Bolsa

Bolsa, which translates to "bag" in Spanish, is the culmination of over a year of plans, dreams, inspiration, hard work, experimentation, and risk. Bolsa is a little place that holds great things inside; great food to be tasted and shared, wonderful wines to be explored, and great little finds to be discovered.

Bolsa is located on Davis just west of the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff in a historic building known as Settles Garage. The original owner and namesake built the core building block by block himself and established a reputation for great service within a very solid and attractive building. Bolsa has paid tribute to the Settles Garage by restoring many original elements while reclaiming and reusing virtually all the parts that fit into today's operation from the original garage doors on Davis to the original cement floor salvaged for paving stones on the new patio. The Bolsa bar and kitchen rest solidly on cinder block that Settles would have used. New doors and windows are also big in a nod to Ole Settles to keep the natural light and fresh air flowing in his space. The location in Oak Cliff was chosen based on the sense of community that exists in this somewhat eclectic, bohemian neighborhood, which is a perfect match to the Bolsa experience. Bolsa, like the local streets of Oak Cliff, is just minutes from Dallas but a world away from the big city crush.

The Bolsa team is comprised of Oak Cliff residents Chris Zielke and Christopher Jeffers who have partnered with Alexander Urrunago and Royce Ring, principals of Plan B Group, a Dallas based architecture and design firm. Urrunago is a native of Peru while Zielke hails from Chili. The four share a common vision to create a laid-back little place that attracts a wide range of local folks for a variety of occasions at any time on any day; a place that is always busy, always buzzing. The team has worked collaboratively on a number of significant restaurant projects in Dallas over the last ten years with Zielke and Jeffers as recognizable faces at Hotel ZaZa while Urrunago and Ring are recognized by their work ranging from Village Burger Bar and Nikita to Medina and the Stoneleigh Hotel.

The team has enlisted local Chef Graham Dodds to lead the kitchen, whose work has turned heads at Dragonfly just like the organic honey crafted by Dodds, wife Amy and their worker bees have warmed everyone's sweet tooth one spoonful at a time. Bolsa will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week from an ever evolving, carefully thought out menu designed by Chef Dodds. The kitchen has no freezer or fryer by design. Many of the ingredients in the kitchen are also available in the Bolsa market area. Locally grown in Texas, is organic and of compelling quality, Chef Dodds will find a way to build it into a dish or sandwich or bite to die for. The menu is also designed for take-away if dining in is not an option.

The Bolsa bar is clearly present front and center of the main room and extends to the patio through a set of huge operable windows. The main focus of the bar is on wines hand selected by Chris Zielke ranging from Chileans from his home turf to sassy newcomers and old friends. In all, wines that meet the Bolsa criteria of being affordable, interesting, and sensational. The edited cellar list changes frequently as small allotments are replaced with new finds. A cornerstone of the bar is the house-made Sangria in classic red, crisp white and fresh fruit infusions, a crowd favorite and blurred memory from the team's travels in Spain. Bolsa offers a full bar for those inclined to sip a cocktail or enjoy one of several icy craft beers on tap.

The market area of Bolsa surrounds the interior space. It features everything that bohemian c-store should, from newspapers to fresh roses and cactus to Graham and Amy's home raised honey and beeswax candles. Virgin olive oil, organic pasta and artisan chocolates join the usual sodas, teas, and water. Illy coffee is served in the café and also sold in the market. Texas made products dominate nooks and shelves and also appear on today's menu. Guests essentially have the run of the kitchen's pantry and cooler as what is on the plate is also available on the shelves.

Thanks to the vision of landlord David Spence of Good Space, the bones of the old garage are a perfect match to the Bolsa design. There is crushed granite in the parking lot, "green" plantings of cacti and indigenous trees surrounding the building and lots of carbon steel and cedar timbers forming a corral around the iron and cedar picnic tables on the patio. Inside and out, Bolsa has the touch and feel of an easy weekend in Austin. The soft side takes from in a mid-century inspired burnt orange banquette and a huge amber rise and fall lamp that glows onto a walnut slab table for six. Original screen prints from Texas artist Dirk Fowler dot the walls while the sounds of Austin musicians fill out the play list along with vintage greats like Cash, Isley Brothers, and classic rock. The entire Bolsa environment is designed for comfort, rejuvenation, and connection. The space, as old Settles intended and like the diverse group that runs it today, is unbreakable, timeless, and tight.