Meridian — Restaurant in Dallas

TLDR: not good, every course a disappointment, go anywhere else.

Last year, we dined here for Valentine’s Day and had a wonderful experience, and expected the same. The food, service, and ambience have all declined sharply.

The staff was nervous, the restaurant far too bright. The brioche was dry even when buttered and recalled a ritz cracker, not the worst, but a sign of things to come.

The delicate flavor of cured hiramasa and fois gras was completely overwhelmed by the strawberry. It evoked dental analgesic at worst, or funky strawberry syrup at best. If you removed the jam, the dish was significantly better composed, but it was drizzled on like subway sandwich dressing.

The crispy polenta was fine - the polenta was dry (nearly unrecognizable as polenta), the mushroom was a bit undercooked, but the dish was the best composed despite the overly acidic sauce.

We sent the yuca gnocchi back - the gnocchi was undercooked, no hint of peppercorn, the sauce salty, one dimensional, and sparse. inedible, despite the price.

The quail was stuffed with a rather greasy sausage, the spice of the sausage outcompeted any other flavor on the plate including the scallions. Another overly acidic dish.

The scallops were a tiny portion, 2 standard sized scallops, over salted, but edible.

The coconut pavlova was the saltiest desert I’ve ever had, and was frankly sickening. We left most of this on the plate.

We left the restaurant and felt ill on the ride home, bile in our mouths from the acidity. The flavor remained for atleast an hour after the meal.

The staff was uncomfortable, hovering, and pushy. They lacked the pride and confidence of a restaurant of this tier, and it felt like they knew how far left the restaurant had gone.

The reservation came with a $50 per person cancellation fee - looking back, I would’ve rather paid $100 not to eat here, and another $170...

Very beautiful setting in a very nice and walkable area. Great for date night. Valet parking included. Great selection of wines by the glass. Hosts are extremely courteous and they pay attention to details.

My wife ordered coffee with dessert. A second server noticed some coffee had been spilled under the cup (nothing much IMHO). No one asked but he immediately replaced the plate and cleaned the spilled coffee to avoid any coffee getting on my wife's clothes. Our assigned server was great, very engaging and when she heard that among ourselves we discussed the menu in Spanish she switched languages since she was also bilingual.

We ordered Caesar's salad and it turned out to be a different taking of the old classic. Very interesting presentation and we all agreed it tasted great. We ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli and it was delicious.

My wife and I ordered the Picanha steak since this is a Brazilian themed restaurant and we both love Steak River Farms products. My wife enjoyed her steak. I must have been the unlucky Picanha lover of the day because mine was a little tough. I ordered a med-rare and the served steak was leaning towards the rare side but it was still tougher than I would expect from River Farm Products (specially when cooked almost rare). The Picanha was cut differently than what we are used to and served as round pieces. Nice presentation but I still was disappointed that my beloved Picanha was not perfect.

Our dessert was the Brigadeiro cake that should please chocolate lovers and a macchiato. We are always hesitant to ask for lattes or macchiatos at restaurants in Dallas but ours was prepared perfectly.

Four stars only because of my Picanha experience but on a final note we are already planning to return (bringing more friends) because we had a great time. Highly...

It’s wonderful experiencing spaces from the inside when they look amazing from other venues. That’s Meridian! From the view of every venue that’s part of The Village Dallas experience, you can’t wait to visit Meridian. I must admit, the design is more relaxed than I expected! If there’s a way to combine a high-end restaurant, with a Chic mid-century diner, they did it! Our hostess Alexandra, was a sweetie, and took the time to make us feel at home. Meridian offers two menus, a full dining experience with courses, and set price, and then the bar menu. With no reservation, the bar was our only option. I was skeptical I could feel up on what was offered from the bar menu, but Bravo Chef! It’s not about the Quantity, rather the Quality! The dishes, which are described as modern, Brazilian cuisine, with influences of Africa, Italy, and Japan, were delicious, and feeling. There’s not enough I can say about the Kohlrabi Caesar, Calabresa Sausage, nor Yuca Fries, Wow, just Wow! I can absolutely say, if you sit at the bar, you won’t be disappointed! Our bartenders Jasmine, & Tyler were phenomenal! Meridian carries Suntory, Japanese Whiskey, which is a huge plus for me! I always peer a watchful eye towards management, because they set the tone of the night, and Catlin, Meridian’s manager was impressive. Everything she asked of her staff, she did as well, while still checking on every guest! I’m Lorenzo, so, of course I have to describe the ambiance! Meridian offers a wonderful intersection of culture. Let’s call it, Highland Park, meets, Hip Hop couture, meets date night, all, with upbeat tracks. Guess what Meridian? I will definitely be back. Readers, I hope to see you soon! ...