Besha RodellExciting news today from Sherman Oaks: Augustine Wine Bar, which captured our attention making its vintage wine collection available by the glass, has a new chef. Matt Wilson, who along with wife Ria Wilson has cooked some of our favorite food over the past few years, is taking over kitchen duties at Augustine. According to Matthew Kaner, one of Augustine's owners, original chef Evan Algorri “is moving on to a new opportunity.”
Matt Wilson was part of the team at Sqirl for a long time and he and Ria Wilson were certainly responsible for much of that restaurant's quality while they were there. They then moved on to Wild at Canelé, a lunch residency at Canelé in Atwater Village, which also stole our hearts. That residency ended in November, and since then the couple has held pop-up dinners here and there.
Matt Wilson comes to Augustine alone, meaning this will be the first time we've seen him cook without his wife. The food at Augustine was a bit of a weak spot when I reviewed the wine bar, so it will be interesting to see what Wilson comes up with. His new menu ought to be rolling out in the next couple of weeks.
Augustine Wine Bar; Credit: Anne Fishbein
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