Since the days when culinary superstars presided over The mansionThe Rosewood Hotel’s restaurant has gone from one of Dallas’ most famous dining institutions to second place. For some years, the chefs at The Mansion preserved a traditional experience rather than introducing the kind of individual style offered by Bruno Davaillon, Dean Fearing and John Tesar.

But this year, a newcomer has arrived, ready to shake things up. Charles Olalia has the gastronomic resume to meet The Mansion’s high technical standards, and his Filipino roots suggest flavors and ideas that have never appeared in these dining rooms before. With a recent visit to test his “discovery” tasting menu, he’s off to a good start. The strongest criticism we can offer is also the kindest: Olalia’s touches on the menu are so intriguing, we’d like to see more.

You won’t soon forget one of the most striking things to ever appear on a Dallas table: its salt. In the Philippines, an ancient, endangered and time-consuming method called asín tibuók is used in the central Visayas islands. Coconut shells are soaked in seawater for months in pits that fill with the tides. The hulls are then dried and burned; the resulting ash is used as a filter in bamboo funnels, into which more seawater is poured to produce a brine. This brine is then poured into open clay pots, suspended over an oven and kept at a low boil, allowing the liquid to evaporate. When the jars begin to crack, revealing solid salt inside, they are ready to serve.

This is exactly what will appear on your table at the Mansion: a cracked clay pot with entire shards missing and the remaining pieces clinging for dear life to a statue of salt. These pots of salt sell, according to an Internet search, for about $150 each. “That looks like a dinosaur egg,” I thought, unaware that a mark sells under this name. Using a microplane zester, our server grated some of the salt into a fluffy cloud, which then settled onto our first course.

That’s not the only Filipino touch Olalia brought to the dish, an aguachile of raw scallops and hamachi chopped and seasoned with calamansi and cilantro, then served in a scallop shell under half-moons of cucumber and Fresno pepper shards. He also created a delicious coconut, carrot and lemongrass soup, poured over chopped roasted carrots and fried shallots. The coconut brought richness and the Fresno peppers (again) added a gentle heat.

As the tasting progressed to the main courses, the dishes continued to show technical chops, but the unique touches faded. The sweet corn tortellini was a highlight, carefully folded, cooked to perfection and served in a porcini broth. The fish and steak were expertly cooked, but the rest of these plates were decidedly conservative. On the side of the steak, mashed potatoes had been arranged in a semi-circle, like a smiling face with no eyes. A bacon-wrapped carrot and a stalk of asparagus rested on the smile. The strawberry-pistachio semifreddo, served in a fun spaceship-like shape, was a nice finish.

There are a few hundred other places in Dallas to get steak and potatoes. Still, Olalia’s menu hints at new things to come. And the ambiance and service in the dining room also remain a delight. Varied dining spaces, some grand and others intimate, allow for a variety of guest experiences. Late on weekend evenings, live music echoes down the hallway from the bar. Sommelier Brian Huynh is a veteran with great taste and a cellar of goodies; he can guide you through a classic wine list or compose a pairing to accompany your tasting menu.

If I could advise the management of The Mansion, I would say this: let the new guy show himself. This restaurant’s dining space has always been a star attraction, no matter who’s in charge. But The Mansion also has a long history of charismatic chefs who command attention with their star power. Fearing, Tesar, Davaillon: these leaders made The Mansion a destination through the combination of its history and their personality.

This kind of magic can happen again. If Olalia really wants to stick to a conservative style, offering a classic gazpacho as an appetizer and a steak as a main course, I guess I shouldn’t argue with him. But if The Mansion’s leadership is waiting for a signal to take the training wheels off and let their leader generate the kind of enthusiasm that previous leaders had to offer, well, consider this the signal. We are ready to taste something new.

This story was originally published in the November issue of D Magazine with the title “Steak, potatoes and dinosaur eggs.” Write to Brian Reinhart@dmagazine.com.