One of Dallas’ newest and most sought-after restaurants has made the Robb Report list of the best new restaurants in America.
Robb Report released its list of the newly opened best restaurants in America, with Dallas’ Meridian at No.5.
The publication admits that the Top 10 list looks very different from previous years. While most restaurants are awarded for their precision in culinary technique and service, post-pandemic restaurants are rewarded for combining casualness with high-end, well-crafted plates.
Meridian checks both boxes.
The restaurant features modern Brazilian cuisine from celebrity executive chef Junior Borges.
Serving his favorite childhood meals along with Texas’ best flavors, Borges couples capicola and pickles with tapioca, Brazilian cheese fritters, stuffed quail with foie gras, and a jus made with the Brazilian guava paste goiabada. Texas Wagyu beef is available but offered as picanha, a cut first popularized in Borges’ native country.
Borges likes to include some playfulness in his dishes. While diners can find Caesar salad on most menus, he chose one made with kohlrabi. In Meridian’s version, ribbons of German turnip provide a crisp and refreshing contrast to the anchovy-filled aioli they are nestled in. Fresh mint leaves add a herbal punch to an already tasty dish.
Other restaurants mentioned within the top 10 list include Houston newcomer, March, which comes in at number two on the list. The Mediterranean restaurant is praised for its aesthetic, pleasing food, and “smart-but-not-obtrusive service.”
Dallas’ Monarch was noted in conjunction with the list’s release, but it is unclear if it was ever a contender or just an honorable mention.
Sitting at the top of the list of the best new restaurants in America is San Ho Won, a San Francisco restaurant featuring Korean dishes from fine-dining chefs Corey Lee and Jeong-In Hwang.
The other seven restaurants on the list were: Kasama, a Filipino restaurant in Chicago; Les Trois Chevaux, a Chinese restaurant in New York that employs French techniques; Horses, a Los Angeles spot from a husband-and-wife chef team; Audrey, a Nashville eatery by famed chef Sean Brock; Tomo, an Asian tasting restaurant in Washington State; Mena, a New York restaurant with a global menu; and Callie, a Mediterranean spot in San Diego.
