We had an utterly forgettable meal. The fish stood out for being ok, but most of the food did not rise to that standard. The wine, a blue Franck touted by the restaurant, had no business being sold, much less recommended. The restaurant was less than half-full at 8pm on a Saturday night. I wonder why?
Review Source:The food and service was fantastic. Â We couldn't timed it better since we went on a hot sticky day to a rooftop Resturant, but we came just as the sun set and the breeze picked up enough to make it perfect. Â I had the strip special and my wife had the Chilean sea bass, both exceptional. Â Our very informative waiter helped us pick cheese for the appetizer and guided us through their dessert menu for a great ending. Â Is recommend this to anyone.
Review Source:Came here for dinner and the atmosphere was really nice. Â You're greeted with a friendly host, taken to your seat, and an attentive server comes to take your beverage order almost immediately. Â When we came, they had the barbeque shrimp appetizers which came in 6 for one order so we got those and the pan seared scallops. Â Both were delicious! Â I ordered the 12 oz grilled ribeye with frites and asparagus. Â The steak was cooked right which has been a problem for me at several places. Â It was however, not as flavorful as I would have liked it. Â The asparagus were made perfectly, though if you're not into crunchy asparagus then it might not work out too well for you. Â I do have to say that for someone who usually will not touch dinner bread, their herbed butter was so delicious that I just had to have a piece of the bread.
Overall, the experience was wonderful and I think I will come back here again!
Came here on a special night. It was the girlfriend's graduation day and this was supposed to be a surprise treat. Service was slow, but it seemed like a busy weekend night so we were okay with that. Having come here after hearing about the fabulous views, it was disappointing that the most views were of the parking lot and the train tracks far ahead. The ambience in the restaurant itself is thankfully good enough to make up for it.
After ordering our wine, we waited a full 30 minutes before our waiter remembered to bring out the cold bread. This was followed immediately by the entrees, that I did not understand the point of bringing out the bread at all. The pork chops we ordered were burnt on the outside and almost not cooked at all on the inside. The tart flambe was pretty good though.
Here's the saving grace and perhaps why I might give this place another try. When we filled out their feedback form, the manager approached us in a few minutes and asked us what was wrong. After patiently listening to us, she made amends by removing the charge on the pork chops completely from the bill! This despite our insistence that we would pay for the food we ordered. That's 5 stars for customer service! It was not just a gesture, it seemed like they were pained we did not like the restaurant. I took 2 stars because of the impact the experience had on our special night, however I have to admit that their response to criticism blew me away!
Out of this world! First our waiter was first class. He provided the LONG list of specials from memory and was able to advise us based on the tasting the staff had done earlier in the evening. His choices were spot on. We started out with the Ratatouille crepes with boursin cheese in a balsamic reduction which were fantastic. For the main we had a lamb dish served over polenta with boursin cheese and a red wine sauce. Needless to say it was amazing. Â TO wrap things up we got the mascarpone cheesecake which was the best cheesecake I have eaten in my life. If you like food that the chef has paired exquisitely well together to maximize flavors with astonishing results, this is the place for you. If on the other hand, you are turned away by a menu in french that lacks chicken strips, then stay away and let the people who enjoy food remain loyal to this St. Louis gem.
Review Source:After posting my initial review, I did receive a call back from Ivy at Vin de Set with apologies and an offer to try the restaurant again, which I do appreciate. Since I am moving out of town within the week, I could not take them up on the offer but again, appreciated their dedication to right the wrong. Maybe next time we are in STL we will take them up on their offer - we both liked the ambiance and view of the arch and downtown.
Review Source:My wife and I went here for a special dinner and it was awesome. The food and services were out of this world. My wife is a vegetarian and the red noddle pasta was one of the best dishes she has ever eaten. I would totally recommend this place to anyone wanting to have a special evening
Review Source:I would definitely return for patio drinks and snacks.
My experience dining here was fine. Â It was fairly empty on a Wednesday night, so of course, we were seated immediately. Â The server was attentive and helpful. Â The prices were much more affordable than I anticipated. Â Whenever a restaurant doesn't post their prices on their website, I'm always a little hesitant. Â Entrees run around $18-25 on average. Â They also have a 3-course option that is approximately $30 for an app, soup, and entree or dessert (pick 3 of the four courses). Â Quite a good deal.
Steak Tartare- loved the cornichons and capers to accompany the steak, didn't care for the flatbread. Â We ended up eating the steak tartare solo.
Sweet potato-smoked salmon bisque- very good, almost tasted like there was a touch of curry or cumin.
Bouillabaisse- fine dish, large portion, *shrug*, nothing special though.
Trout with ratatouille- plain dish, well-prepared, but it left something to be desired.
Creme brulee- oh, i love some creme brulee.
Definitely romantic, dim lighting, great atmosphere, but the food was just OK.
I prefer their sister-restaurants Eleven Eleven and even PW.
We went to Vin to enjoy a few drinks on the beautiful evening last night. While there was service to patrons at the tables, there was spotty service to guests sitting on the sofas. One couple received full sofa-side service, having ordered drinks and dishes from a server in the area. The rest of us schlepped up the bar. My sangria was decent, but lacking in fruit (one elegant peach slice) and any taste of wine. Not to mention it was white sangria, not red. White sangria is fine fine fine with me, but I suggest mentioning that. I fear this sangria was flavored by fruit schnapps instead of actual fruit. My companions gin and tonic was watered down. A pity for a beautiful setting.
