Vin de Set Rooftop Bar & Bistro

Vin de Set
2017 Chouteau Avenue
St. Louis, MO  63103

A couple of months ago my girlfriend, Janice, and I went to dinner at Vin de Set.  I had heard a lot about Vin de Set, especially the outdoor space, and I was eager to try it out.  Unfortunately, the night that we went it was pretty chilly outside so we skipped the Rooftop Bar and stayed inside.

We started the night by ordering a bottle of 2007 Steltzner Claret Bordeaux Blend.  It was so fantastic that we had a second bottle.  I believe it was aroun $25/bottle.

I had read some reviews about Vin de Set and everyone raved about the crepes.  I also happened to be watching a show on Food Network at the time about food trucks.  One of the trucks focused on selling crepes and they looked delicious so I was anxious to try one.  We settled on the Crab & Shrimp with tomato-lobster cream sauce ($8.59).  It was amazing.  I was afraid that it might be a little too fishy but the tomato cream really cut through and it was creamy, delicious and luxurious.  The portion size was perfect for sharing.

For an entree, I ordered Steak au Poivre grilled beef tenderloin medallions w/ brandy-pink peppercorn sauce, haricot verts & yukon gold mashed potatoes ($22.99)  I substituted the haricot verts for grilled asparagus.

 

I thought this dish was good but it doesn't really stand out among all of the other meals that I have had.  I ordered the steak medium and it came out a little past at almost medium well.  The seasoning was good and the asparagus and potatoes were also fine.

Janice ordered Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops w/ atrichoke quinoa & champagne vanilla bean beurre blanc ($22.99)

I was excited to try her dish because, at the time, I had never had quinoa before and every cooking show I watch talks about it.  It reminded me a lot of bulgur wheat; however, I think the vanilla bean made it to sweet.  At first taste it was really good but after several bites the sweetness was overwhelming.  The scallops were cooked perfectly but since they were in the same beurre blanc as the quinoa, they were a little too sweet for my taste.

We finished the evening with a cheese course.  We ordered wo cheeses served w/ pickled brussel sprouts, stone ground mustard & jams ($11.99).  I can't even remember the cheeses that we chose but what I do remember is how disgusting those pickled brussel sprouts were.  Our waitress told us that people either loved them or hated them and we hated them.  They were a definite palate cleanser.  They were also very proud of the in-house stone ground mustard and we both thought that it was gritty and sour.  The cheese plate was not a success.

The ambience of Vin de Set is quaint and cozy.  It would be a perfect place for a date or, as in our case, with a friend to share a bottle of wine.  While I would visit Vin de Set again, at least for the crepes and wine, there are definite other places that I would try out before I went back for a second time.

IceKitchen Restaurant and Vodka Bar

IceKitchen Restaurant and Vodka Bar
302 Westport Plaza Drive
St. Louis, MO  63146
314.542.2000

A couple of girlfriends and I ate at the IceKitchen last Friday night before heading out to the Muny.  I made online reservations at Open Table and it worked great.

Located in Westport, right across from the Trainwreck, it has a huge outdoor patio and quite a few seats inside.  I felt the decor was a cross between a swanky nightclub, an urban loft and '70's vibe.

We ordered the Antipasto Platter (8.75) as an appetizer.  It came with a few pieces of thin, crusty bread, olives, carmelized nuts, sausage and a thin swipe of some type of pesto.  I didn't even think about the fact that I can't eat pork when we ordered it so I didn't get to taste the meats on the plate.  The nuts and bread were good but, overall, I thought it was a bit pricey for the amount of food that was on the plate.

For dinner, I ordered the Chicken Lollipops (7.75) and an IceKitchen House Salad (4.25).  The salad was beautiful with the ribbons of carrot sitting on top of a bed of lettuce.  The dressing was a rice-wine vinaigrette that had a taste of ginger to it.  It was sweet and savory.  I have never tasted a dressing like this before and it was quite tasty. 

