The End

Written by SARAH FENSKE

This is not the ending St. Louis was hoping for.

Paul and Wendy Hamilton announced on March 1 that they will not reopen the trio of restaurants damaged in a catastrophic fire last September. PW Pizza, Vin de Set and the 21st Street Brewers Bar are now permanently closed.

“After months of obtaining bids to rebuild and carry out the necessary fire remediation as well as determining the insurance loss limits, it has become clear that the funds necessary to rebuild the structure as it once was just aren’t there to do so,” the married couple said in an email to customers last week.

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning of September 19, 2022. It took significant sleuthing for Paul Hamilton to figure out what had happened —

[FOOD NEWS]

Banh Mi So #1 on South Grand has quietly closed

Written by JAIME LEES

ASouth Grand legend has left us. Banh Mi So #1 (4071 South Grand Boulevard) has quietly closed, leaving all of the south side to mourn this huge loss.

Owned by husband-and-wife Thomas and Lynne Truong, the little Vietnamese restaurant was famous across St. Louis for its fantastic spring rolls and perfectly toasted banh mi sandwiches. The stellar menu was praised just as much as the Truongs were personally — they always treated their guests well and welcomed their many regulars like family.

a cigarette carelessly tossed in a planter during brunch service on Vin de Set’s roof had led to a slow, secretly smoldering blaze that finally burst into flame 13 hours later.

“After making structural repairs, replacing the roof, third floor windows and removing all floors and drywall below, it became very clear that this was an enormous remediation and rehab undertaking,” the Hamiltons wrote. “Our businesses were built over the course of sixteen years through continued re-investment, and now we find ourselves at the very beginning again.”

The pair still own two restaurants in the same block of Downtown West, Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse and Winnie’s Wine

Bar, as well as Eleven Eleven Mississippi, which sits just across Chouteau in Lafayette Square.

“Several of our team members who were displaced by the fire work at these locations and we encourage you to visit them in the near future as they would love to reconnect with all of you who have gotten to know them over the years,” the Hamiltons wrote.

Vin de Set first opened 16 years ago and took up the third floor and roof of the building. PW Pizza was a popular pizzeria on the first floor, and 21st Street Brewers Bar offered a basement beer bar with PW’s full menu.

Moulin, the Hamilton’s second floor event space, now hosts events in different spaces across the city. n

While any restaurant can get a wholesale cone of beef and lamb, prop it on a rotisserie and shave it into pita, a truly extraordinary gyro ticks a few special boxes. Meat is plump, with caramelized edges and a juicy interior. Pita is warmed on a flattop, and tzatziki is so thick and creamy you could eat it with a fork.

Olympia Kebob House & Taverna

A fierce contender for top honors, this quintessential spot has the embodiment of gyro perfection thanks to thick, juicy meat that is caramelized around the edges and flakes off into little beef-lamb crispies. That is then wrapped in the town’s thickest tzatziki to becomes one of the most satisfying food bites you’ll have.

Mideast Market

Tucked away inside a west county international grocery store, this food counter is a vibrant hidden gem that serves a hot bar of South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The classic gyro — overstuffed with hunks of meat and dressed to order — is, for good reason, the biggest draw.

The Greek Kitchen

Co-owner Lisa Nicholas cut her teeth in the industry by helping run Olympia Kebob House & Taverna where she perfected her gyro game. Now, in her own space, her version of the dish shows that the student has become equal to the master.

Vinnie’s Italian Beef & Gyros

Another veteran of Olympia, owner Matthew “Vinnie” Mulholland serves some of the best Italian beef outside the Windy City alongside an excellent gyro, characterized by plump meat and outrageously garlicky tzatziki.

Soco’s Gyros

It was announced that the space was for sale back in December 2021, so this closure isn’t a huge surprise to fans who have been keeping track of the restaurant’s status. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not still sad about it. This closure stings.

Banh Mi So #1 was more than just a place to grab some amazing food and fill your stomach, it was also the perfect place to visit when you needed to warm your heart.

Farewell, old friend. You will be missed.

An institution for more than a decade, this unassuming spot has an entire menu section dedicated to gyros, but its perfect rendition of the classic style — juicy meat, crispy lettuce, white onions and fresh tomatoes — is why its regulars are so vocal.