Review Source:Let me first say that the atmosphere of this place is amazing. Â A group of six of us were seated in the main dining room and that is where my two stars come from.
We were celebrating several birthdays and prepared to whoop it up with lots of drinks and good eats. Â Our server seemed promising to start with, but it became apparent that he would be as absent as my father growing up. Â Then when he did get to the table, he was preoccupied with everything else around him. Â I would hate to see this guy on the opposite side of an interstate accident. Â He would be the rubber necker doing 15 MPH. Â
So we started with salads and they were very tasty and looked just as good. Â We though we were off to a good start. Â On a side note, it was a rainy night, so there was a lot of humidity in the air. Â They had the a/c on full force, I mean we were all shivering. Â It was so cold, the air duct that was behind our table was dripping on some of our friends. Â So we asked to be moved and thank God we were put in front of the fireplace. Â We weren't mad about the fact the duct was condensing on us, but they came out so defensive as if we were pissed and we weren't. Â Simmer down! Â We just didn't want to be rained on.
So our food came and I don't think anyone liked what they had and half of the entrees were under cooked. Â One of our friends ordered a shrimp dish and some of the shrimp were raw, then she order a medium filet and it came out charred. Â I felt like we were in an episode of Hell's Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay was in the kitchen yelling at the cooks, "RAW!"
I ended up eating my wife's seabass which wasn't half bad. Â So again, this whole time our server is MIA and I think we all had only one drink or maybe some had two. Â I'm no alcoholic, but man, I wanted to get a little buzz going. Â So we all were done, sitting for awhile and with empty glasses, it was like someone died. Â Then he shows up and tries to be some superstar server being witty and cracking jokes and asked if we wanted desert. Â Hell no, bring us our check!
We went over to Bailey's after that and got some real service from Kit! Â I don't plan on going back on my own and will only do so being dragged by someone else. Â Actually, I would love to go back and have some drinks at their bar, but no food thank you.
I went here for my four-year anniversary with my boyfriend. We had never been, but after perusing Yelp and other review websites, Vin de Set was cited multiple times for being a romantic hot spot in St Louis. So we had to try it for our very special night.
We came around 5pm on a Saturday night and there were few people around. We sat outside on the infamous rooftop deck where cozy seats, outdoor warmers, and stringed lights were abound. I tried the beef medallions (delicious!) and my boyfriend had fresh fish. We also split a piece of cheesecake. Everything was wonderful and I really loved my dish - I would order it again! Prices were expensive, but reasonably so. I think we spent about $50 for our two entrees and dessert. Service was good, though not extraordinary.
Overall, it was a fun experience made extra special by the fact that afterward, my boyfriend proposed to me :) What a perfect night!
Going to keep this one kind of short and sweet. Â We had some issues here, Â none of which had anything to do with the food. Â The spread was very nice and very well done. Â The house smoked salmon with all the right accoutrement's was outstanding!
I do think that the omelet / carving station would have benefited by having a second server instead of the one.
The issues we had were with our server and billing issues. Â It was nice that on our way out that Sarah( hope I am spelling your name correct) , asked how everything was. Â The SO told her and she showed genuine concern and even rode down the elevator with us. Â So intent on making us happy that she ended up comping our table. Â I would have made this a three star review , however considering the great quality of the food( the kitchen did their job), and Sarah, who is here by named service person of the week, Â a four star rating is most appropriate. Â I have had many dinners at Vin de Set and know that what happened at brunch is not the standard they adhere to.
I seem to get a little ahead of myself, Â this review is in regard to Sunday brunch.
We finally made it to Vin de Set! Overall it was a wonderful experience. The food was tasty, our server was wonderful, the prices were decent, the view was fab (as always) but the hostess was quite rude. Â
I really don't feel like it's necessary to write about the outdoor atmosphere at Vin de Set. Â If you've ready any other reviews of this place, you know that It's great... that's all you need to know. Â
The food was very good. Â To start, we ordered a cheese and onion Tarte Flambe. Â It was very large, very filling, and not to mention, very tasty. Â For the main course, I ordered the Ribeye with a side of steak frites. Â My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish. Â My steak was cooked perfectly and the frites were crisp and salted to perfection. Â Jon ordered the House-Made Roasted Red Pepper Noodles. Â The dish was comprised of noodles (duh), wild mushrooms, roquette, artichoke, onions & goat cheese. Â He LOVED it! Â For dessert, we ordered the Chocolate Souffle Roulade. Â Oh man, this decadent dish was the perfect finale for the evening. Â
The prices were fairly decent. Â For two alcoholic beverages, an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert, the tab was around $80.00. Â Not too shabby. Â
The only downside to the evening was the rude front of house staff. Â We arrived 5 minutes early for our reservation. Â When we stepped off of the elevator and approached the hostess stand, she informed us that it would be a half an hour wait and that "I guess you can wait in the bar, if you'd like". Â Hmmmm, okie dokie then. Â After ordering drinks from the bar, I walked up to the stand to inform her that we had a reservation. Â She informed me that "it will STILL be 30 minutes". Â
Aside from the hostess mishap, it was great. Â I'd definitely suggest Vin de Set for a romantic date night or an evening out with friends.