The Chicken Lollipops were marinated in Asian spices and sriracha with a pear-ginger sauce.  Since the wings were grilled and not fried, some of the skin was a bit chewy and not crispy but the spices and marinade on these chicken drummies was delicious.  The pear-ginger sauce was sweet, sour, tangy and spicy.  Loved it!

Our dinner reservations were at 5:30 so we were there in time for happy hour.  They did have some pretty good happy hour specials.  Quite a few of the Small Plates were half off (I got mine for half) and all of the martinis, specialty drinks, pitchers of sangria and domestic beers were half off.  I split a pitcher of red sangria (21.00)with one friend and was excited to get it half off.  I, personally, felt there was a little too much peach schnapps in it but at the happy hour price it was well worth it.

I would like to go back to the IceKitchen on a weekend and sit out on the patio.  I wasn't overly impressed with the food but I think the place could be fun on a nice summer evening.

Top of the Riverfront

Top of the Riverfront
200 South 4th Street
St. Louis, MO  63102-1804

This was written in 2007, and I did not revise it.  I just copied and pasted.

We decided to celebrate our first anniversary by going to the Millenium Hotel and eating at The Top of the Riverfront. If you haven't heard of this restaurant it is located on the top floor of the Millenium, 28 stories above the ground. It is one of the most unique restaurants in St. Louis as it is the only one that rotates which gives the patrons a 360 degree view of downtown St. Louis, the Arch, the Mississippi River and Busch Stadium.


I called about a week ahead of our anniversary date and made the reservation (men are not required to wear a jacket and tie) When we stepped out of the elevator we were a little surprised to see a couple of guests in jeans and sweatshirts; however, once we stepped farther into the restaurant we were met by a courteous hostess who took our name and reservation time. She pointed us in the direction of the waiting area and while waiting we were entertained by the piano player.


To actually get to your table you have to step onto a rotating floor. The view is absolutely amazing and the fact that there are only two rows of tables on this rotating floor allows for every seat in the restaurant to have a perfect vantage point. When we were seated at our table we were directly over Busch Stadium. We could see all of the downtown area and it was very mesmerizing. I will caution you that it does take a few minutes to get adjusted to the fact that you are moving. I sat in the seat closest to the window and when I looked down I could see the stationary floor of the hotel and the track of restaurant floor, which was moving, and it did make me a little queasy so I just tried to avoid looking down for the rest of the dinner.

 We were greeted by our server and decided upon a bottle of wine (we chose an Australian shiraz priced at $30). I ordered the filet with the peppercorn sauce while Scott had the filet with the gorgonzola butter sauce. The dish came with a green bean and carrot medley and a cheesy potato side dish, which reminded me of scalloped potatoes (the filet was priced at $32 including both sides). I ordered the ceasar salad which came with an Australian imported white anchovy and Scott ordered the white bean chili (both the salad and chili were priced at $7). However, when our food came out the waitress actually brought out two salads instead of Scott's chili. Instead of sending it back, he told her that he would go ahead and try the ceasar salad. Since he typically doesn't like anchovy-based ceasar dressings, he was not impressed with this course. Without us asking, our waitress did take the salad off of our bill since this was not what he had originally ordered.


The filets were both tender but both were slightly over-cooked. We each ordered them medium and they were closer to medium-well.


For dessert, we ordered a peanut butter cup pie. It tasted very much like a Reese's peanut butter cup but it was extremely rich (the dessert was priced at $7)


My overall impression of this restaurant is that you definitely pay for the view. While we did enjoy the taste and tenderness of the filets and side dishes, I would not say that they made a lasting impression on us. The service was adequate but at times we felt as if our waitress was too busy to give us adequate attention. While we were not surprised by the total of our bill (especially since we had the bottle of win), we both felt that the price did not reflect the quality of food but that the view made up for this deficiency.


I would definitely go back to Top of the Riverfront for a special occasion. However, there are so many other restaurants in St. Louis to try that I would not put this back on my re-visit list anytime soon. Out of 5 stars, I would give Top of the Riverfront 3 3/4 stars.