Domaine Hudson Revisited

The second restaurant review to grace this blog (whoa! that was over three and a half years ago) was for Domaine Hudson, a wine bar and restaurant in downtown Wilmington that I was smitten with when they first opened in late 2005, and am still smitten with to this day. Ask me for a fine dining recommendation in Wilmington, and Domaine Hudson is the first name out of my mouth.

I don't get around to frequenting most of the restaurants I review, simply because there are so many good, new (to me) restaurants to experience, but there are a handful of restaurants that I do return to, and Domaine is one of them, although, I don't frequent Domaine nearly enough, seeing as how they are so close to my house and I enjoy them immensely. Being bone tired and unpresentable after work, and staying in Philly on the weekend are my excuses.

Of all my visits to Domaine Hudson, I've never taken pictures of their food, even for the initial review, so I thought I'd show you some of what Domaine dishes up.

In full disclosure, the owners, Tom and Meg Hudson, know me and know that I write this food blog. They did not know me when I wrote my initial review, but Meg, sharp woman that she is, recognized me the second I walked in their restaurant after writing the review, and called me out in the nicest way possible. Meg and Tom chat me up when I visit, but they do this with all of their customers.
3 wines, 3 ounces, $3 each. The glasses were fuller before it dawned on me to take a picture.

Domaine has a great daily happy hour deal from 5-7pm -- 3 wines, 3 ounce pours, $3 each. Three related wines are up for offer, and you could order just one, but the happy hour deal is a great way to compare three wines and make mental notes all wine connoisseur-like at about half price.

Domaine Hudson is a restaurant with wines as their specialty, and, surprise, they have great wines! Every time we go, we're always writing down what we drank so we can shop for it later. Chat up the server or the owners (sitting at the bar best for this) and they'll help you find a wine you like. One evening, after rating five wines and having my ratings match exactly with Meg's, I learned to just ask Meg what her favorite wine is on their ever changing wine list.

Oh, and if wine's not your thing, Domaine now has a selection of craft beers in bottle. Everybody gets a little love!

The changing menu is not vegetarian heavy, but there are a few dishes, and the chef, Jason Barrowcliff, who has been there since day one, will gladly make a veggie plate. We tend to go for the wine, cheese, and dessert because it somehow seems more decadent, but recently we went all out and had a full meal. It helps that Domaine offers a prix fixe menu of three courses for $35 all the time. And, as always, meat eaters win with the prix fixe.
This complimentary roll with a crusty exterior and soft interior reminds me of the fab rustic rolls I made a while back.
While Domaine's menu changes frequently, I don't think I've ever not seen the baked brie and arugula salad with walnuts, pears, and roasted shallot vinaigrette. It's perfect, and I think patrons would object if it went missing.
These caramelized Brussels sprouts with exotic mushrooms, micro-greens, and aged sherry vinaigrette are some of the best Brussels sprouts I've ever had. I think it was the earthy mushrooms that elevated them to the next level.
This macadamia nut and Parmesan crusted swordfish with asparagus, wild rice, and leek-saffron sauce was said by the boy to be the best cooked piece of swordfish he's ever had.The vegetarian cauliflower and chickpea stew with peas, carrots, and mushrooms in a mushroom broth, topped with sun dried tomato and olive tapenade is a hearty, mild, mushroom-y stew that draws pep from the tapenade. Oh, and it pains me that the chickpeas were undercooked on the one visit I took pictures for a "revisit" on the blog, since I've never had anything wrong with any dish at Domaine Hudson, but there it was.
"Drunken" tiramisu is a sort of deconstructed tiramisu with lady fingers and espresso with vanilla and coffee ice cream. This was the boy's dessert, and while his plate was cleaned, he confessed to preferring a traditional tiramisu.
Domaine Hudson has the best creme brulees! I mean it. The creme part is so thick, creamy and rich, and the brulee part is thick and crunchy. Never a big creme brulee person, I ordered one a few years ago from Doamine, and it knocked my socks off. Since then, I order creme brulees wherever I go, and no one has offered up a creme brulee to match. I find any combination of grainy or runny custards, and over burnt or thin and bendy caramelized sugar tops at other places. Get the creme brulee!

And that's a "revisit" to Domaine Hudson. I really need to go more often. My excuses are lame. What's yours?

Domaine Hudson
1314 N. Washington St., Wilmington, DE 19801
302-655-9463
Mon- Thurs,5-10:30p.m.
Fri-Sat., 5 - 11p.m.