My Visit To Domaine Hudson

[maxnharry]

Earlier this week I was traveling past Wilmington, DE and decided to visit Domaine Hudon, the wine-bar of our fellow SFer Cuffthis (aka Tom Hudson). Finding It I had made a point before leaving my office this week to print directions from my final appointment on Tuesday. As I reached in my briefcase on Tuesday afternoon, I discovered that I had left my directions on the printer in the office. I did remember that an earlier post here placed it across the street from a hospital in Wilmington. I decided to hunt a little before calling for directions and found it right away. The Restaurant The outside of the restaurant is well done but a little non-descript and certainly nothing like the great interior photos that Cuffthis has shared with us here. I walked in and immediately saw Tom behind the bar. I introduced myself and he graciously offered a tour of the place. The restaurant is very handsome. The interior is dark wood, merlot paint and very cool wool chair upholstery. The men's room has great prints from Esquires of old and Lauren wallpaper. There is also a very nice private dining room that is crying out for a special SF event. The Wine Tom is a serious guy. He seems serious about clothes, about cufflinks, about old house and unsurprisingly, he is serious about wine. When I arrived he was sampling wine with a sales rep and during our tour he proudly showed off the wine cellar. The thing that really stuck with me was his policy of not buying wine from any distributor that didn’t keep the wine at proper temperature throughout the transportation process. Now that is serious! Before you get the idea that this place is a temple to wine snobbery, its not. The wines I saw were great value wines and exactly at the knee of the price/value curve and if you like wine, you'll love to be able to taste many great selections throughout your meal. I was able to taste three great reds with mine. The Food I immediately wondered if they took food as seriously as they took wine at Domaine Hudson. I am happy to report that they do. I had their delicious jumbo shrimp stew, spinach salad and the raspberry sorbet. All outstanding and well above the quality of most restaurants that I have visited. The shrimp were plump and in a great soup, the spinach was very fresh and crisp, served with an excellent Roquefort and the sorbet was outstanding. One thing that got my attention was the perfect raspberries that accompanied the sorbet. With attention to detail like that I knew that everything on the menu would be fresh and very good. The Verdict Domaine Hudson seems to be well received by Wilmington. I loved it an plan to stop whenever travel takes me nearby. It’s a place for great wine and food and I really recommend stopping by the next time you're near Wilmington.

 

[Jill]

Thanks for the report, Max. It is on my list of "must-visits" if I ever make back to the DC area. I've sent several friends there, who've reported similarly complimentary reviews. But haven't had a chance myself.

Keep up the good work, Tom!

 

[cuffthis]

Maxnharry - great to meet you. Please let Mrs. Cuffthis and I know when you are back in town. We would love to see you again.

Cheers!

 

[rdawson808]

Thanks for the review MaxnHarry. I'm looking forward to going the next time I'm in Wilmington (which is unfortunately very seldom).

Btw, Jill, not to disuade you, but Wilmington DE is probably two and half to three hours at least from the "DC area."

bob

 

[maxnharry]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

Thanks for the review MaxnHarry. I'm looking forward to going the next time I'm in Wilmington (which is unfortunately very seldom).

Btw, Jill, not to disuade you, but Wilmington DE is probably two and half to three hours at least from the "DC area."

bob

It's around 100 miles from DC, but well worth the trip! I've spent a little time in Delaware and think its interesting enough to warrant a weekend visits. Lots of history and has its own unique flavor.

 

[maxnharry]

Originally Posted by cuffthis

Maxnharry - great to meet you. Please let Mrs. Cuffthis and I know when you are back in town. We would love to see you again.

Cheers!

Cuffthis,

It was my pleasure meeting you and the Mrs and I will let you know next time I'm through. Best wishes for continued success!

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by maxnharry

It's around 100 miles from DC, but well worth the trip! I've spent a little time in Delaware and think its interesting enough to warrant a weekend visits. Lots of history and has its own unique flavor.

Oh yeah, I retract what I said. I'm too used to driving to the Eastern Shore. You can go straightup 95 to get there. Duh.

bob

 

[tsherry]

My wife and I stopped in at Domaine Hudson last night and wholeheartedly agree with the positive comments.
We loved the idea of a choice of glass size and portions in different sizes as well. My wife is a champagne drinker and was extremely pleased that the glass of a New Mexico wine recommended was actually very cold. It was an excellent value as well. Tom told us that he keeps reds, whites, and sparkling wines at ideal temperatures for each.
Food was superior. That chef could work anywhere.
Decor clubby and relaxed. Service friendly and knowledgable.
I only had to drive about 10 miles to get there, but would happily drive many times that for such a great place.

 

[cuffthis]

I am proud to announce our first Zagat rating. Other than the Green Room at the Hotel DuPont, we scored the highest overall rating of any restaurant in the entire state of Delaware.



New!Domaine Hudson





1314 N. Washington St.

(bet.13th & 14th Sts.)

Wilmington, DE 19801

302-655-9463







ZAGAT

Ratings & Review



Food Decor Service Cost

25 25 24 $37



"Where have you been?" inquire oenophiles and foodies of this "sophisticated" New American arrival whose wine bar concept pairs well with the "lovely" little bites for "grazing" and a staff that possesses "knowledge" of what it's pouring; "finally, a place a New Yorker and a Parisian can call home" - best yet, it's in Downtown Wilmington

 

[kronik]

Congrats.

 

[Bradford]

Congratulations Tom!

 

[j]

Very nice! Congratulations, it looks like all your work is paying off!

Now what's up with the scare quotes in the notes?

 

[Earthmover]

Originally Posted by j

Very nice! Congratulations, it looks like all your work is paying off!

Now what's up with the scare quotes in the notes?

The quotes in Zagat's are all verbatim from the people that rate the restaurants. They do this all the time -- if you read enough Zagats, you don't notice it anymore. I'm not quite there yet.

But wow, 25 on food! If I'm ever near downtown Wilmington... Congrats and thanks for introducing another high-standard restaurant into the world.