Eclipse Bistro — Restaurant in Wilmington

My partner decided to take me out for my birthday, and she suggested this place. I'm very glad that she did!

We had reservations for 6:30pm, but we were really getting hungry by 4:30. We called the day of and asked if they could move up our reservation, and they said it wasn't a problem. Parking wasn't an issue. There were spots out front and in the lot on the side.

We were initially greeted at the door with a very friendly "hello". The inside of the place is decorated nicely, and it was very clean! Our server promptly came to our table, introduced himself, and let us know the specials for the day. The menu has a little something for everyone, I would say. Beef, chicken, pork, fish, salads, etc. Also, the drinks were quite tasty! If you like Bourbon, I would suggest the "Italian Gentleman;" however, they have standard drinks and a pretty nice wine selection.

I ordered the Bistro salad (greens with some goat cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers) along with their chicken dish. My partner had the Caesar salad and the scallops. Both salads were fresh-tasting, and the meals were prepared perfectly. I despise dry chicken, but the chef hit this one right on the button. I could have gone for seconds, for sure. My partner just loved the scallops and said they were perfectly prepared.

Throughout, our server kept the water glasses full. He was there to make sure our needs were met, but he didn't hover constantly. It was perfect.

At some point, the server caught wind that it was my birthday. At the end of the meal, they brought out a birthday card which the staff had all signed. It was such a nice touch, and that -- along with all the other good food, drink, and service -- is why I'm giving them a five-star...

Food - 4, Service - 4, Decor - 4, can recommend, might be back.

This place is owned by Platinum Dining which also owns Capers and Lemons and a couple other places. It has the same "feel" as Capers albeit different menu obviously.

Wife and I sat at the bar because we had to burn a couple hours while the kids were doing some school thing. They were super busy when we got there so the staff was a little hurried but still found time to take our orders timely. They have white cranberry so I had a Grey Goose white cosmo which is one of my all time favorites and it was excellent.

We got the cheese board which was ok. Two Stones Kennett still has the best cheese board in the area, but this was fine, just not great.

I don't usually order chicken when I'm out because its so simple to cook at home, however the server recommended it - "brined for 24 hours, best chicken you will ever have" I think he said. So fine, I'll break habit for something special. My wife had tuna. The tuna was really good. The chicken was just salty. The preparation and presentation was ok, nothing special. Capers does a better job overall in terms of menu selection and preparation.

All in all it was ok but probably won't go back. It was $200 for the two of us which was a little pricey for the overall value. Hanging out at the bar with appetizers would probably be ok, but its a bit far from our house and not really worth the trip - BBC Tavern or Copper Dram is closer and a better value for that...

8/09/23 Dinner. My wife and I shared the mini 3 crab cakes appetizer (5). You could taste crab and the ocean in each bite. So good!

We also shared the grilled salmon, one of the evening specials. The salmon was deliciously grilled and sat on a bed of arugula, cannelonni beans, sweet corn (and some other ingredients I can't remember right now) that included a red pepper colored sauce which complimented the salmon very well. This dish was exceptional (5).

We ended the meal by sharing the eclipse banana split dessert (5) and a cappuccino each (5).

The room was a bit noisy, but I didn't care bc the food was so good! Our server, Demetrius, was excellent (5). I will be asking for him the next time we dine there. Also, we arrived without a reservation around 6:00 pm. The maitre'd quietly asked us if we could be finished by 7:30, the time that table was reserved for. It wasn't a problem since we just arrived in Wilmington this afternoon and picked this place off the internet. I'm very glad we did. I asked to see a lunch menu (picture included) in case we go back for lunch.

Ambiance = 4.5 Appetizer = 5 Main = 5 Dessert = 5 Service = 5

Overall = 5 out of 5 (my first 5/5 rating)

5 = Excellent: Uniquely satisfying. 4 = Very Good: Better than expected. 3 = Average: An everyday experience. 2 = Fair: Below par. Dirty smells....