This is the story of Le Chateaubriand, the Parisian bistro that broke all the rules of fine dining. In 2006, Inaki Aizpitarte and Frédéric Peneau took over a modest century-old bistro in Paris's 11th arrondissement. Shirts untucked, scruffy beards, loud music, a photocopied sheet in place of a menu: punk chef Inaki and his disciples unleashed a tsunami of gastronomic rebellion, giving birth to "bistronomy" and its sly subculture. *Le Chateaubriand*, originally published in French in 2024 and now translated into English by Florence Beretta and Christine Muhlke, is a testament to their labyrinthine journey in search of adventure, experimentation, and fun.
Inside, a chorus composed of the favorite chefs of your favorite chefs, critics, regulars, and key figures documents the extravagant dishes, drunken escapades, Michelin stars, and one-star reviews of a restaurant so notorious that it made conformists lose their buttons.
As Inaki bids farewell, two decades later, he leaves behind a mythical account of an undeniable marathon to achieve something unheard of in 2000s cuisine: freedom. At Le Chateaubriand, the customer is not always right.
About Inaki Aizpitarte
Chef Inaki Aizpitarte, the son of Basque immigrants, grew up in Besançon and Bordeaux in the south of France. In 1999, at the age of 27, he moved to Tel Aviv, where he started washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen and discovered his passion for cooking. He moved to Paris in the early 2000s, where he worked in various establishments around the city, including Le Petit Marguery, La Fourchette des Anges, Ishtar Café, Le Café des Délices, La Famille in Montmartre, and Le Baratin. He then helped open the restaurant at the MAC VAL contemporary art museum in Vitry-sur-Seine.
In 2006, he opened Le Chateaubriand at 129 Avenue Parmentier. His second venture, Le Dauphin, opened in 2010, just two doors down from Le Chateaubriand. More recently, he opened Petit Grill Basque, this time in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque Country. Over the years, Aizpitarte has been widely recognized as the "godfather of bistronomy," helping to redefine the Parisian gastronomic scene with his distinctive and informal approach to refined cuisine.
Published by Apartamento Publishing S.L.
Release date: September 30, 2026
Dimensions: 168 x 243 mm
Pages: 384
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-84-09-89972-2
