F!D Luxe’s Christopher Wynn showcased Bolla beautifully this week in his piece describing Chef Bull’s new hot spot inside The Stoneleigh that is taking Dallas by storm. Chef Bull also unveiled a new menu formatting for the illustrious Bolla. Upon hearing this information I felt it my personal duty to dive head first into the menu to do a little investigating.

In addition to piquing my humble attention, the renowned Senior Food Editor of Texas Monthly, Pat Sharpe, also popped in for a surprise lunch visit to see Bolla and Chef Bull in action. No pressure of course. According to Bull “The change was in an effort to create a fully comprehensive Bolla experience as well as draw upon the strengths of wine pairing and coursed menu design–the new format really allows us to present each dish in the perfect light”. 

Streamlining the menu has also enabled Bull to flex his creative muscles even further in terms of adding extra flare to presentation and service. Chef Bull notes, “We have received rave reviews about the new menus. That being said, we will undoubtably see a few more tweaks as we perfect the menu even further–but that is all part of the creative process.” Preview Bolla’s new menus:

Bolla Dinner Menu  

Bolla Lunch Menu

Bolla Breakfast Menu

Bolla Brunch Menu

Bolla Bar Menu

The Stoneleigh’s new luminescent red THE rests proudly atop the  hotel as a welcome beacon to all of Dallas. Managing Director, John Langston, recently gave a behind the scenes tour of The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa to News 8 WFAA “Why Guy”, Mike Castellucci. Mike’s tour was replete with secret passageways (tucked away in the illustrious Penthouse) as well as an up close and personal look at the original THE sign now showcased next to the Chef’s Table in Bolla. The segment aired for the first time Wednesday evening on the 5pm news.

http://www.wfaa.com/mcastellucci/

As it turns out, the “THE” letters that now adorn the new Bolla Restaurant at the new Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa have quite a story of their own. I was able to find some interesting insight into their history from Christen Fox at Prescott Realty. It turns out it wasn’t always “The Stoneleigh” after all:

” After visiting the Stoneleigh Court Hotel in 1934, Colonel Harry E. Stewart fell in love with the elegant ambiance of the hotel and chose to purchase it. In 1938, the sign ‘HOTEL STONELEIGH’ found its home atop the prestigious hotel, where it sparkled visibly over the city of Dallas. Burnt out in its prime, the “O” and “L” shined no more in 1951. As owner of the hotel, Colonel Stewart had to make the difficult decision of what to do with the remaining letters. With much creativity and little pressure, the word ‘HOTEL’ was transformed into the word ‘THE’. Thus, the hotel was labeled, ‘THE STONELEIGH’.

It has been almost sixty-five years since the hotel sign has been changed from its initial ‘HOTEL STONELEIGH’ spotlight. Although the recent hotel renovation highlighted the fragile condition of the entire roof top signage structure, state and local historic consultants gave permission to create an exact replica to allow the preservation of the original sign.”

In other news, the Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa was announced last night as a Best Real Estate Deal of the Year by the Dallas Business Journal in the category of “Best Rehabilitation/Re-Use”!

There’s a new Fort Worth Star Telegram article out this week that focuses on the new Managing Director of the Stoneleigh, John Langston. No stranger to historic hotels, Langston has once worked with The Driskill Hotel in Austin, The Texas Hotel in Ft. Worth, and the Mansion here in Dallas. He’s pictured on the left above along with the new Director of Sales & Marketing, Gretchen Stofer Darby and the Chef of Stoneleigh’s Bolla Restaurant, David Bull.

This article provides interesting insight on the Stoneleigh’s new Managing Director. Take for instance, his response as to why the hotel was shut down completely for renovations in lieu of staying open for repairs:

“The hotel was in dire need of restoration. To try and provide a luxury experience around construction is just, in my book, not possible. It was more important for us to close and do the restoration correctly so that when we did reopen, we had a beautiful, perfect product.

That’s what the Stoneleigh needed.”

By the way, I received confirmation today that the offical opening date of the Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa is March 3rd!

Well, it’s official.  The new Stoneleigh sign is up, crowning the newly renovated property on Maple Avenue.  The sign went up just last week, and now it’s only a matter of time before the hotel makes its grand debut to the public.