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Monday, September 29, 2008

Meridian Room in Dallas’ Exposition Park closed

by Teresa Gubbins

DALLAS — The Meridian Room, a restaurant-bar that'd been open in Exposition Park since 2001, closed on Monday.

An employee at sister establishment the Libertine Bar confirmed that the Meridian had closed, citing the DART Rail construction in the area and the challenges presented by the pre-emptive month-long State Fair of Texas.

"The owners are over there clearing it out," she said. "It's a bad day."

The Meridian, which sat in the space previously occupied by the storied State Bar and then the restaurant Tarantino's, was known for its portobello mushroom fries, local art on the walls, extensive beer selection, half-priced food on Wednesdays, hip staff, and karaoke on Thursdays. Most of those elements have resurfaced at Libertine.

The Bar of Soap located next door closed two weeks ago. Maybe it's time to go get your hair cut at neighboring Rob's Chop Shop?

Thanks to C.C. for tip.

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

Son of a.....! Lame.

robotgas Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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Yes! Please go pay Rob a visit! He's a great guy and would surely appreciate the business.

Travis Bush Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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man that blowz

Robert Kelly Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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a little piece of my heart just broke. RIP Meridian Room. Your grilled cheese was the best in Dallas.

spoon18 Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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Dammit. I loved that place, ESPECIALLY karaoke.

And call me selfish, but I loved that it wasn't crazy packed all the time. sigh

Scott Doyle Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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That's a kick to the teeth. I hadn't been there a while b/c I thought the service always stunk, but it was still kick-arse for the food & drink. I guess most of the food's alive and well at the Libertine, but I just like the vibe of Exposition so much better. I guess that's all changing now with DART.

Maybe it will turn into a Potbelly sandwich shop or something even cooler?

James Scott Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I LOVED that place. The had some of the best food in the area.

pixelchick Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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OMG! Pleaaaaaaase say this is a joke. Dang.

freelisa Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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So what's the deal - first BOS, now Meridian? I understand the ultimate goal of the Dart rail is to help the area out in the long run; but is this affecting the current business' in the area that much?

Jake Shuler Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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I am horribly sad.

faufman Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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That really sucks -- one of my favorite places in Dallas.

David Hopkins Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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Actually the decline of Exposition started when Millennium closed up shop as did the deli. For a good long time the symbiotic relationship between those establishments and the ones that are still there, was enough to keep Expo Park alive. Lots of good memories there, even way back to when Skin & Bones was operating.

Perhaps the new Starbucks, or aforementioned Potbelly will have washers and dryers, but that is just as likely as the Rangers ever winning a pennant...

Travis Bush Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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BTW, at least we still have the Double Wide..

Travis Bush Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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End of an era. This really sucks.

KudzuQueen Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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What happend to Fair Park and what happend to Dallas and where did the 20th century go, it is gone..gone with the wind, sand, water and ...well wind sounds better then stone...and that is why we should say, where did it go..Fair Park came into my life in 3 diffrent phases,1960 when my folks were members of the Dallas Museum of Fine Art, then the 1960s of fair events when they had real freak shows, oh I forgot the 1958 making of the movie State Fair with Pat Boone and whats her name, anyho, then I recall working at Fair Park for Peter Wolf art concepts, then worked for the Dallas Opera, that is why I went to the Bar of Soap, and then their were the Letter Press november 2/3 Chili Cookoffs that took place and a lot of activity that you could not do in Dallas, which part, the West End, Oak Cliff, Highland Park and so on while I may have lost my tools at the 500 Cafe, I recall meeting alot of intresting people over the years, and to say it again, that was a good time and it now has become offical, done and over with, so... lets move on and get grovin to the 21st century, I am heading to Grand Prarie for the Rock a Billy festival in Novemeber, until then Alexander Troup, Historian.

alexander troup Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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This really sucks. I'll miss the Meridian room. Wish I'd known, so I could've gone one last time before it was gone.

steevithak Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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steevithak, unlike a lot of places that close, you can halfway get a second chance in this situation by going to the <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/libertine-bar/">Libertine</a> on Greenville Ave, owned by the owners of the Meridian. which duplicates much of what was good about the Meridian Room experience -- similar food, same great beers, some of the same staffers (though admittedly not the half-empty vibe. on the other hand, it is still open.)

Teresa Gubbins Staff

1 year, 1 month ago
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NOOOOOOOOO!

Blake Ramick Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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as Glen one of the Old Park Investement managers told me, the Meridian room was a great place that had to become the Alamo on Exsposition Plaza while the Bar of Soap was the Grand Daddy of [that was the 20th century] and so we have Robs Chop Shop and, whats left........lets wait and see, who can invest in Poor Fair Park....until then Alexander Troup Historian.

alexander troup Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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well as long as we're listing Expo Park survivors, let's give a shout-out to <a href="http://stylekat.com/">Hollywood Five & Dime</a>, where you can get all your hot rod, British bike and Americana style clothing, footwear, and accessory needs filled; and the awesome <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/amsterdam-bar/">Amsterdam Bar</a> which has Maredsous on tap served in the fancy Maredsous goblet AND which will be hosting a <a href="http://www.amsterdambar.blogspot.com/">viewing</a> of the Vice-Presidential debate on Thursday Oct. 2

Teresa Gubbins Staff

1 year, 1 month ago
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TGub doesn't mess around. Hope Amsterdam has one of these:

Scott Doyle Verified

1 year, 1 month ago
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Fallout Lounge is still the best place on the block and in town

Clay213 Anonymous

1 year, 1 month ago
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nice one, clay, thanks

Teresa Gubbins Staff

1 year, 1 month ago
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It is a sad loss of the places and locations on Exspositon that have come and gone with in the past 200 days, while my liver was going out....... Sometime around 2003/04 and so I really didnt have much to do with the area anymore as for the Good old Fair Park days.....life can be young and life can be old and I dont want to get stuck holding onto somthing dead and old..while I am loyal to things that are good and old...like my National Geographic collection on King Tut... ok lets go to the new Arts District and say good bye to the old, until then Alexander Troup, Historian.