Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek® is pleased to announce the newest addition to its acclaimed culinary team – Pastry Chef Nicolas Blouin. Chef Blouin debuts his sweet confections this week in the Mansion Restaurant.

“I’m thrilled to have Chef Blouin’s fresh perspective at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek,” Managing Director Duncan Graham said. “He has an obvious love for the pastry arts, and it’s evident in his visually stunning and palate-pleasing creations.”

Raised in Toulouse, France, Blouin began his pastry training when he was only 15 years old, working at a small bakery in his home town. He trained at the Pastry School of Muret and completed apprenticeships specializing in pastry and chocolate confections.

Blouin moved to America and worked at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort hotel under two-time world champion pastry chef Laurent Branlard. Eager to expand his knowledge, Chef Blouin returned to Europe and worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Switzerland and France.

In 2006, Chef Blouin returned to America to work at the Bellagio in Las Vegas under renowned chef Jean Philippe Maury. Most recently, he served as a pastry chef at the Aria Resort & Casino, where he managed two locations of the Jean Philippe Pâtisseries.

With a passion for simple, strong and classic flavors, Chef Blouin strives to create desserts that encourage diners to dive in and leave them feeling satisfied. His creations – featuring whimsical presentations and bold colors – may not be recognizable as something familiar at first sight, but they are instantly familiar at first taste.

“I’m very pleased to have Nicolas as part of the team,” Executive Chef Bruno Davaillon said. “His desserts are as delicious as they are beautiful, and his artistic style compliments the Mansion Restaurant’s culinary concept.”

Chef Blouin has already revamped Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek’s private dining menus, and he will launch new desserts in the Mansion Restaurant this week. Highlights of the new dessert menu include:

-Raspberry and Vanilla Cheesecake “Surprise” with Margarita Sorbet

-Banana & Peanut
Caramelized Banana, Peanut Streusel, Caramel Custard, Peanut Butter Ice Cream

-Dark Chocolate Composition
Chocolate Brownie, Cremeux, Café Latte Ice Cream

-Strawberry & Rhubarb
Marinated Strawberry, Poached Rhubarb, Lemon Verbena Mousse, Sour Cream Sorbet

Chef Blouin is married and he and his wife, Nicole, are currently expecting their first child.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek has spent three decades as a trend-setter in the hotel industry, and it’s ushering in the new decade as a fore-runner in style and design. In its 30th birthday year, the Mansion debuts a dramatically redesigned property that sets the standard for hospitality.

The hotel’s 143 newly appointed rooms and suites and restyled lobby are unveiled this month and feature a stunning design concept, a collaborative effort of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Michael Booth, principal of the San Francisco-based interior design firm BAMO. When Caroline Rose Hunt turned the Sheppard King mansion into a world-class hotel 30 years ago, it was a leader in style and service. That same tradition continues today as the new design pays homage to the property’s storied, iconic history.

“As the most celibrated hotel in Texas, it’s important for Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek to be the most timeless, refined property in the industry,” Managing Director Duncan Graham said. “Maintaining our tradition of awards and recognition is critical, and this stunning redesign sets the tone for the next three decades.”

The sophisticated design begins with the lobby, as guests are greeted with custom, limed oak reception and concierge desks, providing a calming place for the eye to rest.

Expanding on a concept centered on soft tones and cool colors, Booth was careful to keep the space refined, not too casual, and never trendy. The lobby furnishings and textiles are a careful juxtaposition of shapes, materials and color, and an elaborate layering of detail and styles reinforces the residential quality.

The lobby is anchored by a pair of neutral-colored Michael Taylor sofas that boast refined curves. The look is punctuated by beautiful, lattice-backed occasional chairs by John Boone, and four elegant, art-modern club chairs with coral and white Fortuny fabric are the work of William Switzer. Also by Switzer, two exaggerated wing chairs in embossed yellow leather frame the original fireplace.

Paying homage to the Mansion’s history, antique, stone-topped consoles original to the hotel were artfully restored and they take center stage in the new lobby design.

The new color scheme is a soothing and warm palate that mixes buttery off-whites with light grays and sand colors, then adds the Mansion’s iconic peach color and coral, red, brown and black for furnishings and accents. Additional ranges of color are in the artwork, which purposefully contrast everything else in the spaces.

