Is Rice Village Wine Bar Simone on Sunset Rising From the Ashes?

In the restaurant and bar industry, there's always the slim possibility of life after death. One may see a restaurant close, only to rebrand itself or reopen elsewhere under the same name. It's a rare occurrence but it happens. According to a tipster, it appears that's happening at Simone on Sunset, the Rice Village wine bar which shuttered months ago.

Last December,  Kristen Powell, chef/owner of Simone on Sunset, was locked out of the four-year-old wine bar by landlord Fred Sharifi for alleged rent non-payments. She vowed to reopen, so is it possible she and Sharifi buried the hatchet after the landlord purportedly asked Powell to hand her bar over to him? A source says no, but the bar is expected to reopen as Simone on Sunset this spring under new ownership.

The tipster also notes there has been activity at the wine bar for several weeks. However, the Simone on Sunset's social media accounts haven't alluded to this, possibly because the Twitter and Facebook accounts are supposedly operated by Powell still, says the tipster.  In fact, the last update was last month about food served at the Heights bar Down the Street, suggesting Powell contributes to the kitchen from time to time.

If the rumors are true and Simone on Sunset is returning, will it be the same? More importantly, the question that's likely on every beef lover's mind, will the wine bar's uber-popular steak night make a weekly appearance despite not having Powell's magic touch? So many questions, yet very few answers. Hopefully that will be resolved soon.


Do you have additional details about Simone on Sunset's possible resurrection? Drop us a line.