This is 3 reviews combined in one....
1. Happy Hour: been here plenty of times for Happy Hour, LOVE the rooftop area in the summer... great drinks (i like the ones with champagne in it), nice apps (the flatbreads are good) BUT it is pricey when compared to happy hours in a bar/brewery. 4 Stars
2. Dinner: over-priced, wasn't a memorable dinner.... its been over a year since i have been here for dinner but considering I got engaged there that night I would atleast remember what we ate.... 5 star night with a 2 Star dinner.
3. Lunch: Surprisingly affordable, perfect portions and really good food! I was not expecting much but my pasta dish was so flavorful i dunked some bread in the olive oil based light sauce. 5 Stars
I have nothing bad to say about my experience last night!
The service was fantastic, the ambiance was out of this world beautiful (nice cool weather in august definitely helped). The food was on the ball amazing as well. We got the Charcuterie plate, which I felt was unique and fun. The side items on the plate were interesting, but meshed well with the meats featured. We also got the cheese plate with the Prairie Breeze and Delice D'bourgogne cheeses. Both were fantastic. My boyfriend got the Bouillabaisse which was the winner of the evening. I got the MO Trout, which was a bit too oily for my tastes, but still a treat.
Our server was knowledgeable without being pretentious. She gave us our space, but we never went without anything desired. It was mentioned in small talk that it was my birthday and even after declining the dessert menu, she brought out a Creme Brulee with a candle on it, which was not expected at all.
The patio is simply perfect as well. Â It was simple, but elegant. The crowds were not terribly loud so a romantic atmosphere was possible. AND it did not hurt that the weather this weekend has been perfect patio weather. Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences we have had for a very long time.
I'd return, for sure!
My husband and I came here for brunch this morning to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. We had our wedding and brunch reception at Moulin Events and the food was amazing!!! Our guests still talk about it! PW is a wonderful addition with great pizza.
Unfortunately we were greatly disappointed with our brunch. Omelets left nothing to be desired. Belgian waffle I could have done better at home. The biscuits and gravy had no taste. There was nothing special about this brunch buffet whatsoever. Even the salmon was bad. Vin de Set is always posting on facebook about their seafood and latest catches so we expected more of the salmon. The fruit was too ripe, the lettuce almost bad. It was all just awful.
The service left much to be desired. I waited ten minutes for a beverage. Our dirty plates sat on our table for 15 minutes. The owners - Wendy and Paul were also dining there and we saw their plates consistently being removed. Even by the hostess at times. Is it too much to ask to have similar service? I had mentioned on open table when I made the reservation that we were celebrating our one year anniversary and mention getting married there. It was not acknowledged.
As I mentioned above - Moulin Events is wonderful and we were thrilled with every detail of our wedding. PW is a great addition. Â It's too bad Vin de Set left such a horrible taste in our mouth.
Meh.
I came here for brunch a few weeks ago. I've been wanting to try Vin de Set for AGES, mostly for their rooftop seating. I'm a sucker for a nice rooftop!
Anyway, we arrived around 11am on Sunday for brunch. I made reservations, and I'm glad I did, because it was pretty crowded!
For $25, you can enjoy the all-you-can-eat brunch as well as one mimosa.
As far as the selections go, they were pretty standard. Fruit, a waffle station, an omelette station, and a number of other brunchy items.
Nothing really wowed me, to be honest. Don't get me wrong, everything was GOOD, but this was far from the epic brunches I've enjoyed at Brasserie, Home Wine Kitchen, and even Scape. This was pretty middle of the road. And not really worth $25.
I don't think I'd come back here for brunch. I'm still planning on returning one night for dinner, though!
Decided to check out Vin de Set on a date night while visiting with my husband's parents. Overall had an enjoyable experience, and spent $100 between two of us.
Some quick food notes:
- Bouillabaisse was delicious, I really enjoyed it
- Escargot very average, wouldn't recommend
- Charcuterie plate interesting but felt like they tried too hard. I would've loved just some traditional charcuterie, no need to get all crazy with sun dried tomato jellies or reductions or whatnot
- Husband enjoyed his Brie & Spinach Stuffed Chicken
- Creme Brulee dessert was good, not out of this world, but solid
The rooftop seating provided great ambiance, the staff was nice and attentive though our particular waiter was a tad bit rough with pronunciation of French dishes. But I'd take that over a foo foo snooty waiter that you can sometimes find at French places.
In a nutshell, would definitely recommend Vin de Set to friends in the area, but with specific pointers on menu items which can be a bit hit or miss.
Very disappointed with the largely carnivore friendly, brunch selection. Not only was it over priced to begin with, you had to pay extra for bottomless mimosas & it was not vegetarian friendly.
My $23.99 meal consisted largely of salad, eggs & potatoes because everything else had meat  included. Usually I find that brunch is one of the veg friendly meals because  most places have variety - unless you're a meat eater, no such luck here.
As others have mentioned the rooftop dining area was nice as were the views, and the servers were attentive.
C'est fantastique!
