the photos to spoil your upcoming venture to the Tour, below are the text only:

I have tried many restaurants, some of them of 3-Michelin stars, but none of them achieved the well-rounded flavor of the Tour. They might have a better service, or better wine pairings, but there was always a side dish, a sauce, a spice that went wrong in their full course (according to my very me-oriented opinion, of course). For the Tour, none of the foods went south. The price is 230 euros/a duck for 2 persons, so 115 euros/person, a very good quality/price value.

As you might have known, I meet a Fodor friend there. I was silly enough to ask for a first meeting outdoor of the restaurant, in the freezing cold of December. But the door staff kindly insisted that I waited for my companion inside, and they would inform my companion when he/she arrived. So I hung around in the beautiful waiting room, to observe their bathroom. For me, the bathroom is the definite criterion of comfort for any establishment. If your living room demonstrate Picasso paintings but your bathroom isn’t shining, then, my friend you’re not a winner. I would even suspect that your Picasso is fake.

For that matter, the Tour’s bathroom is old. Not the kind of antique, imperial old, but real creaky old. Some other restaurants, though nowhere as near luxury, have much more convenient bathroom. Don’t worry, the Tour’s one was still very clean, and more pretty than my house’s one, but I try to think like a picky inspector: perhaps one star was lifted in the past due to this sheer mistake.

My companion arrived, the staff then took us in the lift to the dining room. Everything around was old-fashion and elegant. There was a gorgeous view of Notre Dame and the Seine river, but our table was far from the window (you can probably asked to have it near, though).

We ordered a pressed duck and plain water (they billed the water, I think they don’t serve tap water in such a place). But it wouldn’t be just a duck. First, amuse-bouches arrived in two services, at least 5 different pieces for each customer. There was some kind of peach soufflé, some vegetable mix served with a cream soup. All in all, delicious and delicate.

They then presented our duck on a wood wheeled table, with flowers stuck out of its neck. Cool. Boy, it looked enormous! I wondered how the two of us could finish it. They wheeled it away to prepare it in details, and the sauce master was working his silver pressing machine in front of us.

The machine costs 9000 euros if you want to buy it on spot! If I was Gordon Ramsay, why not. The breast was served rare, with its sauce, fruit jelly, berry tart and potato soufflé which might be my favorite of all kind potatoes. I also think that the Tour is specialized in soufflé.

The duck, ah! could it get tender than that? The bone & marrow sauce added much to its virtue: meaty yet mild, brown and condensed yet light. The name “blood sauce” that someone used, might be misleading: it sound bloody and heavy, and even scary. The reality is nothing like that. Their lunch menu is cheaper and can serve to one person, but I doubt the “caneton” listed there is the same dish. It may be without this special sauce.

The reconstructed dug leg came in the second service. Another kind of sauce (red wine sauce?), but tasty nonetheless. Then, a feast of palate cleansers, caramel candies, pepper icecream and a nut chocolate cake to take home. The service was formal but that is expected. They’re correct and not cold. At some moment they even suggested to take a photo for me. They have a cute duck toy collection, and photos of famous visitors lining the wall, together with some dark humor.

I can’t for the life of me explain why the second star was lifted from the Tour. Likely because of undeserved wine pairings? We didn’t order wine so we couldn’t guess. We all know that Michelin inspectors look at all kinds of standards: whether the waiter rushes to you quick enough when you drop a spoon, or if the waiter himself drop it etc. Of all the high-end restaurants that I’ve attended, the waiter always drop something: spoon, menu, even bread. They are human being. Sometimes their hands tremble. I don’t see no need for ordinary customers to dissect them.

Overall, we had a very satisfying meal. Now I simply discard the articles which, after the Tour’s “downfall” back in 2006, jumped on the wagon and wrote that the Tour was rather a national monument than a gourmet treasure, that people came to the Tour not by reasons of hungry (I’m looking at you, NYT). It’s not a perfect institute, but it’s the best I could find out there.

Rating: 4.5/5

Price: 122 euros/person, included a full course and water (thanks Ger - OReilly for idea)

Disclaimer: none of my reviews are sponsored or for commercial purposes.

That should read as *in the freezing cold of February, not December. Last December was not very cold either.

Thank you! It makes me want to eat at Tour d'Argent my next time in Paris :-)

Thanks so much. Very useful review. It is on our list for our next Paris trip!

Am I correct that one must pre-order the duck?

@travelhorizon: you're welcome. And remember that the duck is served only for 2 people or more, not for a single person. Drink is not mandatory.

Kathie: yes, you must pre-order the duck, at least 2 days before the meal. Probably because they need time to pick the wild flowers to put into its neck ;)

Great review, Fury! Please keep them coming.

Actually, it's the law in France that restaurants are not allowed to bill you for tap water (they aren't allowed to bill you for bread, or the dishes or silverware, etc., either, unlike some other countries)--at least if you order a meal. I think there may have been a change to the law that they can if it is clearly notated that they charge on the carte or something, but I'm sure La Tour d'Argent doesn't do that. This is the law:

http://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/P...au-verre-d-eau

I suspect it's just they figure they can get away with it in such an expensive place and customers won't challenge them. If you just ordered "water" without specifying, that's probably why, of course they can bill you for bottled. But if you ordered a carafe of tap water, I think legally they have to bring it. And of course, a water should ask you which you want if you don't specify, and if they didn't, it's because they want money out of people and figure they won't ask. I will never eat in such a restaurant, I'm sure, but I suspect those that do would think it tacky to have tap water on the table or order it. I could be wrong, just a guess. Personally, I wish the whole world would stop with the bottled water as it is contributing to the destruction of the environment, as long as they live in a place with safe and good water. If I ever go there, I'll ask for tap water to see what they do.

