By Matthew Halverson
Ivy Magruder has a “fresh” fetish. Get him talking about the menu, ingredients—heck, even the smells—at Vin de Set, and he can drop the word approximately 416 times in 15 minutes. The new spot, which was inspired by his “gluttonous” trip to France last year with owners Paul and Wendy Hamilton, opens this month at 2017 Chouteau, just around the corner from Magruder’s old digs at Eleven Eleven Mississippi. —Matthew Halverson
What’s the menu like? We’re definitely focusing on southern France, like Provence. But instead of coating the tongue with all of these creams and heavy sauces, we’re going to lighten it up and definitely do very seasonal, fresh items. The kitchen is intentionally designed to have a small walk-in and a small dry storage, and that way we’re forced to get stuff in six or seven days a week to keep things fresh.
What was your favorite meal when you were in France? That’s a no-brainer: the bouillabaisse we had in Marseille. It was like nothing else I’d ever tasted because it was so fresh and so clean. I think a lot of times bouillabaisse has been “Oh, we’re sitting heavy on seafood. Let’s unload it into this seafood stew.” That totally defeats the purpose. You get the best and freshest ingredients and let the flavors do the talking. Forget about the canned tomatoes and the frozen fish. Get fresh fish, fresh tomatoes, fresh fennel.
So what you’re saying is, it’s going to be fresh. I know I keep hammering that home, but it’s definitely something that I feel is going to be really prevalent, and not only on our menu. Once you get the dish in front of you, the first thing you’re going to say is, “Wow, that’s so aromatic,” and that’s because it’s so fresh.
I hate to be “that guy,” but I think you spelled vingt dix-sept wrong ...That goes back to our concept. It’s the phonetic spelling of “2017” in French, but because we’re spelling it phonetically, it’s that American twist on a French concept. We’re not this hifalutin “Café Chouteau 2017” cream sauce–and–snooty waiters place. It’s going to be “Come on in, grab a beer, grab a crêpe and enjoy the view and enjoy the company.”