My nicer half treated me here for my birthday dinner this year. 5 stars for ambiance and service! The rooftop patio is the bee's knees. I felt very carefree and happy just as a result of being up there. Our server, Charles, was very charismatic and fun. I like that he introduced himself and shook hands with everyone at all of his tables, and remembered mine and Devin's names throughout the meal. "Christine, my love, how are you doing?" Charming as hell. Loved it. The entire team of servers worked together seamlessly to clear plates in a timely manner and keep our water glasses full. Charles also put together a really adorable birthday card for me and had a bunch of staff members sign it. Awesome!
The food was pretty good. Not stellar, but definitely good. I liked the escargot but felt the puff pastry was kind of stale. The soup was not my style, but it was really my fault for ordering something when I didn't know what it was. Tip for the French cuisine-ignorant: vichyssoise is served cold. It would have been MUCH better hot. Like clam chowder, except smoked salmon. But I didn't really like it cold. The pork chop was good but didn't blow me out of the water. Devin got the monkfish special which was MUCH better. The star of my meal was the creme brulee! It was truly perfect.
I did the prix fixe menu which was reasonable at $38.99 for 4 courses, and they were full size - not tiny tasting plates - so it was a really great deal.
I would be willing to try other things off the menu again, but I definitely want to come back to enjoy some of their delicious drinks (the cocktails were superb - I recommend the Summer Fashion - like an Old Fashioned with a peachy twist) and desserts on that lovely patio.
It's patio time again and this girl is in heaven. I still stand by my previous review but feel compelled to share a new menu favorite... the vegetable gratin. It's loaded with fresh vegetables and also has some gnocchi added in, and the flavors are absolutely perfect. A couple of warnings, though... it's not very big, so order something else if you're starving, or partake in the bread and herbed butter they bring out. It also has a ton of onion so do not order if that isn't your thing.
Another menu favorite is definitely the vanilla bean creme brulee! Odd reference, but the top of it tastes like burnt marshmallows... straight from the campfire. Underneath the hard layer is creamy, vanilla-y, sweet goodness.
Still love this place very much and can't wait to work through some more of the menu.
My lovely fiance and I hit up Vin de Set before a Symphony outing, and were overall pleased with our meals.
We were unable to sit on the rooftop because of rain, so we were placed in the dining room off of the indoor bar area. Â There was only a couple other tables seated here, so the noise level was very low. Â As a few more people started filling up the dining room, though, the volume level was somewhat higher than expected. Â I would assume that a full house wouldn't be the quietest and romantic meal you've ever had. Â The decor was nice, with some french accents like a fleur-de-lis above the fireplace. Â We were right by a window where we had a good view of the city, which was nice in lieu of the rooftop deck.
Drink selection was good with a large variety of wines and cocktails. Â It was good to see them keeping it local with multiple Schlafly beers on tap for enjoyment.
Our server was fantastic; he was suggestive of things on the menu without being pushy, a very good quality to have at a restaurant like this. Â The service the entire night was quite good.
On to the food:
Appetizer, Classic Tarte Flambe - not exactly what we were expecting. Â It was more like a flatbread with swiss cheese and bacon, along with creme fraiche as sauce. Â Good, but more of something I would expect downstairs at PW Pizza.
Entree for the lady, New York Strip steak with bacon/horseradish butter - all and all a decent steak, the only thing really setting it apart was the butter, which was heavy handed on the horseradish (which was ok by me).
Entree for me, Lamb Shank with root veggies - quite good, although not very "lamby" tasting. Â Tasted closer to a pot roast, but was very tender and demiglace/veggie combo was good.
Dessert, Maple Cheesecake - Good, but overly sweet, not something that we would order again.
The after dinner latte tasted like a coffee with some fake latte foam on the top, I wouldn't bother with a espresso press based drink here again. Â I'm sure the coffee by itself would've been fine, though.
It was a very pleasant meal, and a great place to visit. Â Not quite worthy of 5 stars, but it is a place we will most certainly visit again.
I had dinner here for the first time while my parents were visiting me from SF. At first the menu looked promising, but it eventually became overwhelming with the multitude of options. That should have been my first indication that the food would not be all that great. How can you have all the fresh ingredients needed on hand for SO many entrees?
Our waiter was friendly but a bit odd and forgetful. He forgot to bring us bread and forgot my mother's soup. It also took him a while to answer some of our questions about the menu and at times I thought he may have been making half of it up. When my mom asked his advice on what to order between two items she was debating over, he suggested an entirely different entree.
I ordered the burger with bechamel and fried onions. I asked for it to be cooked medium well. It came out charred and black. The onions on the burger and the side of french fries were also burned. Perhaps someone fell asleep at the fryer and grill? The burger was edible but of course was dry.
We shared the chocolate crepe and creme brule for dessert. Again, nothing to ogle over. While the crepe tasted good, it looked like a mess. It was sliced up into small pieces which just muddied up the dish. The creme brule was satisfactory.
I would be willing to come back for dinner again hoping that my first visit was just an off night for the kitchen.
My bf and I came over here last weekend to have an early Valentine's Day dinner.
We ordered the 4 course V-Day Prix Fixe dinner special and we also ordered an escargot appetizer on top of the prix fix.
