MERIDIAN 54 IS THE NEW RED FISH
845 S. Montford Ave
Baltimore, MD 21224
www.meridian54.com
I went to Meridian 54 tonight with a friend for dinner. They are also open for lunch and dinner. Meridian 54 recently re-opened and has been the third chef at the old red fish spot in the past 5 years (there could even more a few more than that). Red Fish has definetly has a lot of trouble getting it's act together. However, they have completely redone the concept and menu and are under new management and yet another new chef, so I decided it was time to give this place a chance. I am pretty desperate to find a new restaurant opening in Baltimore. Since the economy is so terrible, a lot of long standing favorites are closing.
When we got there we decided to sit at a bar table since the dining room and bar were both REALLY EMPTY. I don't like to be the only person sitting in a dining room and at least there were about 4 other people sitting at the bar. I didn't really like our server, who also doubled as the bartender. I thought she over explained things (I'm not a moron) without being asked and was really slow. They were also out of the first two wines my friend and I tried to order. I ended up getting a glass of merlot which was just fine. My friend did have a dietary restriction (kosher) and the server was very good about checking the ingredients and didn't seem to be annoyed at all, even though we sent her back to the kitchen about 3 times.
We started with the Pita Plate ($5) which was great. For a little money you got a ton of food! The plate came with unlimited pita and a trio of dips, hummus, olive tapenade and tomato tapenade. The tomato was my favorite. I thought that hummus was a little dry and that the olive was really good.
For our entrees I ordered the Arugula and Sweet Potato Salad ($8) and added on rare steak ($4.50). The salad was REALLY GOOD it had toasted cashews, blue cheese and a sauvignon blanc vinaigrette dressing. The steak, however, was over cooked, bland and chewy. I should have ordered chicken! I was really craving meat though. My friend ordered a pasta dish with penne, peas, sundried tomatoes and a cream sauce. It was kind of bland, but she seemed to like it.
We were too full to get dessert. Everything was really reasonably priced and they had a big menu, which might be why their food overall was just okay to good. They don't seem to focus or specialize one anyone thing or do any one thing specifically well. Overall it was a pleasant evening. I wish them luck.
1 comment:
Ugh. The food is fantastic, but the owners are not. They tend to overseat the dining room, regardless of people who may have reservations or how many servers are there, which causes the kitchen to get backed up. Food can take over an hour or more, so be prepared.
For the most part, the servers are pretty great and attempt to learn the menu, which is nice considering they aren't even given an hourly wage. Most of the bartenders rock as well, and will go out of their way to fix you up something unique, especially Colleen, who has a delicious Birthday Cake martini.
Unfortunately, M54 is ALWAYS out of something. Last week, there wasn't a single draft beer on tap, and they had to go to the liquor store to buy cases of domestics to stock the coolers. If it's not beer, then it's wine (from a wine list that is never the same two weeks in a row), or liquor that they're out of. Instead of reciting customers the specials, they are given a list of items that aren't available, which is what happens when you don't pay your purveyors.
The "waterfalls" that separate the dining areas are always clogged, but turned on anyway, and spray all over the tables and benches. The upholstery in the front dining room has been soaked so many times, you can smell it. The place is much sunnier and brighter than the old Red Fish, but still has a lot of work to be done, considering the ceiling just caved in on the dining tables a few weeks ago, and the mayfly infestation that showed up one morning.
The food is really quite fantastic, and I hope the Chef gets the chance to move on to a place that has it together, because I think he could go far with his creations. This place has a lot of potential and could be something that Baltimore raved about, if it weren't run by the same people who drove Red Fish into the disgusting, newsworthy mess it became. The food would get 5 stars, if it weren't for the dozens and dozens of other problems that make this place avoidable.
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