Without question, if you want sophisticated, contemporary fine-dining in downtown St. Charles, this is where you should go. The Vine's menu is decidedly more creative than other restaurants in town (and, accordingly, the prices are a bit higher). Dinner entrees range from $14-$25, and the appetizers hover around $9. With wine and dessert, you're looking at a splurge. For the most part, the Vine's food warrants the expenditure. The petite steak is expertly prepared and served on a bed of risotto with a sculptural crown of wild mushroom. The vegetable risotto's texture isn't quite authentic, but it comes loaded with a colorful variety of veggies and surrounded by a halo of balsamic vinaigrette that nicely cuts through the rich dish. Crab-stuffed portobella mushrooms are tasty, though the meaty shroom overwhelms the subtle filling.The narrow historic home has been attractively converted to create a cozy but elegant dining room with polished floors, brick walls, a gas fireplace and red-velvet drapes. A guitarist plays softly in the corner, and the husband-wife owners circulate throughout the evening, graciously chatting with both the guests they know and those they don't, making sure that everyone is enjoying their meal. And on the night we visited, everyone was.