The food is okay for the most part. Â The steak tartare appetizer is a bit nasty though. Â The steak tartare doesnt taste fresh at all and is very chunky and chewy and the most disgusted part is there are pieces of tendons mixed with it. Â It is a sign of cheap meat and poor skill.
They definitely need to work on the presentation -- esp. for the price they charge.
The Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Pomme Frites that my bf ordered is a plate of mess. Â The steak is literally lying on top of a bed full of fries. Â They could have easily put the fries in a cone and make it look much more presentable.
We will probably go back to give them another try in the future.
This counts as half a review since I went as part of a team lunch (aka I didn't indulge as I would with friends or family). Â The spot trends toward swank (adjacent to PW pizza which I also need to review), yet accommodating. Â Seated us by the fire on a cool December day which was nice. Â
I ordered a salad and soup (yes and a glass of chardonnay - thanks be to God for a boss like mine!), others ordered crepes, salads, and a few tried the Monte Cristo (which comments I overhead ranged from 'this is good' to fantastic!) Â My salad and onion soup was tasty though nothing noteworthy enough to write home about. Service seemed hit or miss, my water glass was refilled on numerous occasions, but coworkers soda refill requests were spottily awarded.
Bottom line is - I want to go back for dinner before making a true decision on whether or not I dig this place...
I came here for my birthday dinner with three other people. Â We ordered Steak Tare-tare, muscles, duck, steak, and chicken (I apologize that I forget the EXACT dishes).
Everything was fantastic, including the martinis. Â The upstairs view was also fun and nice of the city. Â The bar looked like it would have been a fun place to hang out.
If you want a special dinner, I recommend going here!
p.s. They gave me creme brulee as my free birthday dessert !
Had lunch here today. We had a table of 11. Beverages were refilled plentifully. All orders came out at the same time, a difficult feat to master.
The bread is rustic and toothsome. Comes with a fabulous buttter (whipped butter with herbes de provence -- I asked). Yummy!!
One got the chicken Caesar salad, and she ate probably half of it. She was not impressed.
Two got the trio: choice of soup, mixed salad and choice of 1/2 crepe order (so, one crepe, instead of 2) or 1/2 sandwich.
Three got the soup de jour: chicken with vegetables and dumplings. They said it was good. And those three ordered a sandwich.
I got the trio: chose the cream of fennel soup. The other who got the trio chose the onion soup. I got a cup. She got a bowl. Interesting.
The cream of fennel soup was delicious. Lovely anise flavor, creamy and lovely. The onion soup looked rather dark in the broth. She said it tasted like eating Grandma's pot roast gravy. Hmmm!
The mixed salad was a fine grouping of greens, tomato (out-of-season mealy), sesame seeds and some cheese that stuck all together. The dressing was OK.
I got the salmon crepe, as did the other trio orderer . . . as did another diner. Everybody had CAPERS in their crepe sauce . . . except me!!!
And for the trio diners: we both got two crepes, not one. So, we got the same serving the regular crepe orderer did. Those who got capers said they added too much saltiness. I just wanted capers!!
The crepes were not great. The salmon tasted funny. Somebody said it was smoked. Don't know. Don't want it again.
If the weather is nice, this is a great place to grab dinner on their rooftop deck. The view is ok... you can see a portion of the arch, but very little more of the STL skyline. But it is neat eating good food on top of a building. On Sunday's they have live music too which is cool.
They had frog legs as an appetizer. I've never tried frog legs before... but I was in an adventurous mood. They were good. I know it sounds cliche, but they tasted like chicken wings... just skinnier and fattier.
For my entree I ordered duck. It was served over a salad with apple slices. The food was very good. The duck was a bit salty. The portions are a bit small.
Service was stellar. Or waiter was definitely skilled at his craft, and very accommodating.
I took my husband here for his birthday. The place itself has a rustic and romantic atmosphere - I love the interior's exposed brick and ceiling, the brightly lit rooftop patio (although the view is disappointing), the simple elegance of it all. So plus points already for ambiance.
The food is pretty amazing. I got the three-course flight for $29 which is a decent price for what you get. I got the oysters on half shell (with a great sauce), three onion soup (delectably cheesy), and a grilled chicken with quinoa mixed with vegetables on balsamic reduction. The chicken had a grilled taste from surface to core, unlike anything I've ever tasted. The balsamic reduction on the quinoa was very, very tasty - I had to ask the waiter exactly what was done so I could replicate it at home! He gladly told me how, but also said I could just go to Vin de Set anytime :) Husband also got the three onion soup and the ahi tuna (rare), which he liked.
Because it was his birthday, we were treated to beignets with three different dipping sauces - caramel, chocolate and raspberry. Delicious!
Fantastic service. The waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable. My only warning is that if you don't make up your mind on the menu quickly, the wait staff won't return to your table until called, at least from our experience!
To say I had the worst experience in fine dining wouldn't be an overstatement. From the reservation to the food on my plate I was utterly dissatisfied. After making my reservation for a birthday celebration I called the restaurant to talk with the maitre d' about helping me make the celebration a memorable experience and discuss the seating, only to be snubbed by the woman who answered the phone saying he couldn't talk to me. Three more calls later and still no one would talk to me.
On the way to the restaurant I was informed by OpenTable that my reservation had been canceled. I called the restaurant to see what had happened and they told me they canceled the wrong person and offered no concern for the mixup.
