“When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.”
— Alexander Graham Bell, telephone inventor
Establishments are always either opening or closing, but sometimes, they rise from the ashes. The ones that reopened have stories to tell.
St. Martin’s
Scott Fickling and Phil Patterson opened St. Martin’s Wine Bistro in 1980 on Lower Greenville.
Mohsen Heidari bought the French restaurant around 1997, but decided to close St. Martin’s in 2023 as the lease was coming to an end. His sons, Pasha and Sina Heidari, couldn’t accept that fate.
“I felt like it still had life to live,” Pasha says.
The brothers asked their father what his plans were with St. Martin’s after the closure. He didn’t have an answer, but they were open to finding one.
“We kind of meddled our way in,” Pasha says.
Their uncle Omid Haftlang suggested that the three of them take St. Martin’s to a new location. When the brothers ran this idea past their father, he said, “If you guys think you can do it better than me, go ahead.”
St. Martin’s was reborn in Old East Dallas on Bryan and North Peak Streets in 2024 in what used to be two antique shops. The current building is similar to the former one, and inside, it has the same back bar and a lot of the same decor as the Greenville Avenue spot. The white tablecloths and dark ceiling harken back to the ’80s and ’90s style of Dallas restaurants.
“We tried to copy, in the best way possible, what the old location had,” Pasha says. “We didn’t want to be in your face, but we didn’t want it to feel like this is some new version of what was.”
The St. Martin’s menu has been modernized, shortened to one page and rotates regularly, Pasha says. Classic items, like Champagne-brie soup ($15) and rack of lamb ($55), remain on the menu.
When St. Martin’s reopened, patrons were ready.
“It got crazy on us. Whatever we had on the reservation book didn’t matter,” Pasha says. “It was nice to know that St. Martin’s was missed.”
“The brothers are just truly servants at heart,” Marketing Director Susie Oszustowicz says. “All of their restaurants are incredibly warm and welcoming, and the idea that they took St. Martin’s and, as amazing as it was, made it even better, and I think it has a really bright future ahead because of that.”
Meridian
Unlike the other restaurants on this list, Meridian in The Village hasn’t reopened — yet.
The eatery first opened in 2021 and was led by Brazilian chef Junior Borges, who was later named a James Beard Award “Outstanding Chef” semifinalist for serving dishes at Meridian inspired by his homeland.
Borges left Meridian around fall 2023 and indicated in an article that it was time to move on, and the decision was mutually beneficial to all parties.
Enter Eduardo Osorio, who was hired as Meridian’s top chef in early 2024.
Osorio began his career as a teenage dishwasher in California and became a sous chef around age 20. He continued to work in the industry and eventually moved on to opening restaurants for hospitality groups. During this time, he was recruited to Meridian.
“I want to be able to explore more on the seafood side and be able to be more creative and hit a different market and just be more of a chef-driven culture,” Osorio says.
Meridian closed over a year ago for remodeling and is expected to reopen soon. Osorio says the plan is to establish a private dining room at the north end of the building in addition to smaller tweaks in the restaurant. A small wine service counter across from the kitchen is getting transformed into a four-seat tasting area/chef’s table.
“Part of our culture and the history of the restaurant has been tasting menus,” Osorio says. “We want to make sure that we check all the boxes and make sure that we are casual. We are fun, but we’re also still pushing some boundaries in the culinary scene.”
Osorio imagines cooking pasta, lamb belly, sturgeon and foie gras, as well as using live fire and a flambadou to sear oysters and melt beef tallow. The menu will rotate to complement the seasons.
“We would like to open with a menu that is recognizable in Texas,” Osorio says.
Osorio, who had the support of mentors in his career, also wants to pass those learning opportunities to his staff.
“I want to build this kitchen to make sure that it’s fun, it’s a good environment and everyone’s enjoying working here,” he says.
Urbano Café
Urbano Café started off as Urbano Paninoteca in 2002 in Uptown Dallas. Mitch Kauffman opened the café on Fitzhugh Avenue in a renovated 1920s-era building next to Jimmy’s Food Store in 2009.
Chef Ke’o Velasquez created the menu. There was no place to store wine, so patrons were allowed to bring their own booze to pair with their meals.
The Italian restaurant saw success right away. But 15 years later, Urbano Café was very close to being gone forever.
On Jan. 9, 2024, a post on Urbano Café’s Facebook page announced it would close in a few weeks so the owners could “move on to (their) next chapter.” The message garnered 177 reactions and 40 comments from mourning customers.
Current general manager Kevan LaTorre, who worked her way up from starting as a server at Urbano in 2011, describes that time after the closure announcement as the busiest the restaurant has ever been.
“Everybody we’ve ever met came in, and everybody was so sad,” she says.
This is when the Heidaris from St. Martin’s were able to rescue another neighborhood restaurant from closure.
Before the café’s final day, a new Facebook post announced that the restaurant would stay open, and Urbano’s staffers would keep their jobs.
The number of Facebook reactions and comments from happy patrons were double that of the closing post.
LaTorre got another job managing the kitchen of a high-end retirement village and had to decide whether to take it or stay at Urbano once she was offered the general manager role. After researching, she says the choice was a “no-brainer.”
LaTorre liked the clear vision the Heidaris had for Urbano Café. They renovated the restaurant, including redoing the floors, bathrooms and patio. New lighting and dining chairs were installed.
Business has increased by 300% since the original menu was adjusted in January to lean into and expand on Italian influences, LaTorre says.
The general manager, who cut her teeth working in wine bars, and her team are “curating a very extensive rare wine list that you can’t really get at other places” and making Urbano Café a “wine destination.” And yes, there is still an option to BYOB for a corkage fee.
LaTorre wants people to feel comfortable at Urbano Café and trust that they will receive “a really good meal, great service and excellent wine.”
But, judging by the comments left under the Facebook reopening announcement, they probably already know that.
