Travis Street Hospitality’s Stephan Courseau Reflects on 13 Years of Restaurateuring in Dallas

In our new PaperCity Dallas series, “Big Deal in the Big D,” we’re taking pen to paper while doing our favorite thing: talking to Interesting People who do Interesting Things. This month, we’re spotlighting Travis Street Hospitality founder Stephan Courseau (the owner of Michelin-recognized Georgie and Knox Bistro; Le Bilboquet, Rose Cafe, Frenchie, and an upcoming new spot on the Katy Trail) as he celebrates 13 years of restaurateuring in Dallas.

Born and raised in Paris, France, Stephan Courseau dropped out of law school to pursue acting. When he was 21 years old, he and a friend decided they needed to move to New York City to make their dreams a reality.

“New York was the obvious destination,” Courseau tells PaperCity. “Since an early age, I was enamored with American culture. I watched all of the classic movies that were available, from the ’30s all the way to the ’70s. War movies, gangster movies, Westerns.”

“I loved the idea of the American West,” he continues. “I always owned cowboy boots, and I even had a Stetson. And I was wearing them in Paris!”

From Paris to New York City

When Courseau moved to New York, he got a job as a dishwasher/busboy at a small Italian cafe in SOHO named Cafe Boriga. “I barely spoke English at the time, but I was so happy,” he says. “Being in New York was a dream. I became rapidly more interested in living my life than trying to be an actor, and I started meeting some people amongst the French restaurant community, which was very strong there.”

“I landed a bartender job at Le Bilboquet, which I lost three days later,” he says. “I was so bad, I did not know the alcohol brands, and my English skills were still very limited. But eventually, the owner, Philippe [Delgrange], who became my mentor and dear friend, gave me another shot as he saw me work hard. I became a runner, waiter, and eventually a manager.”

As for how he landed in Dallas next, Courseau’s mother-in-law was from here. His wife, Daniele Garcia, who is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of their local restaurant group, Travis Street Hospitality (TSH), had never actually lived in the city, but once they visited in 2005, they got a sneak peek into what life could be if they moved to Texas.

“[My wife’s parents] showed me the city and the places they used to go with my wife’s grandparents,” he says. “One day, memory lane brought us to The Highland Park Pharmacy (now Mister Charles). After a grilled cheese, I was in need of a European coffee. We went to the Starbucks across the street and sat outside for an espresso, and I had a vision that I should open Le Bilboquet here. I told my wife that this would be a great area, one block away from where Le Bilboquet stands today. She laughed and told me I was out of my mind.”

Bringing Le Bilboquet to Dallas

Six years later, the couple made the move to Dallas. Courseau opened the new location of Le Bilboquet in the Knox Street neighborhood in 2013.

“I had that ‘vision’ a few years earlier, but Le Bilboquet is also where it all started for me in a way,” he says. “I fell in love with the restaurant world there. It was a magical place. For the patrons and for the people working there. It did not feel like working there but rather being part of a social experiment where you were sharing important moments with the guests. It became part of my restaurant DNA and never left me.”

The Le Bilboquet Dallas location is still going strong as it celebrates its 13th anniversary this year. It’s been a staple on several of our PaperCity Dallas “Best Lists,” including Best Restaurant Patios, Best French Restaurants, Best Lunch Spots, and more over the years.

Courseau attributes the success to making each guest feel as if they belonged. “I decided to brand it Le Bilboquet Dallas, rather than just Le Bilboquet, as it was very important to me to make it a Dallas restaurant instead of a NYC import.”

As for the rapid development that the neighborhood is currently undergoing, Courseau says that he is excited about it. “I think that Dallas has that energy and desire to always get better. The Knox neighborhood was always charming, but it was a bit dormant. The Auberge project is huge for Knox and Dallas.”

A Travis Street Hospitality Restaurant Takeover in Knox

After opening his first restaurant in Dallas, Courseau says that he never planned to open more concepts in the Knox Street neighborhood (or any other restaurants at all, actually). But eventually, the spaces where Up on Knox (now Knox Bistro) and Georgie — both Michelin Recommended — piqued Courseau’s interest.

“With Le Bilboquet, the challenge was to find the right location for an existing concept,” he says. “With Knox Bistro and Georgie, the locations and spaces dictated the concepts. For Knox Bistro, the corner location called for something more casual, brasserie-like, hence the big neon sign and the large bar. Georgie’s location needed something more intimate, a bit more sophisticated, yet fun and lively.”

A Dallas Chef Icon Joins The Team

Both Knox Bistro and Georgie have undergone changes over the years, the latter having the most recent bout of high turnover in its executive chef position. But now, Culinary Director of TSH Bruno Davaillon has taken on the position at Georgie. But before that, he initially came on board to transform Up on Knox to Knox Bistro.

“Bruno Davaillon is a Dallas ‘trademark’,” he says. “He is the link between Dean Fearing and Stephen Pyles to the new generation, a lot of whom have perfected their craft under his mentorship, either at The Mansion or at Bullion.”

“I knew early on that Dallas was going to become more of a ‘foodie’ city and that quality and consistency were not going to be enough in this ever-evolving restaurant scene,” Courseau continues. “Creativity and excellence are needed more than ever. Bruno brings all of that and more: stability, serenity. This is not a young chef trying to impress. He cooks for the people, not for himself.”

Expanding Beyond the Knox Street Neighborhood

In 2024, TSH debuted two new concepts at The Terminal at Katy Trail — the more casual Asian-inspired Rose Cafe and Asian-fusion fine dining restaurant Le PasSage. The latter closed earlier this year, and Courseay says that the concept is pivoting to an all-day lunch and dinner concept.

“When we took possession of the space, we reasoned that Rose Cafe was going to cater to the Katy Trail goers, which worked,” he explains. “And that Le PasSage needed to embrace the uniqueness of the building and become a higher-end destination.Whether the location was not the right one for the concept or whether the concept wasn’t the right one for Dallas is up for debate. Maybe both. In light of this, we decided to pivot to the trail goers the same way Rose Cafe has.”

The Terminal at Katy Trail concepts were still pretty close to the Knox Street neighborhood, but the group expanded even further north last summer with the opening of Frenchie, a French-inspired all-day cafe. They recently appointed former Georgie Executive Sous Chef Reilly Brown to Executive Chef of the Preston Center spot.

What’s Next For Travis Street Hospitality

Besides rebranding Le PasSage, another goal for Courseau is to focus on what TSH offers and its core values. As for what he’s learned over the past decade of being in the restaurant industry in Dallas, Courseau says that it’s not easy and Dallas is a very competitive market, more so than ever.

“What I learned is that you must keep improving, like the city itself,” he says. “Listen to your customers and your staff, their needs, their criticism, while staying true to your core values, and you’ll be fine.”