By Pomélo
We’ve seen it, re-seen it, and seen it way too much: the multi-chef menu that, for one special evening, brings together the cuisines of two or more chefs in the same restaurant. It's a way for these chefs—often friends—to catch up, breathe some life into the restaurant, and generate media buzz. When a general of haute cuisine is no longer in vogue, a shared menu with a chef freshly spotted on Top Chef serves as a rejuvenating elixir. Meanwhile, the TV-seasoned cook gets to prove he’s credible beyond the small screen by standing alongside a “big name” at the stove. Same story when an ambitious chef, “stuck” at one Michelin star, teams up with a colleague who’s earned one more red star. The subtext? “Look, I’ve been knighted by someone bigger than me; this is my worth—or at least, where I’m headed.”
The multi-chef menu isn’t going anywhere—but let’s be honest, it’s starting to bore people, especially food journalists. More often than not, it’s little more than a PR stunt: two (or more) culinary visions stacked on top of each other, rather than a true, shared concept. These days, we see “collabs” playing a similar role—crossing two names or two venues to create a fusion of worlds. That could mean blending two regions (like the bourgeois, plant-based French cuisine of Faubourg Diamant with the modern Chinese flair of Bao Family) or two dining styles (like the Michelin-starred restaurant Septime teaming up with burger joint Dumbo).
While digging around, we stumbled across news of a new restaurant slated to open in spring 2025 in New York—Le Chateau Royale (yes, spelled just like that)—and it got us thinking that there might be a third way: the tribute menu. This upcoming spot is designed as a celebration of iconic French restaurants, both past and present, whether in the Big Apple or back in France. The menu will include a rendition of the grilled sole with butter-mustard sauce from the legendary La Grenouille, founded in 1962. “A vacation in one bite, it will change your mood,” a New York Times food critic once raved.
And that’s not all: Le Chateau Royale also plans to serve another iconic dish from another great restaurant—L’Ambroisie in Paris, which has held three Michelin stars since 1986: sea bass escalope with caviar and shaved artichokes. It likely won’t be exactly the same—recipes, after all, can’t be copyrighted. Only highly specific techniques or names can be legally protected. The homage doesn’t stop at the food. The dining room is expected to take design cues from Lutèce, the legendary 1960s–1970s restaurant, with vintage details and plush velvet banquettes.
Some may point out, rightly so, that homage in cooking isn’t new (how many places serve a buttery mash “à la Joël Robuchon”?), but here, tribute is set to become a defining principle of the restaurant—possibly even the cornerstone of its identity. The past, in this case, isn’t a dirty word—especially in an age that worships vintage and nostalgia. At his restaurant Table, Michelin-starred chef Bruno Verjus serves, for dessert, a pink praline tart originally created by Henry Cornil for the legendary Alain Chapel—the chef behind the iconic 1980 book La Cuisine, c’est beaucoup plus que des recettes.
And yes, the past can be playful—even with people we’ve never met. As Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, famously said: “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.” At a time when women in the kitchen are finally being celebrated, why not revisit the work of Marie Bourgeois—known as la Mère Bourgeois—a culinary trailblazer of the 1920s? Or dive into the forgotten legacy of once-Michelin three-star establishments from 1931’s first guide: Hôtel de la Poste, Pernollet, Besançon, Charreton, Chalet du Lac, Jouve, Saint-Nicolas, Parendel, Mallet, Hostellerie Chavant, Voizard…
Digging into the archives can be a strikingly modern act—when done with the codes of 2025. We highly recommend visiting La Librairie Gourmande in Paris (50, rue Vavin, 6th arrondissement), which houses 20,000 titles on food and wine. Its owner, Déborah Dupont-Daguet, is a true fountain of knowledge and always takes time to help with even the most niche requests. And if you're free on June 14 and 15, don’t miss the third edition of the Salon du Livre de Cuisine Ancien et Moderne at the Petite Halle aux Chevaux (104, rue Brancion, 15th arrondissement, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