The reception at the hostess station was cold at best. This is a high end restaurant and for what I am paying I expect a level of service that exceeds Chili's but here there was nothing. With nary a greeting they sat us at a table that wobbled so badly I had to have them put a shim under the leg to steady it, which I had to ask for.
Then the music began, the loud, almost deafening base-laden thumping from a party on the floor below us. Asking the waitress what that was she gave a shrug of an answer to the fact that a wedding was having a reception party downstairs. It went on throughout the meal.
On to the food...This was the worst food I have ever paid money for, hands down. My appetizer was the steak tartare which was bland with zero seasoning. The meat was not prepared well and had large amounts of fatty inedible tissue still left in it. Â My girlfriend's appetizer was the Red and Green leaf salad. It had little to no dressing, bacon, cheese or anything listed on the menu. It was basically dry lettuce.
My main course was the Seared Grouper. Before it even made it to my table I could smell it coming and not in a good way. I smelled a foul odor of fish as it came toward my table. The fish was gray in color and looked like a crime scene on my plate. Living in Florida for years, mere feet from the Gulf, I know what good grouper looks, tastes and smells like. It should never look or smell like this. I tried to eat it and with one bite I almost gaged. It was not only bad tasting but rubbery. With that bite I sent it back to the kitchen.
My girlfriend chose the Steak Tenderloin Medallions with asparagus and yukon gold mashed potatoes. The meat had no seasoning and was cool to the touch throughout. The potatoes were cold too and had a coagulated texture with a skin on the exterior. The asparagus was actually green beans, which they didn't inform us of the change. Even they were not prepared well being totally cold and just about raw. Her sauce was described by her as "indescribable". I tasted it and it truly was horrible.
Dessert was Beignets. They were also cold, chewy and mostly flavorless except for the taste of the grease they were fried in. This was the cap to my night ruined by Vin De Set
A woman who I can only assume was the restaurant manager, because she never introduced herself, came to the table and offered to remake my horror-show of a plate of fish and I explained to her that my appetite for the dish was ruined. With that she left with barely an apology, no real concern for my ruined meal and my ruined birthday celebration. All she offered was a gentile touch on my shoulder, invading my personal space, as she slumped away with no effort to rectify the train wreck that was my first and last Vin De Set experience.
At the end of the night I was only comped the Grouper dish and had to pay in full for the rest of the worst meal I have ever eaten. $100 later and I was still hungry. The $20 Dominoes Pizza I had to order to satisfy my hunger was better than the meal I got all dressed up for, planned for weeks and hoped to make a birthday experience special. This was a deplorable dining experience and I will never recommend Vin De Set to anyone.
I had looked forward to dining at Vin de Set for months. Â After hearing numerous reviews about how amazing the food and atmosphere was, I was incredibly excited when I was taken to Vin de Set for my birthday celebration.
I couldn't have been more disappointed.
How did it begin? Â Well, en route to the restaurant my dinner companion received an email saying that our reservation had been canceled. Â We immediately called and were told, "Oh, that was a mistake." which should have been the first clue this wasn't going to be a good night.
Upon arriving we were seated inside due to the inclement weather - it was raining and cold and our rooftop reservation had been moved indoors. Â (No problem, they can't control Mother Nature.) Â Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable and helped us right an incredibly wobbly table (2nd clue...). Â She helped us select a nice bottle of wine and our evening began.
We ordered the Deconstructed Steak Tenderloin Tartare and Red & Green Leaf salad to start. Â The tartare was fatty and was not at all seasoned or prepared properly (it had some sort of inedible connective tissue in it), and the salad was a disappointment as it was practically devoid of any dressing whatsoever. Â (Don't get me wrong, I don't like my salad drenched in dressing at all - but this was like eating plain lettuce with the tiniest amount of the lovely cotswold cheese on top.)
And then the music began.
Yes, what sounded like a dance club - complete with shaking floors began. Â I asked the waitress what on earth was going on downstairs and she sheepishly explained it was a wedding in one of the private rooms below. Â The noise was unbelievable. Â Any ambiance or romantic atmosphere went right out the door as we tried to talk loudly over the music (as the rest of the restaurant patrons did as well) and felt the vibrations of the music through the floor. Â Really?
For dinner we ordered Seared Grouper and the Steak au Poivre. Â After the disappointing starter I was greatly looking forward to this.
My date's grouper came out looking gray, rubbery and had the most putrid smell. Â It actually smelled rancid. Â We looked at the heaping mound of gray fish, wide eyed, and he asked me if I "smelled that". Â All I could do was nod. Â He took one bite. Â It was disgusting, and I dare say, beyond its expiration.
My steak dish faired marginally better - lacking any kind of flavor, the steak tasted cold and charbroiled and reminded be of the flavor of a Burger King burger. Â (Not at all what I was expecting for the $22.99 price point.) Â The potatoes were coagulated, hard on the outside and cold. Â They looked (and tasted) as if they had been sitting under a warming lamp for hours. Â The green beans were not even blanched, I would actually say they were raw.
We flagged down our waitress and told her we could not eat the grouper dish, and instead chose to "share" my dish. Â It was difficult at best to eat.
