Gilt City Dinner at the Mansion

by Steven Doyle

In March of 2010 Brooke Hortenstine, editor-at-large for local Paper City, did a clever piece with Mansion Restaurant executive chef Bruno Davaillon and cooked together for a day. This past weekend they reprised their kitchen tête-à-tête for Gilt City Dallas  and prepared a special dinner for a handful of people that virtually sold out in minutes.

As a last minute invited guest I was at once grinning and excited to see what the duo of Davaillon and Hortenstine might prepare. The menu was not created until the day before the event.

Stick with me on this, you have a chance to win a very special prize at the end of this read.

We started with a soup course that was accompanied by a tiny lobster grilled cheese sandwich. The celery root bisque was by far the table’s most anticipated dish. The white truffle infused soup was creamy and inviting. The soup was paired with 2009 “Singing” Gruner Veltliner, Laurenz V. Austria.

Next we were entertained by a caramelized fennel and orange seared diver scallops. The scallops were as perfectly cooked as you might imagine, with a crisp sheen and moistened, milky interior. The dish was paired with a 2009 William Fevre Chablis from Les Champs Royaux.

The next course tickled our inner carnivore with a prime tenderloin braised with Swiss chard, porcini-bacon marmalade and a foie gras sauce. The course was stuff of legends. The porcini-bacon marmalade was more insane than it might seem, and made the group smile. The pairing a 2008 Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon from Longhorne Creek caused a few appropriately placed ooohs and ahhs.

After the last course we were all perfectly willing to raise a white flag of defeat but then these cubes of milk chocolate and crunchy pecan goodness appeared before us. The dish was sidled with a passion fruit sauce and hazelnut ice cream, making a perfect happy ending especially when paired with the Emilio Lustau Moscatel Emilin from Spain.

We particularly appreciate the pairing sent out by master sommelier Michael Flynn, and he left everyone in the room with a special gift that we wish to share with you today. A tiny box sat in front of each guest that night, and inside the box sat a wine stopper and a card good for a free wine chat hosted by Flynn. The wine chats have become legendary, with generous pours of a variety of wines each Thursday evening. I am giving my box away to a random commenter here today.

Be sure to sign up for Gilt City  to uncover some of these marvelous finds in fashion, dining and other well sought after adventures.