It’s been a mere 18 months since Paul and Wendy Hamilton opened PW Pizza, but they aren’t really ones to sit still. The owners of Vin de Set and Moulin event space, also housed with PW Pizza inside the building at 2017 Chouteau Ave., as well as nearby Eleven Eleven Mississippi, have more projects in the works.
Paul Hamilton explained he will be converting 1,800 square feet of unused banquet space in the basement of the Chouteau Avenue building into what he called a “St. Louis brewer’s bar.” The bar will serve draft beer brewed within a to-be-determined radius of St. Louis. The local brewing pride will carry over to the decor with portraits of brewers and their bios hanging atop the 20-seat bar. While beer will take the spotlight, Hamilton said there will be a full bar offering wine and spirits, adding that he would like to offer a bourbon locker component, as that is his favorite spirit. The bar will not offer food; patrons can order from PW Pizza.
Hamilton described the space as “rustic” and “masculine,” vibes that will come from the stone walls and from reclaimed wood that will be used to build the bar and a smattering of high-top tables. He hopes to open the to-be-named bar by the end of February, in time for the annual Centennial Beer Festival, which will take place in the historic building.
Hamilton said the opening is not in response to the soon-to-open Planter’s House across the street. “They are a classic cocktail [place],” he said. “This is more beer concentrated. We never want to compete. We try to do something different.” He cited his pizzeria as an example. “We did it because there was no pizza in the area, especially sit-down. Why do something to directly compete?”
Hamilton also said that with many new restaurants and bars opening in Lafayette Square, he hoped to organize an advertising co-op extension of the Lafayette Square Business Association to promote the neighborhood as an entertainment and dining district, similar to The Grove and Washington Avenue downtown. “Tripel, Element, Moulin and all of [the restaurants in this building], Planter’s House … there’s enough going on.”
Well, not quite enough. Hamilton isn’t done moving. He is purchasing the building adjacent his own at 2101 Chouteau Ave., with plans to convert what is currently 4,000 square feet of auto parts storage into another Moulin banquet room. “We’re really busy with banquets,” he said, noting that the main Moulin banquet room was nearly all booked for Saturday evenings in 2014. “It allows us to do two big weddings and a small wedding at the same time.” When that space opens in fall 2014, Hamilton will open the 2.5-acre parking lot across the street to facilitate guest parking.
This article appears in Guide to the Holidays 2013.