Wilmington’s Domaine Hudson is very unassuming. For that matter, Wilmington is very unassuming. The challenge to executing great food in a tough spot is getting people to notice. In talking with Domaine Hudson’s Chef Dwain Kalup, I found that this cuisiner is a striking contrast to the latest wave of hipster chefs helming great restaurants. Sort of.
With no music cranking through the near-cubicle sized kitchen at the Wilmington spot, Kalup sports the classic chef coat that has been cast off by so many younger cooks and chefs for the more contemporary t-shirt and jeans look. Rather, Kalup’s five-person crew is sharp and disciplined. Nearly three years running the kitchen, Kalup brings a pedigree rich in serious kitchen chops. From Chicago’s Blackbird, Chef Kalup is not so much about trends and being trendy, but more about clean lines and intentional food strokes.
“Some trends you have to keep up with, [but] I am not about super pretentious food; you can put a foam on anything,” half-quipped the area veteran. Grounded in practical, real cooking from his runs at local spots Harry’s Seafood Grill and Kid Shelleen’s, Kalup digs into the Philadelphia dining scene for adventure and turns to the likes of Marc Forgione for inspiration or Justin Smillie’s latest, Slow Fires.
The menu at Domaine Hudson is spilling over with artful slants on pastas, like the Humboldt Fog agnolotti and ricotta gnudi, as well as mains, including pan-roasted branzino and a Wagyu coulotte with brown butter celery root puree. The octopus preparation in particular causes a sparkle in the chef’s eye; “really, really tender” with a tomato glaze and seared, the octopus is happily touted by Kalup as a pinnacle of Domaine Hudson’s offerings. Kalup is quick to note that the flair for shareable plates is an approach with which he is at ease. “[Guests] want to try, like seven dishes and spend the same money,” he says, referencing the growing sharing sections on menus while the heavier, big plates’ category wanes. The challenge? “Getting people to come in without the expectation they don’t have to have a special occasion to eat here.”
The foot-long tattoo, “Cuisine is an act of love,” adorns Kalup’s right arm. So maybe he’s just a little more bent on the contemporary scene than the first impression would imply. Travel and Twitter are fodder for feeding Kalup’s creative appetite. Still, Kalup is practicing a regimented technique grounded in formal education blended with a hearty dose of hands-on experience. With Domaine Hudson as a cathedral in which to dispense his culinary catechism, Chef Kalup’s food delivers remarkable energy.
Find Domaine Hudson at 1314 N. Washington St. in Wilmington; phone: (302) 655-9463.
- Photos: Jim Berman
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