After more than six months, the Mansion on Turtle Creek Restaurant finally has an executive chef again. Chef Bruno Davaillon is in the house, newly arrived from the prestigious Mix in Las Vegas, an Alain Ducasse restaurant in The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.
In hiring Davaillon, the Rosewood flagship hotel and Dallas dining institution have a good chance of regaining some lost ground. Early this year, chef John Tesar made a sudden departure, just when the landmark was starting to recoup some of its stature loss when longtime chef Dean Fearing left a couple of years ago to start his own restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton.
Davaillon, a native of the Loire Valley, should deal easily with whatever hardballs the demanding Dallas diners -- and celebrity visitors -- throw at him. Back in Vegas, it wasn't unusual for Davaillon and the Mix staff to step up when billion-dollar clients would give less than an hour's notice before showing up with huge dinner parties. Oh, and the guy can cook, too: Davaillon’s wizardry earned Mix the coveted Michelin star in 2008 and 2009, which is just the clout the Mansion would dearly like to reclaim in Dallas. Book a table by calling 214-443-4747.