Dinner at The Mansion

If you have not yet had dinner at The Mansion Restaurant on Turtle Creek, then you must plan do so. From the atmosphere, to the service, to (of course) the food, everything is spectacular.

My family and I celebrated my younger brothers high school graduation by dining at The Mansion a few nights ago and it was a treat for all of us!

We started off with a glass of Grüner Veltliner, Laurenz V. It's a fairly light white wine that pairs great with a lot of foods. Particularly, salads and fish...something light and fresh!

Of course the table was set with butter that was very enticing...

Then, out came the bread selections. I tried the one that was almost like a cracker (of course I can't remember the name)! But, it was so rich with an almost peppery and parmesan cheese crust that it did not even need butter!

And then we ordered dinner from the fabulous menu by Chef Bruno Davaillon. We started off with an ice cold tomato gazpacho to cleanse the palette.

We did not order any appetizers but we were very excited about the Crispy Okra. And it was everything that they said it was. Crispy, lemony, and just down right good!

For dinner, I ordered the Grilled Lamb Loin (medium rare as Chef Bruno recommended)! It was paired with smoked hummus, brazed carrots, lacinto kale, and carrot-cumin jus. I cleaned my plate...enough said.

Then it was time to try Chef Nicolas' beautifully crafted desserts.

First, he brought out a "pre-dessert" that was a pina colada palette cleanser. It was small, delicate, and had a powerful flavor. The cold pina colada ice cream paired with the pineapple and a little bit of crust made it absolutely refreshing.

We also ordered the Strawberry Rhubarb dessert. This was a very light dessert with Texas Goat Cheese, strawberry compote, rhubarb sorbet, and vanilla pavlova.

My brother ordered the Banana and Peanut. This was definitely a heavier dessert and if you are a banana lover then you would be in heaven! It has caramelized banana, peanut streusel, caramel custard, and peanut butter ice cream. Wow! And yet, Nicolas can make even the richest desserts look so delicate...

We also tried the the assorted cookies and macaroons. There was a banana flavor and a strawberry. I have had macaroons in Paris and had yet to find some that took me back to France until I tasted these. Light, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth macaroons that will take you on a journey to down the Seine :)

We sampled the ice cream flavors and guessed all of them! From Strawberry and Mint to Hazelnut...they were all unique. Chef Nicolas also brought out a sampling of cookies that consisted of a chocolate biscotti, pistachio macaroon, and coconut cookie.

It was a memorable that we will never forget and hope to re-live again soon.

Our waitress, Stephanie, was so kind and gracious. She helped us in deciding what to get (even though you can't really go wrong) and we absolutely loved having her as our server!

So, whether you live in Dallas or are just passing through, make sure you dine at The Mansion Restaurant. Between Chef Bruno and Chef Nicolas, you will not be short on wonderful food that is artistically crafted and displayed.