Many Dallas chefs say their new restaurant is one-of-a-kind — a place you’ve never seen, with a menu full of surprises. It’s often not true. Meridian is a rare exception.
This modern Brazilian restaurant from executive chef Nilton “Junior” Borges opened May 11 in The Village in Dallas. It’s Borges’ immigrant story, on a plate.
He refers to the “immigrant mentality” he’s had as a chef in the U.S.: “I have to make it,” he says. “I just have to keep my head down and work as hard as I can.”
Borges spent 20 years in Brazil and 20 years in the United States, and his new restaurant pulls inspiration from both countries, then dresses them up. Here, you’ll find fermented tapioca flour in the pão de queijo (cheese bread), and toasted cassava flour, or farofa, plated with house-made pork sausages.
“This is my food,” Borges says. “This is who I am.”
Borges and his staff will be happy to tell customers about the origins of the ingredients on the menu. The cassava root “really tells a story about food in Brazil,” Borges says, because it’s an inexpensive ingredient that can be used in many ways. Borges’ grandmother, the oldest of 24 children, used the cassava root almost daily. She’d ferment the root, grind it into flour and bake a cake. Or she’d make fish head broth, then thicken it with cassava flour.
“It’s a very humble ingredient,” Borges says. “[Brazilians] were very resourceful in terms of finding ways to use it.”
Given Borges’ background as former executive chef of Uchi in Dallas and his 10 years working in New York at restaurants like Diner and Colicchio & Sons, Borges’ food is much more contemporary than his grandmother’s food was. But with innovation comes opportunity: He gets to cook his family’s food in a kitchen that — for the first time — is all his.
Borges believes he’s serving modern Brazilian dishes you can’t find in Dallas, or even in his former home of New York City.
The daily bread is a must-order item at Meridian. Borges’ team makes the bread in-house daily, then offers a trio of butters or dips to slather on each slice. At its opening on May 11, the kitchen served braided brioche with marbled butter and sea salt; a spicy whipped nduja and tomato spread; and housemade ricotta with ramp relish hiding underneath. Each bite is a little adventure — a conversation, about which spread you like best.
“I love bread and all things that go with bread,” Borges says.
Other shareable snacks include beef tartare and a sesame garlic pancake served with avocado, chive and caviar. Borges’ menu of seven small plates include the Calabresa sausage with farofa, and a bowl of fluke tartare served atop bonito cream and finger lime vinaigrette. The fluke dish is bright and delicate, and it shows off Borges’ attention to detail. It also features a pretty display of herbs grown in the garden a few hundred feet away.
Hearty pasta dishes include pappardelle with braised lamb, and fusilli with pork ragu. The pasta section was inspired in part by New York chef Missy Robbins, who Borges worked for at A Voce.
The cassava root makes an appearance again in the large plates, where stuffed quail is served with crispy yuca: Yuca is another name for cassava.
The moqueca will offer Dallasites a taste of traditional Brazilian stew, with an upscale twist. For now, Borges’ moqueca is served with prawns and charred plantains in coconut broth, with steamed rice.
Borges says he doesn’t want to take himself too seriously; he says his food is “simple” and “homey” despite the intricate technique. Cocktails help keep the mood light, and options include classic drinks like a caipirinha and a daiquiri. The Night Swim will turn heads: It’s a mix of vodka, Grand Marnier, rosé and passion fruit and comes in a truly giant wine glass.
The glassed-in room offers views of The Village’s new development, one of Dallas’ biggest restaurant construction projects in a decade. The bustling new area is home to a coffee shop, food hall, sports bar, boutique grocery store, tiki bar, hotel and more.
Within The Village, Borges’ restaurant Meridian is the most refined eatery — a destination for food lovers who want to take a journey to South America. Dallas does have other Brazilian-inflected restaurants, but steakhouses like Fogo de Chão are more common.
About 21 months ago, we called Borges’ role at The Village his “big comeback.” That still feels true. And Meridian is its beating heart.
Meridian is at 5650 Village Glen Drive, Dallas. It opened May 11, 2021. Make reservations on Resy.