Trying to make the best of my birthday and a date my wonderful boyfriend had planned for many weeks, we ordered the beignets for dessert. Â You guessed it, they were tasteless and grease laden.
Our waitress tried to make the best out of a bad situation - placing a birthday candle on one of the beignets in an attempt to salvage my birthday dinner which I did appreciate.
We left hungry. Â We left $100 poorer than when we walked in the door. Â We left frustrated. Â We left disappointed.
To add insult to injury the manager (I guess, as she never introduced herself) came over and gave us a half-hearted apology for our miserable dinner. Â I even went so far as to nicely ask if this was simply an "off" night - after all I had heard so many good things. Â Was chef not in the kitchen? Â Was there a large party they were catering to? Â What on earth was going on? Â I got no answer, just an apologetic shrug. Â
There was no attempt to make the situation - my birthday dinner - better. Â We were not comped any food other than the grouper that was sent back immediately. Â There was not an offer of a free dessert, a free drink, a voucher to come back and give it another try. Â We were given a bill minus the grouper meal and basically told to "take it".
I was not happy.
I by no means consider myself a foodie, however I have lived around the world and I have eaten some of the finest French cuisine. Â It is my favorite type of food. Â In my life, I have never - ever - had a meal as deplorable as the meal I had for my birthday at Vin de Set. Â I felt so sorry for my boyfriend who had gone out of his way to plan a lovely evening, a lovely dinner and presented me with a lovely gift. Â I could tell he was especially defeated, feeling all his hard work was for nothing.
I can only hope this review will prompt owners Paul and Wendy Hamilton and Chef Magruder to contact me, as I would like to know my birthday experience didn't fall on deaf ears.
The beautiful wife and I stopped by here for dinner (after previously stopping in for cocktails prior to hitting 1111).
I'm glad we did. Â Overall, I was pretty happy, but...
1) Rooftop dining. Â Yes, it's lovely. Â But it's even better when you're under a little shade and not having your corneas burnt out by the sun. Â Sure, we were walk-ins, but the reservations didn't start showing up for awhile (and when the sun dropped below the skyline). Â I think they need to figure out what tables/areas have problems and fill those _last_.
2) Beer list -- I'm wildly consistent on my opinion about beer availability at places, but Vin de Set warrant a comment. Â They have nothing but Schlafly on tap. Â Boring. Â Come on, offer something to knock our socks off.
3) Prices for specials -- I'm happy to drop a lot of bank for great food, but unless you're an exclusive club, just mention the price for specials. Â I would have still ordered what I did (the lamb combo), but it would have been nice knowing how much it was going to be.
OK, that's it for negativity. Â For the positive:
1) Service -- our server (Ed) was great. Â We got a lot of food and a lot of drink, but he keep everything straight and the pacing was excellent. Â I was impressed.
2) the bread -- great bread, but better "sides" -- herbed butter, a Kalamata tapenade, and olive oil. Â Excellent.
3) Vichyssoise -- I thought it was perfect.
4) The lamb combo -- it was really good (and the lamb in the stew was perfect). Â Wasn't crazy about the pea/eggplant/etc. side. Â I swear, the peas looked like were frozen.
It might not sound like a 4 star review, but it was. Â I'm glad we tried a number of things, but next time, we'll scale back the ordering and focus on what we _really_ want to try (and I'm getting vichyssoise again!)
What do their crepes and M&M's have in common? They melt in your mouth!
After much anticipation and reading some great reviews , my boyfriend and I finally went to try this place for ourselves, and boy was it worth it!
The shrimp and crab crepe we had was amazing, sea bass was amazing, wine selection was amazing, chocolate mousse was amazing, and the rooftop deck was amazing. Service was great too! Pricing was right on par as you get what you paid for...delicious food!
A great place for a date or dinner with a group of friends/family.
More Vin de Set, s'il vous plaît!
Curses to anyone who has ever posted a bad thing about this place. Vin de Set is an absolute St. Louis gem! From the ambiance, to the food, to the service - everything was impeccable. Let me break it down for you:
The Ambiance:
I took my mom here for her birthday. Being a weeknight, we had no problems nabbing a spot on the roof - but I can see how that could be a challenge on a weekend. The roof was much larger than expected and, actually, contained its own bar. The true beauty of it came when it started to get dark. First, the views are fabulous. Second, they have cute little white lights dangled that contribute to the cool! The inside is impressive as well. Exposed brick, dark - whoever designed this place has mad mood-setting skills.
The Food:
Oh Muh Gawd...the deliciousness started immediately with, of all things, the bread plate. The bread comes with three toppings to savor: 1) olive oil, 2) olive tapenade and 3) herbed butter...that I'm pretty sure I could eat straight. Don't judge me!
From there we tried the baked brie appetizer - my least favorite item of the evening, but not horrible. I had the Steak au Poivre (grilled beef tenderloin medallions w/ brandy-pink peppercorn sauce) and every bite melted in my mouth. Steak was cooked exactly to my liking. My mom tried the Seared Duck Breast w/ cherry balsamic glaze and loved it.
I'm not much of a dessert person, but had to try something here b/c the offerings are ridiculous (in a good way). We split the Maple Mascarpone Cheesecake. This was eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-my-head delicious! I venture to say...the best dessert I've EVER had. Bonus points that you can order your coffee in a French Press to go with it!
