Former Auburn Sommelier Rick Arline Opens Natural Wine Bar in West Hollywood

West Hollywood’s newest natural wine bar comes along the busy La Cienega stretch next to E.P. & L.P. in the former Pacifique space from Rick Arline, a former Auburn sommelier and seasoned LA hospitality professional. Fellow Traveler, which opened yesterday, takes over the well-designed Pacifique, which had opened in early 2019 in the longtime Le Petit Bistro space with the late Joe Miller as the opening chef.

Here at Fellow Traveler, some of that bistro vibe is back, with modern blue banquettes and checkered tile floors. Arline and partner Nick Shultz bring on chef Gabriel Geiger to put together an easy-going menu of cheeses, charcuterie, pates, rillettes, and a cheeseburger that should appeal to natural wine fans. Smaller bites like olives, spicy nuts, and housemade potato chips give way to Bub & Grandma’s bread, truffled porcini dip, roasted garlic hummus, and even a Sterling caviar setup with bottarga, egg yolk jam, and burnt chive creme. The overall approach right now is keeping it simple and pairable to Arline’s wine selections.

Arline became a certified sommelier in 2012 and moved to LA to work at notable restaurants like Nick & Stef’s, Hotel Bel-Air, and Ink before becoming the wine director at Auburn, which sadly closed earlier this year. Right now Arline is offering three different wine boxes with either skin contact selections, old and newer Spanish wines, and some unexpected picks from California’s wine regions. Pricing is $90 to 95 for each box. Fellow Traveler will also have wine subscriptions beginning on November 25 via Tock.

At the moment, the dining room, which normally seats 60 people, will be closed to patrons, with wines and food available for takeout/curbside pickup, plus delivery on Doordash. Hours for Fellow Traveler run noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday, closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Fellow Traveler

Fellow Traveler