Inside an Unexpected Collaboration Between Two of the World's Best Restaurants
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For the first time in their respective histories, two of the most venerable restaurants in the world—The French Laundry in Yountville, California and Paris’s La Tour d’Argent—came together to present a culinary collaboration for the record books.
During one unforgettable week from November 14 through 20, Thomas Keller’s three-starred Michelin mecca welcomed fellow Michelin-starred Tour d’Argent’s executive chef, Yannick Franques, and its third-generation owner, André Terrail, for a comestible tour de force. “The French Laundry is part of Les Grandes Tables du Monde—an organization which consists of [178 of] the best restaurants in the world,” explains Terrail. “And I thought if there was one restaurant in the U.S. where we should have an event while we’re closed for nine months, it should be French Laundry—so I sent Chef Keller a long letter, got a reply, and it was on!”
Temporarily shuttered for a renovation and interior update, the iconic Parisian dining destination—owned and operated by the same family for 111 years—Tour d’Argent set out on tour, so to speak, in May to take over the kitchens of renowned restaurants, wine estates, and private residences, to create sold-out gastronomic experiences. From multi-course meals served at Château Lafite Rothschild's magnificent Napoleon III salon and the five-star Le Cap Estel on the Côte d’Azur to the New Otani hotel in Osaka, Japan, the team has been unpacking new and reimagined versions of its most coveted dishes.
But unlike these other sumptuous pop-ups, this one is the only actual collaborative event where the two teams have worked together to jointly design and prepare a full menu. “It’s really simple; he asked, and we said, 'yes'” says Keller, who has been the chef-owner of Napa Valley’s most revered restaurant since 1994. “Initially, we were a bit surprised, but they explained their reasoning, and everyone [here] got on board pretty quickly.”
“I’ve been here for about 18 years in one capacity or another, and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity” explains TFL’s chef de cuisine David Breeden. Collectively, Keller, Breeden, and general manager Michael Minnillo sat down with Franques, Terrail, and Tour d’Argent’s room director Stéphane Trapier to develop the perfectly choreographed dining experience. “We chose a couple dishes, and they selected a few iconic dishes from their restaurant’s menu, then we reinterpreted them using the French Laundry’s philosophy, while also giving them the floor to present their classic dishes as well as those from Chef Yannick’s own repertoire that he’s brought to La Tour d’Argent.”
The eight-course menu included Blini à la Parisienne (a fluffy blini with Royal Ossetra caviar, fine herbs, and whipped crème fraîche), Oeuf Mystère (a delectably light ball-shaped pastry surrounded by freshly shaved white Alba truffles that, when cut into and separated, revealed an eggy surprise), Loup de Mer “À la Dugléré” (a baked sea bass with tomato confit, sweet onions, Arrowleaf spinach, and French vermouth), Elysian Fields Farm Lamb “Des Tournelles” (served with La Ratte potato purée, braised artichokes, thyme leaves, and caramelized onion “au jus”), and—perhaps the best dish of the night—Caneton Voyageur (a roasted duck from Liberty Farms in a red wine sauce, with ginger and mashed garden squash with licorice).
In keeping with a long La Tour d’Argent tradition dating back to 1890—when the restaurant’s previous owner, Frédéric Delair introduced the recipe for his now eponymous “pressed duck” —each duck is given a special number. Today, that number is well over a million and now includes a special numbering system specific to this collaboration that begins with No. 070694—an homage to July 6, 1994, the day Keller opened his doors. “Of course, we had to have the duck on the menu because it’s one of the most important dishes in our heritage,” says Terrail. “So, then we thought about how far we should go and decided we absolutely had to do a numbering as we have at Tour d’Argent.” To commemorate the experience, every guest received a special card that corresponded to their duck’s number which, give or take, included about 150 Liberty Farms ducks over the course of seven nights.
“This collaboration really exemplifies what we all [strive to] do, which is continue to evolve our craft and find ways to impact our guests through the quality of our work,” says Keller. “And it’s the little things that really get us excited—like thinking back to 1976, working in my first restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island, where I was the poissonnier making Cod Dugléré every night. I didn’t know the history of it then, but it became so relevant now, because that recipe was developed [in the 18th century] at Café Anglais, which was André’s great-great grandfather’s restaurant in Paris where Chef Dugléré created it—so we put [a version of] it on the menu as an homage.”
“It’s all about sharing,” says Breeden. “Bringing the two teams together has been really cool—it’s been amazing to watch and very humbling.” And it’s a sentiment shared by Chef Franques, who underscored the importance of the experience. “[Sharing] is important, and while we don’t [necessarily] speak the same language, we understand each other in the kitchen.”
With its origins going back 440 years to 1582, the anticipation for La Tour d’Argent’s reopening in March 2023 is palpable in France’s capital city. “It’s going to be stressful,” Terrail says with a laugh. “We’ll have new and different offerings, the chef has a new kitchen—everything is new actually, from the chairs, glasses, plates, and candles to the uniforms. It’s the most well-known restaurant in France and it’s going to make a lot of noise in Paris.” As for the likelihood of a reciprocal culinary exchange that would take The French Laundry’s team to 15 Quai de la Tournelle, it seems like the Michelin stars could be aligning. “Anything’s possible,” says Keller. “From a wonderful relationship anything can happen.”
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