For those lucky enough to catch Chef David Bull’s live interview on WFAA’s Good Morning Texas yesterday (instead of  cursing various Dallas traffic jams dotting the city), you are probably whipping up his fabulous Garden Vegetable Risotto as we speak.

For the rest of us, a link to the Good Morning Texas  clip of Amy Vanderoeff’s interview with Chef Bull may be found below (along with the recipe itself on WFAA’s website).

Looks like the word is out on Bolla already–Avery Johnson was spotted last night in the dining room celebrating his birthday with friends.

 Good Morning Texas Clip–Chef Bull

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”!

After visiting the Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa this week, I was able to snap a few sneak peaks of the new space.  The first photo features the sparkling dining room found in Bolla (Modern Italian cuisine by David Bull) located on the lobby level of the hotel.  Some of the original Hotel signage is displayed in Bolla and provides a unique union of glamour and history.  The second shot is of the new lobby, and the last showcases a plush Art-Deco banquet nestled in Bolla Bar.

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!