They lost a star many years ago becuase it was thought of getting old and stale. They have a different chef now than when they lost that star, I think they hired him fairly recently to try to get it back. So what you had was not the same as when they lost the star. I don't think they got it back this year, maybe not long enough time.

Fury, Thanks for the review. We have 18 days planned for Paris in October. We have been several times before but decided this time to indulge ourselves a little more (not getting any younger and all that), so watching for ideas about great restaurants.

If you order "de l'eau en carafe," you should get free tap water. They are not trying to get away with anything. It's just that it is assumed you'd want bottled water if you simply ask for water.

Thank you everybody for the advises and comments.
Okay I didn't tell them "une carafe d'eau", I just said "de l'eau svp". I'll remember it for the next time.

Thanks, FF. Bring on Part 2!

Very interesting, I don't know many people who have eaten there but did watch Julia Child's segment filmed years ago.

Also waiting for Part 2!

Thank you all for the compliments ^^

Here is Part 2, about restaurant Le Cinq.

My review and photos:
https://moveablefeastofamess.wordpre...le-cinq-paris/

Restaurant Le Cinq belongs to the beautiful Four Seasons George V Hotel. The hotel is famous for its flowery decoration and the color attack would blind you.

I dressed properly for the occasion. Gentlemen are asked to wear suits inside the restaurant – it’s another old-fashioned Parisian hotel. But if you don’t wear suit, no problem, they’ll provide one for you, as long as you’re not as picky as Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets.

For aperitif, they suggested 3 kinds of champagne. I already tasted Taittinger at its house, so I took another kind, a fruity champagne, which was very refreshing but a little cup of it costed me more than a whole bottle of Taittinger bought in Reims. Well, I’m not surprised, that’s the kind of price in these big name places, but lesson learned.

I asked them if I could go to the other corner to take a picture. I knew it’d bother other customers, I just asked to see how they replied. They politely told me No and explained. Good staff.

I ordered the Gourmet Lunch, which is less expensive than dinner menus, as usual. It’s a complete course that can fill the stomach of a grown man and fill the eyes of admirers. Amuse-bouches were cute, the main dishes were good, but for the first time there was some taste that I wasn’t a fan. The raw sea urchin was fresh but I didn’t like its strong seafood smell. Maybe it’s just me. I normally don’t have difficulties with raw sashimi or oyster, if eaten with the right spice (wasabi, lemon etc.). Then, the molecular-ish French onion soup was creative and certainly looked more chic than the traditional one, but I prefer eating the latter. Not to mention, when you break that bubble in your mouth and hot soup pours out, your tongue might get burnt. It’d have been better if the waiter had warned me of it.

Otherwise the red mullet with its crispy scales are delicious. I heard that eating fishes with their scales, fruits with theirs skin, vegetables with their roots, will get you a longer life; just don’t apply it to crayfish or pineapple.

The deconstructed lemon meringue tart was pretty and still conserves all of its beloved flavor. I think this chef likes bubbles and deconstructed things. Some palate cleanser, a Norwegian omelet for dessert, then, surprise, a kouign-amann as a specialty from the Breton chef. Did I mentioned that I loved Breton chefs?

They pushed a dessert cart and a cheese cart around. I can almost swear the ornate cart is as eye-pleasing as the chocolates it holds. I was too shy to take more than one tiny little-finger chocolate piece, but they gave me a small box of caramel candies to take home. I still keep those candies, and only give one to the best of my best friends.

Overall, though there were still small things to be improved, but the meal was superb and the staffs were impeccable. When they saw that I took many pictures of the foods, they joked “We will check all the photos when you leave. None of the bad ones would go out of this door.” Then they suggested to take one for me, so now I have a souvenir pic of myself among those vast flowers. I also heard that the wine pairing there was top notch. After all, the manager of the restaurant is a World Second Best Sommelier, if that means anything.

Rating: 4/5

Price: 145 euros/person, lunch full course, plus 30 euros something for the champagne.

I very much enjoyed that review as well - thank you. I'm not sure whether to add that to our list for our next trip or not. I will look forward to the third review you have promised us.

Great stuff.

Regarding your photos, there's a cartoon that has floated around where the waiter says something like this to his customer, "Did you not find the food satisfactory? I noticed you didn't take any pictures."

((H))

I love reading these detailed restaurant reviews, because I love food. Thank you, FF. I could never indulge in such a meal, though. It would take me a week to get through a menu like those. I don't know how people consume these quantities of food. I wish I could.

Thank you for your comments, I'm glad you enjoy the reviews. Part 3 will come up soon, which is a more economic and less elaborated meal.

StCirq: those dishes were actually tiny, the amuse-bouches were as big as coat's buttons and the main dishes are smaller than my hand's palm. After I left Tour d'Argent or Le Cinq, I could have easily eaten another cake. The one menu that was too much for me is Akelarre's in San Sebastian: a long course which lasted for 3h and contained 8 dishes, amuse-bouches not counted. In the middle of the course I was full up to my neck and couldn't appreciate the rest. There are not any cheaper or lighter choices for menus, whether for lunch or diner. I find that a little bit too stiff. If I go back to San Sebastian, I'd prefer the pintxos bars.

If I have to rate Akelarre, which doesn't belong to this Paris thread, I'll give it a 3.5/5 muffins. It's by no means a bad note: I still enjoy the lunch there very much, but a half menu with half the price, would be better.

Your detailed food descriptions are quite valuable. Awaiting part 3.