The Complete Works of Le Chateaubriand

This is the story of Le Chateaubriand, the Paris bistro that broke every rule fine dining had. In 2006, Inaki Aizpitarte and Frédéric Peneau took over a humble, century-old bistro in Paris’ 11th arrondissement. Untucked shirts, stubble, blaring music, a photocopied piece of paper as a menu: punk star chef Inaki and his disciples triggered a tsunami of gastronomic insurrection, launching ‘bistronomy’ and its devious subculture. Le Chateaubriand, originally published in French in 2024 and now translated into English by Florence Beretta and Christine Muhlke, is a memorialisation of their labyrinthine quest for adventure, experimentation, and a really good time. Inside, a chorus of your favourite chefs’ favourite chefs, critics, regulars, and fundamental players document the uncanny dishes, drunk escapades, Michelin stars, and one-star reviews of a restaurant so notorious the conformists loosened their buttons for it. As Inaki bows out, two decades later, he leaves behind a mythical record of an indisputable marathon to achieve something unheard of in the 2000s kitchen: freedom. At Le Chateaubriand, the customer is not always right.