Restaurant Spotlight - BOLSA
One Of Our Favorites!
Bolsa is located on Davis Street just west of the Bishop Arts District in a historic building known as Settles Garage. The original owner built the core building block by cinder block himself and established a reputation for great service. Bolsa has paid tribute to the Settles Garage by restoring many original elements from the original garage doors on Davis to the original cement floor salvaged for paving stones on the patio.
The Bolsa bar and kitchen rest solidly on cinder block that Settles would have used. The location in Oak Cliff was chosen based on the sense of community that exists in this eclectic, bohemian neighborhood - a perfect match to the Bolsa experience. Bolsa, like the streets of Oak Cliff, is just minutes from Dallas but a world away from the city.
The Chef
Graham Dodds is Bolsa Restaurant’s award winning head chef, who brings to your table a lifetime of unique, wide ranging culinary study and hands-on experience, combined with close relationships with local Texas farmers and suppliers, to create the surprising, richly memorable experience that is dining at Bolsa.
Graham’s career in the culinary arts started with formal training at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon and the Cordon Bleu Institute in London, England. From there, Graham continued his development as a chef by travel and work internationally, including England (London’s Hempel Hotel & Oxo Tower), Switzerland (Ristorante S. Michele, Arosio) and Thailand. Graham gained further experience and range nationally in Oregon (Higgins Restaurant, Portland), Alaska (Summit Restaurant, Juneau), Colorado (Renaissance Restaurant, Aspen), Vermont (Inn at Shelburne Farm, Bass Restaurant), Massachusetts (Harborview Hotel in Martha’s Vineyard, Edgartown), as well as locally in Austin (Wink Restaurant) and Dallas (Star Canyon, The Grape, The Green Room, Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza).
Adding dimension to Graham’s culinary talent is his continuing work with beekeeping. As a child, Graham spent several summers in England with his Grandparents, where he learned beekeeping from his Grandfather, an enthusiastic beekeeper himself. Graham’s work with the bees continues to the present day. He maintains several hives which he keeps in Dallas and Waxahachie, and this work is fulfilling for him both personally and professionally. Graham’s integration into his cuisine of both his own and locally produced honeys and associated products has become one of Graham’s trademarks.
In July, 2008, Graham had the unique opportunity to open an eclectic restaurant called Bolsa in a converted automotive garage on the edge of the Bishop Arts District in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. Bolsa has received rave reviews from D Magazine, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Observer, and a feature in the American Way Magazine of American Airlines. That same year, Graham was recognized by the Dallas Morning News as one of the Top Ten new chefs in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex area, and in 2009 Graham was featured as one of the top nine new chefs by the Dallas Observer. His first national exposure was in Bon Appétit magazine in December, 2009.
