Great book. I read it over 20 years ago. Besides the sex, drugs, and rock and roll aspects of it that I recall the feelings of but no specifics, I always specifically remember two things. 1) the rancid piece of meat kept in the back of the meat locker for anyone that orders a well done steak (I eat mine rare--cold in the middle rare if it's thick enough) and 2) the final chapter when he says forget about all the chaos I described up to this point and he then describes the perfection of the restaurant Veritas.