First, a little background on me. For the past 20 years, I have been a CPA in the Philadelphia and Baltimore areas. I was a partner in a nationwide firm for a period of my career. At age 41, I have decided to pursue my dream and open a wine bar and grille where I can share my passion of food and wine with others. I resigned my position at my CPA firm to do this full time.
My new establishment will be called Domaine Hudson Wine Bar and Grille. We have leased premises in Wilmington that formerly housed several non-descript restaurants in the past. The kitchen is fully equipped but the dining area needs extensive renovations. We have the liquor license application in the works and hope to have that wrapped up as well as the construction renovations in two months and are shooting for an opening date of 10/1/2005.
The menu at Domaine Hudson will focus heavily on smaller, Tapas-style plates and will feature selections of artisanal cheeses and cured meats. Entrees will be limited to 5 or so plus daily specials.
We will offer 30 - 50 wines by the glass, all of which will be available in 1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 oz pours. The by-the-bottle list will initially have approximately 100 choices on it. Our initial inventory will be about 1,200 bottles but we are building climate controlled storage for 3,500 bottles to handle projected future growth. I am actively dealing with many importers whose smaller production, highly rated wines are not currently available yet in Delaware.
I am starting this venture because I am passionate about wine. I am also starting this because I am fed up with a lot of the wine service and ridiculous pricing I see at many nicer restaurants. I refuse to drink overpriced, warm red and overly cold white wines from cheap wine glasses anymore!!!!!!!!!
I still have a lot of work to do on my new venture and many of my initial ideas will change in the next few months. I know and understand that.
However, the following rules (commandments?) regarding our wine service will always be strictly enforced:
1. All wines will be served in a properly sized Riedel or Spiegelau glass.
2. Red wines will be served at 62-65 degrees F.
3. White wines will be served at 55 - 58 degrees F.
4. Champagne and sparkling wines will be served at 45 degrees F.
5. All servers will have tasted all the wines by the glass and will be able to properly describe them and recommend appropriate food pairings for them, or they will ask for additional help from another staff person to make sure you have the best experience.
6. 50% or more of the bottles on the wine list will be priced at less than $50.
7. The higher priced bottles will be the best values (by far) from a wine list price compared to retail. I have a unique pricing and EXTREMELY fair system for this that I will discuss in the near future. I want to reward, not punish, those customers who appreciate the finest wines. You will be treatly well with fantastic pricing.
My goal is to have Domaine Hudson be a place where advanced wine connoisseurs such as you can enjoy outstanding wines at realistic prices, paired with creative foods, superior service in an elegant, but relaxed atmosphere. I also want it to be a place where those with lesser wine knowledge can become more informed without being intimidated.
I am posting this message because I welcome your input about additional ways to make Domaine Hudson provide the type of positive, consistent, affordable wine experience we all seek.
I will keep you informed about the status of Domaine Hudson Wine Bar and Grille.
Cheers!
Tom
Original Post
A good reason to find a babysitter for the night.
