Quickly, while the weather remains clement, those in search of a new experience should hurry to Vin de Set. They can enjoy a large outdoor dining area that offers space, good food and, despite the popularity of its bar, an opportunity for a conversation without shouting. On the roof of an old brewery—and who among us still remembers just how many there once were in this town?—in a neighborhood between Lafayette Square and downtown, this younger sibling of Paul and Wendy Hamilton’s 1111 Mississippi has emerged.
The Hamiltons seem to enjoy naming their restaurants for their addresses; they’ve just moved the language from English to French on this occasion. Their French spelling, however, is like the French pronunciation of most St. Louisans (Gravois, anyone?). Vingt dix-Sept is the correct spelling, sending potential customers to 2017, and not in search of a bottle of wine ("vin").
The outdoor rooftop area almost doubles the size of the restaurant. (An unexpectedly nice, or nasty, evening can play havoc with staffing, a point to be considered in restaurants of this type.) Both the indoor and outdoor bars have become hot spots with the well-dressed young. So a considerable amount of its early popularity is caused by non-food factors.
Ivy Magruder is running the kitchen here, having turned the chores at 1111 over to Bruce Piatek. Magruder knows his way around a stove, and often comes up with interesting ideas. Here’s it’s within a loose framework of French bistro food, with American overtones. And "loose" is the operative word. An arugula salad, the greens called "rocket" on the menu, might well include Roquefort and asparagus, and even a little chopped egg in its vinaigrette, but it’s hard to imagine a true bistro in France throwing in candied walnuts. They work. Walnuts and Roquefort always do, but you see what we mean.
Frog legs? Real French, to be sure, and served with the garlicky mayonnaise called aioli, cranked up with a light hit of saffron. For those who haven’t eaten frog legs, let us add words of encouragement. They’re anatomically a little like a chicken wing, and the white flesh, both to the eye and the palate, is a cross between chicken breast and a very mild fish. There was a reason they were once madly popular. Vin de Set’s take is a delight.
Grilled eggplant is rolled around very soft polenta, the whole topped with a tomato-fennel sauce. It’s pleasant, but not as good as the frog legs. Fennel, in fact, is found in a number of places on the menu, as is its sibling, anisette, giving some pause to licorice-phobes and glee to their opposites. A frisee salad with bacon, roasted red peppers and goat cheese was ordered too late in the evening, and the frisee greens had run out. Would the mixed greens be acceptable? Yes, we agreed, but, truth be told, the ingredients belong with the frisee, being too rowdy for the more tender lettuces.
Crepes are available, "to share," points out the menu, and we pondered those. But we were lured by knife-and-fork sandwiches that play on the croque monsieur theme. A sirloin burger came swathed in an unctuous roquefort sauce, gooey and hot with mouth-filling flavors. Alas, the fries arrived too cool and uncrispy, a light dusting of garlic and parsley not enough to save them. Duck two ways combined a seared duck breast that succeeded in being moist but not greasy, cooked right at medium-rare, and duck confit over a lentil salad was delightful in both flavor and texture.
Bouillabaisse was heavier on the vegetables than on the fish, although the broth was deeply flavorful, and the toasted bread croutons smeared with more of the aioli went well. But the fennel was as strong as the fish flavor itself, and created a lack of balance. The word "bouillabaisse" is being seen on more menus around town and few of the versions we’ve seen come close to the real thing, which purists say is impossible in the U.S. anyway. We don’t have the essential ingredient rascasse, a kind of fish found only in the Mediterranean, and too many American chefs insist on adding salmon. However, we think it’s because restaurants fear a listing of "fish soup" or "fish stew" will hurt sales in land-locked and fish-inhibited St. Louis.
The star of the entrees was a special, short ribs in a sweet-savory sauce with a wonderfully velvety puree of butternut squash and apples. Short ribs are currently a big favorite locally, and this version is among the best in town.
There’s a good collection of wines, with a lengthy list by the glass, and bartenders skilled in the fancy cocktails that seem to mark the opening of the 21st century the way they marked the 1920s, before Prohibition kicked in. Wine markups seem a little above average, but the pour by the glass is generous, and some excellent vintages and makers populate the list. Speaking of the bar, its back holds a small version of the Louis IX statue from the Art Museum; it’s reportedly a model for the big one. 
Chocolate lovers should head directly for the double chocolate tart, a chocolate crust filled with a bittersweet chocolate ganache and topped with an orange-anisette sorbet. It’s an excellent combination of both textures and tastes. A lemon pound cake was wonderfully lemony but suffered from slight overbaking, making it dry at the edges.
As might be expected in a new spot that’s opened big, there was a little confusion at the hostess desk, but the bar and table service were more than satisfactory.
Vin de set probably needs a little more time to iron out some kitchen details, but given the vagaries of St. Louis weather, time is running out to enjoy the view of downtown from the rooftop area with a cool drink at hand. We don’t know if hot toddies are planned for winter.
Vin de Set
2017 Chouteau Ave.
314-241-8989
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: Yes
Entrees: $15-$25
