It's 7:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night and we're a bit surprised when we pull into the parking lot of the week-old Meridian on Meridian and it's jammed full! Pretty good for a place open only a week, but we wondered if we'd encounter an overwhelmed staff and a kitchen in the weeds. We should have known better. Everything was running smoothly with no sign of stress. Executive chef Dan Dunville says they've been doing well over 100 covers a night (which looks to be about two turns for the medium-sized room.) He may have been hoping for a soft launch but with no luck. "Soft, schmoft," Dunville tells us as he looks around a full dining room. "We've been this busy from our first night."
For most chefs, early crowds might be a problem, but it's clear that Dunville, who seems quiet and a bit reserved to customers, has this operation under control. The menu is polished, food is dialed in, servers are trained and sharp, busboys are efficient, and later in the evening, Dunville even had time to make the rounds in the dining room. If I didn't know better, I'd say this place had been open for months already. (A sharp contrast to a certain other new restaurant in town with great food but still struggling from a poorly run front of house and untrained service.) There is, clearly, an art to not only running a restaurant, but opening one.
While they were hoping to open earlier in the fall so diners could take advantage of their large deck and fireplace (which adds 28 additional seats), their timing was accidentally perfect. With winter coming on, the dark wood interior, much of it the original two-story log cabin of the Seven Mile Inn, is warm and inviting. The updated lodge theme moves into the bar area with a friendly counter for socializing and high tables for more private dining. I foresee many warm, winter bar dinners in my future.
The menu is more diverse than one thinks at first glance. Mirroring the neighborhood and likely clientele, it's a good mix of upscale basics (risotto, salads and soup), conservative classics (steaks and lamb), and new treats (a Thai lime barramundi, and save room for coffee and doughnuts). Most importantly, it left me wanting to come back to try a few items we missed. The standout appetizer was the order of chicken-fried oysters with hollandaise and a sweet chili sauce. These little nuggets of crunchy goodness were light, delicious, and smartly sitting on little beds of creamed spinach so they didn't roll around on the plate. (The menu lists these as oysters Rockefeller and we would have missed them if the waiter hadn't drawn them to our attention.) We left the shrimp risotto and tuna poke for another night and tried the roasted corn puree soup (delicious with dark hints of smoke, bacon, and tiny diced croutons) and warm spinach salad. Dunville has brought his former sous chef with him from his days at Broad Ripple Steak House so if you remember this signature salad, it's very similar.
Entrees are meat-heavy with steaks, pork, lamb, and chicken. You'll find a couple of pasta options as well as salmon and a barramundi. He seems to do a good job walking the line between safe and steady (steak and mashed potatoes even with a chili kick) and different and fun (our barramundi had warm soba noodles and a tangy Thai lime broth.) We debated the lamb with Greek accents of mint and tzatziki but were so full we left it for another night. The only mis-step of the evening was the macaroni and cheese, simply tube pasta in a truffled cheese sauce. It was tasty, but unbaked with no crumbs or crust, lackluster in this environment of made-over classics. Even so, it's clear that Dunville's strategy of integrating tried and true dishes with updated preparations is a winning one for his location and diners.
The theme carries through to desserts. As the waiter rattled off the list (panna cotta, butterscotch pudding, pie) we were uninspired until he got to the doughnuts and coffee! They arrived hot and crispy (although only for a second) in a paper bag tossed with cinnamon and sugar and served with a small pot au feu of a thick espresso creme anglaise. The doughnuts -- like small beignets -- were perfect for dipping although we had to tear them in half to get them into the narrow sauce pot. (To be fair, I'd ding any other chef for a great idea and mediocre execution. Maybe try an espresso cup or small mocha bowl?)
The wine list is well put together with lots of reasonably priced bottles worth drinking and a few higher end options to try. Good by-the-glass choices with some names one doesn't often see on Indianapolis lists but are old and dear favorites. (We had a hard to find Chapellet cabernet blend, a reliable glass of NZ sauv blanc that was everything I want one to be -- grapefruity and acidic -- and the Qupe syrah. I'm a big fan of all things Qupe.)
Is it eerily strange that they're running this smoothly this early? Yes! But it's a welcome surprise. They'll have free valet parking by the end of this week that should help with parking issues especially as the weather gets messy. Prices weren't as high as I expected (two of us had three glasses of wine, two appetizers, a soup, a salad, one entree, a side, and a dessert for about $50 each.)
I already have a feeling this will be one restaurant where anyone in the Meridian-Kessler/Butler-Tarkington neighborhoods can come for a weeknight dinner and see half of their neighbors. (The open dining room was already a small meet and greet scene as lots of diners coming and going ran into people they knew.) It's certainly a welcome addition for former Dodd's Townhouse regulars already used to the location and new folks looking for a more upscale regular haunt. Don't forget they serve Sunday brunch as well. I may have just found a new place to read the Sunday New York Times without the Patachou (or Petit Chou) wait. Meridian, welcome to the neighborhood. We're glad to have you!
Pre-Opera Dinner at Meridian: Yes, it's official, those plump, crunchy little chicken-fried Oysters Rockefeller are one of my favorite things ever. Honestly, they're practically a fine-dining version of boneless chicken wings. Just without the chicken. And without the wings. Pirates for everyone!
