A hotshot chef from the US West Coast has closed down his Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant and transferred it to Edinburgh after falling in love with the Scottish capital on a family holiday.
Rodney Wages has opened in Avery Edinburgh in St Stephens Street, taking over the basement site of former restaurant The Stockbridge, which chef-owner Jason Gallagher closed last year after two decades.
Originally from Kansas, Rodney trained under Thomas Keller at the French Laundry and helped launch Belu in San Francisco. He later opened his own pop-up, RTB in Fillmore Street, which morphed into Avery, named after the great Modernist painter Milton Avery.
Avery gained a Michelin star in 2021, and ran for seven years until Rodney announced its closure last October, saying “While we will miss the restaurant in San Francisco and are proud of what we have accomplished here, we are excited for the next evolution of Avery opening in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.”
Rodney had “fallen in love with Edinburgh on holiday last year” and was “excited to bring his unique perspective and techniques to Scotland while celebrating the bounty of Scottish produce, meat, and seafood.”
The chef had not originally planned to close his San Francisco restaurant, but realised he would have to after spending three months in Edinburgh last summer scouting for premises.
He said: “What we noticed while I was gone is it’s almost impossible to find someone to keep the integrity of Avery. I think I’ve built a monster – it’s a very chef-driven experience. I’m at the table pouring wine, I’m talking to people about sake, I’m explaining the food, I’m cooking the food. I think that’s really amazing, but I can’t replicate myself.”
The cuisine at Avery combines influences from Europe and Asia in dishes such as Hot-smoked mussels served with dry scallops and fermented chilli; Maple-glazed smoked trout with filo pastry and sweet onion puree, topped with caviar; and Flash-grilled wood pigeon marinated in burnt sugar with soy and spices. Highlights of the drinks list include a Japanese sake selection and a fermented tomato martini.