The Service:
Service was excellent from the minute we stepped off the elevator and were greeted. Our server was very good at explaining everything, being around but not overbearing and, generally, adding to our good experience. My only complaint is that their wine list doesn't provide any short descriptions to distinguish between the offerings. We told our server what type we were after and she didn't fail with her recommendation.
My Jerry Springer Final Thought:
This place costs much less that it could or should, considering the entire experience. Great value. It has the whole package and I'll certainly be back.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a special place to take my girlfriend to celebrate an anniversary. Â She can't be here in St. Louis all too often, so I knew I'd only have one opportunity to pick out a great restaurant for us to try. Â Upon some word-of-mouth recommendations and the rave reviews of Yelpers (shh! don't tell!) I decided that I'd surprise her with a trip to Vin de Set, the rooftop bistro and bar on the edge of the Lafayette Square area. Â (In case you were wondering, the confusing name is supposed to be the phonetic pronunciation of 2017, the restaurant's street address on Chouteau.) Â
I knew we were going to be in good shape when I called to confirm our reservation (made online through OpenTable). Â I had noticed on their website that no particular seating area was guaranteed, but I really wanted to be outside! Â When I called up, I asked if there was anything we could do to improve our chances of being seated with a view. Â It turns out I was speaking with Ivy Magruder, the General Manager and Executive Chef, who said he'd put a special note down by my reservation that outdoor seating was preferred-- great service from square one.
Vin de Set doesn't look like much from the outside; it's an old brick warehouse or something surrounded by a large parking lot. Â You enter from the right side of the building when you're facing it from the street, and take the elevator up to the labeled floor. Â When we arrived, they showed us to our table, which featured a magnificent view of the city skyline.
We were introduced to our waiter, Charles, who had this very wry smile to him that had me ordering a second sidecar as soon as I'd finished the first one. Â He told us about the prix fixe options and left us alone to deliberate about appetizers.
We decided to try out the "Say Cheese," two cheeses served with pickled brussels sprouts, mustard, and jams.  With all the cheese and bread at our table, we barely had enough time for our entrées, but they came anyway: chicken cordon bleu for me, and the steak and frites for the miss.
The chicken, unfortunately, was probably the weakest part of the evening, definitely a 3-star sort of thing. Â I was a little let down, especially considering how wonderful everything else was. Â I think my girlfriend enjoyed the steak, and we both nibbled the frites down to nothingness in a matter of minutes (okay, maybe that was mostly me).
Before much longer the sun began to set-- we timed it just right-- and we found ourselves treated to the golden light of the setting sun. Â As the light faded, tiny white lights strung about the roof lit up, washing the chairs and tables in a golden glow. Â It really was a romantic spot!
Upon Charles's suggestion, we tried the mascarpone cheesecake for dessert, which ended up being an excellent decision, even if it made standing up and walking back to the car difficult.
Would I come back to Vin de Set? Â Probably. Â I'd consider it for maybe a nice lunch with coworkers (the table next to us was two handfuls of women eating for free on Ann Taylor). Â It'll be a while before we revisit it as a date spot, though, unless we look outside and decide it's just too gorgeous of a day to spend eating inside.
Vin de Set is a truly romantical place - French food, scenic views of downtown St. Louis and a pretty impressive wine list. Probably one of the top "date spots" around town.
So I was a tad humiliated when I was there recently for a bachelorette party. That's right, we walked in there donning sparkly pink cowboy hats and some phallic paraphernalia. Not only that, but most of the girls in the party had had a few too many already, so they were inappropriately loud and obscene. Awesome :)
Our waiter for the evening informed us that it was his last night as a server, and that he was being transitioned into the head sommelier role. Impressive, yet completely lost on a group of drunk girls. I felt terrible! Despite this, he was incredibly gracious and recommended a fabulous bottle of champagne for us to share AND was patient while the girls scratched their head at the menu.
The pomme frites are delicious...everyone agreed! Those teamed with a roasted chicken crepe make a nice meal combo. A few of the other girls had a burger and one enjoyed the fish entree. No complaints from our table on the food at all. And these girls would surely have said something if they didn't like it!
The food is expensive for St. Louis standards, but the quantity and quality are most definitely there. Next time I go, it will be with my BF or my parents, as they won't cause a scene or distract from anyone else's evening.
Sorry, to break the trend of the 4 and 5 star ratings, but it really wasn't that good for the price.
Sorry, didn't experience the outside seating though it did look promising.
Escargot, typical French starter was actually good in a simple butter garlic sauce. The langistino, not so good. They had a weird taste to them really can't explain it, but I think it was the sauce.
Main dishes were all good, not fabulous. The beef tenderloin was cooked to perfection and tasted as good as it looked, and the horseradish sauce complimented it very nicely.
Partisan style sandwich with grilled chicken and brie was also very good with a basil mayo sauce.
However, the restaurant lost points for the following reasons:
1. Our server seemed not to care that much. Not very outgoing, and left the table unattended for longer than normal periods.
2. It was a B-Day occasion, and the server brought out dessert, fabulously perfected creme brulee, and then charged us for it? Wrong!
Paying $19-23 per entree I just expected a little more, but has room for  improvement (more stars).
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