Blue Mesa Grill is rolling out a new set of monthly grazing menus from the minds of some of Dallas’ most renowned chefs, including Matt Balke and Jeff Harris of Bolsa and Bolsa Mercado and Brian C. Luscher of The Grape.

Blue Mesa CEO Jim Baron says that five Dallas chefs are developing month-long menus with an emphasis on fresh Texas ingredients, to supplement the normal Blue Mesa fare. First up is Jeffery Hobbs, executive chef of Consilient’s upcoming American F+B, who is focusing on Texas artisan cheeses and olive oils, for a menu running now through February 10.

The idea for the Texas Best Showcase series sprung from Baron and Blue Mesa’s desire to collaborate with chef Sharon Hage, who is spearheading the whole run.

“We’ve known Sharon for many years,” Baron says, “but we could just never get together. Her approach always resonated with what we do. It’s simple but good, and it’s similar to Blue Mesa’s approach.”

Hage was given the freedom to pick the chefs and work with them to develop their menus, but they have been mindful of creating dishes that complement Blue Mesa’s existing dishes.

“We want things that belong within their menu,” Hage says. “There are parameters for portion size. These are smaller items, so diners can order their favorites and then get these as side dishes to share or for appetizers.”

Hobbs created dishes such as “Mesadillas” with Mexican truffle (that’s huitlacoche for you foodies out there), roasted red pepper and Veldhuizen Texas Gold cheddar — which he says is a riff on grilled cheese and tomato soup. Another dish is a twist on shrimp and grits, with Homestead Gristmill blue corn grits, crispy crawfish and chicken, and Eagle Mountain Gouda with jalapeño tomato gravy.

For dessert, Hobbs dreamed up a sopaipilla filled with cinnamon apple and Brazos Valley Van Sormon (a firm cheese coated with cinnamon), topped with Brie from the same producer and agave nectar.

Baron says these five Texas Best Showcases will supplement Blue Mesa’s regular festivals, like the citrus event in February and March and the Hill Country herb fest in November and December.

“These showcases give us the ability for research and development work in a cost-effective way,” Baron says. “Some of these dishes might even get on the permanent menu if they’re really popular.”

Because the dishes highlight Texas ingredients, they are dictated by what’s in season. Bolsa’s Balke and Harris, no strangers to the whole local thing, are still working on their menu and have yet to decide on a theme for April, Hage says. Joanne Bondy of Old Hickory at the Gaylord Texan is creating the menu for May.

Hage is pretty sure that when Luscher comes on in October, he will highlight his Post Oak Red Hots. Hage will cover June, and she is still weighing her options.

“I’m on the fence,” she says. “It’s a good time for Texas blueberries and peaches, but we’ll see. I’ve got a lot of options, and I haven’t decided if it’s coming from the land or the Gulf. I’ll let the other chefs have first dibs.”

She says that the whole process has been smooth so far.

“I reached out to people I thought would want to be involved and let them choose which month,” she says. “They were all really amenable, and it’s part of the fun.”

Baron is optimistic that the showcases will be a boon for everyone involved.

“It’s just a cool thing,” he says. “There’s this freshness to it, and it gets the chefs publicity for their own places. Hopefully this will become a recurring thing at Mesa.”

Hage says that it’s still very early in the process, but that making it a permanent part of Mesa’s festivals would be a good thing.

“We just launched last night,” she says, “but if the response is great, hopefully it’ll become permanent. That’s always the idea.”