12 January 26–February 1, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Good Things Come in Fours A Look at Meridian’s new four-course, prix fixe experience. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS M eridian is forging a less- taken path with a new prix fixe menu. Before you grumble about being told what to eat, hold your skit- tish horses. It’s nuanced. And compelling. Meridian opened in The Village in 2021. Chef Junior Borges introduced Dallas to the Brazilian dishes and flavors of his homeland in a beautiful space. It’s fine dining with a big open kitchen and convivial service that softens any rigid edges. Recently, Borges and newly appointed executive chef Justin Mosley embarked on a new way to serve and dine. The old menus were tossed and fresh, new ones printed. For diners, instead of wandering — perhaps aim- lessly — through a meal, there’s a four- course prix fixe menu. This isn’t like at an omakase experience or, say, Carte Blanche’s six-course tasting menu where diners relin- quish all input. A prix fixe is a touch humble — the less flashy cousin to the tasting menu. It’s also an opportunity for a chef to guide the narrative, control the story more suc- cinctly and, ideally, provide a richer experi- ence. Borges says it brings more efficiency: his kitchen staff focuses on fewer things and does them better. He says there’s also less waste. The hope also is that diners will try things they normally wouldn’t. For $73 a diner gets four courses, with three to four dishes to choose from for each course. There’s no skipping or eighty-sixing a course. Four plates will arrive in front of you. Usually, there’s a vegetarian option, fish, and, of course, a carnivore dish. We were invited for a media preview and two of us ordered different meals for each course allowing us to sample almost half of the menu. A board of Our Daily Bread (a fresh boule with housemade butter, oil and vinegar, and a smear of whipped lardo) ar- rives at every table, which is great for pick- ing at while working through the menu. The first course is a lighter dish, the middle two heartier, and a light dessert finishes things off. Your main might be in the second or third course. For me it was the braised oxtail pap- pardelle with creme fraiche in the second course, followed by a skate moqueca (one of Meridian’s signature dishes) in the third. My companion got four light duck confit dumplings in a broth (anolini en brodo) for the second course, followed by quail stuffed with linguica calabresa for the third course. House-made pavlova with a grapefruit cremeux was a bright, light ending. There’s also a devilish chocolate option. Two menu items are on offer for an addi- tional charge: a wagyu New York strip ($35) and yuca gnocchi with white alba truffle on the second course ($40). Wine pairings per diner are $40. Borges says the menu will change as it needs to, in small increments (micro-seasonally); however, some things will stay for good, like the moqueca. In the end, we tried things we normally wouldn’t have. I walked away with a better grasp of what the kitchen is “doing” and also a deeper understanding of Brazilian fare. And each course was just enough; one box was needed for a few bites that were too good to leave behind. If you still just really want to get the beach cheese, no worries. There’s a four- item add-on menu. There’s also an a la carte menu for the bar area. And the X-Tudo Burger is still on the happy hour menu (5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Sundays and Tuesday – Thursday). See? Nuanced. And compelling. Meridian, 5650 Village Glen Drive. Tues- day – Sunday, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; closed Monday. ▼ FIRST LOOK LOGGING IN RIVER PIG SALOON FLOATS TO LOWEST GREENVILLE. BY ANGIE QUEBEDEAUX R iver Pig Saloon recently opened on the lowest part of Greenville Avenue in what was a Firestone tire shop for years and most recently housed the shut- tered Flatbread Company. The restaurant originated in Oregon, where “River Pig” is an old term for guys whose job it was to guide timber down rivers to sawmills. Be- cause this involved clearing up literal log jams, it’s safe to say they enjoyed a drink at the end of their very long day just by virtue of the fact they had survived. We recently checked out this first loca- tion outside of Oregon for both lunch and brunch. Taxidermy pieces hang throughout the spacious dining room. The bar area has about 15 seats, and there are several booths and tables with plenty of room to mingle. Most of the seating, though, is in the outdoor area, which has been converted into a large all-season patio with roll-up doors, fans, heaters, artificial turf and TVs. The menu offers typical items that you would find at a gastropub, but also some unique grub like the Hell’s Canyon Drum- sticks ($11). Instead of drums and flats, you get five whole chicken legs with your choice of flavors (house dry rub, cilantro Buffalo, barbecue or honey mustard). Go for the house dry rub drumsticks; they’re juicy, yet crispy and nicely seasoned without the mess. We also tried the Saloon’s Bison Burger ($16), which is topped with bacon, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, pickles and garlic mayo on a brioche bun. Seasoned curly fries topped with herbs and Parmesan are served hot and fresh with all the burgers. River Pig recently started a brunch service from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sun- day. We tried the chicken ‘n’ waffles ($14). The presentation was spectacular: two large chicken breasts are nestled between four Bel- gian waffles topped with grapefruit slices, ha- banero syrup and honey butter. We couldn’t wait to dive into this dish, but we were disappointed that the chicken and the batter seemed to have zero season- ing, and the habanero syrup was missing any hint of spice. The chicken, however, was juicy and cooked with a nicely battered coat- ing even though it was hard to finish. That said, it certainly wasn’t all doom and gloom. In fact, there was a ray of brunchy sun- shine in the Fat Mac Burger. Also served with organic bison, a sunny-side-up egg, bourbon bacon jam, smoked gouda, pickles and a spicy aioli, it is a great combination of savory, sweet and spicy that worked really well together. There’s a large wood-burning pizza oven in the middle of the restaurant, and we’re anxious to get back to try that. For a restaurant in this area, there is suffi- cient parking available. There’s also an old- school photo booth at the front. River Pig Saloon, 1720 Greenville Ave. Monday – Wednesday, 2 p.m. – midnight; Thursday – Sunday, 2 p.m. – 1 a.m. Lauren Drewes Daniels Skate moqueca is one of Meridian’s signature dishes. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p14 www.dallasobserver.com/signup go to WEEKLY EMAIL D SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY EMAIL LIST for feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more!