Three decades ago, Mrs. Hunt was a leader in combining modern and traditional art displayed in a residential setting, and the same is true today. The Mansion’s art collection is an exclamation point to the interior design. Throughout the property – the restaurant, lobby and guestrooms and suites – stylish, colorful prints and original creations by Texas artists personalize each space.

The lobby’s signature moment is in the hand-painted Chinese silk wallpaper by De Gournay. The pattern, custom painted to fit the lobby walls, is traditional, classic and compliments the platinum Brunschwig wallpaper in the Promenade. The seating areas are grounded by carpets in a modernized trellis pattern handmade in Thailand. They provide a contemporary counterpoint to the traditional wallpaper.

The guest rooms are an extension of the lobby and dining spaces in both style and mood. Egyptian cotton sheets and residential furnishings in sumptuous fabrics set the standard in luxury. Calming, peaceful paint colors provide subtle continuity from the intimate, original home to the hotel rooms, and the look is pulled together with thoughtful accessories, art and attention to detail.

It was important for the designers to carry the Mansion’s residential style throughout the property, and the look is achieved with detailed chairs and sofas, pretty lamps and furnishings one would find in the finest home. The spacious rooms are at once formal, without being fussy, and comfortable. A deliberate combination of fabric colors and textures and wood grains and finishes results in rooms that lead the industry in style and sophistication.

“Those who have never been to the Mansion will feel like this is the legendary, iconic place they’ve always heard about, and those who’ve been coming for years will recognize it as the place they’ve always loved,” Booth said.

The hotel redesign comes on the heels of the restoration of the historic Mansion Restaurant. In 2008, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek introduced the renovated Mansion Restaurant, which featured a mix of historic architectural details and modern art and lighting. In November 2009, Executive Chef Bruno Davaillon took the reins to lead the next generation of culinary excellence at the Mansion Restaurant.

Dallas’ most iconic restaurant introduces its new executive chef today as Bruno Davaillon makes his official debut in the kitchen. Chef Davaillon comes to the Mansion from Mix, an Alain Ducasse restaurant, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2008 and 2009 under his leadership. Chef Davaillon, the fourth executive chef in the Mansion’s 29-year-history, is the only Mansion chef to have earned a Michelin star and is the only Michelin-ranked chef to lead a Dallas restaurant.

A native of the Loire Valley in France, Chef Davaillon (pronounced Dav-e-on) is a graduate of CAP, Châteauroux Culinary School in Châteauroux, France. He ascended the ranks in some of the most highly acclaimed kitchens in Europe, including five two-star and one three-star Michelin ranked restaurants. In 1997 he moved to the United States to become Chef du Cuisine for a United Nations Ambassador. Chef Davaillon went on to assume the leadership positions at the St. Regis Los Angeles and Restaurant Beaucoup in San Francisco before being tapped by the famed Alain Ducasse to become Executive Chef of Mix in Las Vegas.

“We are thrilled beyond measure to have Bruno at the Mansion,” said Duncan Graham, Managing Director of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. “He arrived in Dallas and was quick to spend time becoming well acquainted with the Mansion’s culinary team as well as local purveyors and suppliers of high quality produce, meats and dairy.”

Equally delighted to be at the Mansion, Davaillon added, “My family and I have been welcomed so warmly to Dallas by the Mansion team and the people we’ve met.”

Chef Davaillon’s cuisine defies narrow descriptions, rather it reveals the brilliance of simplicity. His approach involves choosing the freshest, finest ingredients and combining them to maximize the flavor and texture.

“I feel you should be able to taste every ingredient in a dish. Food should not be complicated or make someone guess what they’re eating,” Chef Davaillon says of his approach.

The chef has incorporated some of his latest creations into the dinner menu, which will not remain static, rather it will evolve seasonally and accommodate the tastes and desires of its guests. The Mansion’s lunch menu will also feature new menu items which will be introduced next month.

The Mansion Restaurant has been delighting guests for more than 29 years. The proud tradition of culinary excellence and exquisite service will continue as Chef Bruno Davaillon leads the Mansion’s talented culinary team to give guests the most inviting, approachable and valuable dining experience in Texas.