We had a nice lunch at Phoenicians. It's a new Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant. I think it's at 1686 Central Avenue -- see Google Maps. Phone number might be 464-4444. I did not find a website for it, though it might appear at: phoeniciansofalbany.com.
Lebanese? Well, it's kinda like Greek food. Please note that they do not have a Greek Salad on the menu. I also did not see Gyros, though they did have Shawarma. My wife liked that. It came with a chick pea and eggplant salad that I liked.
I had the lentil soup (very nice), and then found my appetite and ordered the appetizer sampler. It had hummus (a chick pea dip), baba ghanouj (eggplant dip), some pickles olives and pickled turnips, tabouleh, and kefta. The sampler was fantastic. Everything tasted great and the texture of the dips was enjoyable - not too pureed and not too chunky either. The pickled stuff was unusual from what I've seen in this genre. It was a strong flavor but worked for me.
The place is small - maybe 10 tables - and prices are reasonable. Very interesting interior decor. I'm not even sure how to describe it.
A very nice addition to the Albany restaurant scene. If you like this type of food (Greek, Turkish, Israeli, Lebanese, etc.) then Phoenicians is worth a try. I'm happy because it's so close to our office. We'll be back.
Oh, and I forgot the dessert. We both had baklava and liked it.
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Update: I've been back a few times to Phoenicians. There is a vegetarian platter I had recently and it was great. Also just had the hummus and ground beef. I love a dish that challenges conventional American thinking -- hummus is supposed to be vegetarian, right? And the soup of the day was a white bean with rosemary. All good stuff.
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2 comments:
I must admit I am not the most adventurous eater, but I did have a positive experience at this place. I ordered Beef Shawarma and I found it very tasty. I also ordered fries which were crispy and delicious.
The wait staff is very friendly. I came with a large group at lunchtime, and they were more than happy to explain the menu choices to us. They gave us each a free shot of strong coffee.
We have been to The Phoenicians twice over the past three weeks. The first time, my husband and I went with a second couple. For the second visit, it was just three ladies on a Thursday evening. As mentioned, the sampler includes a wonderful selection of delicious foods - all seem to be made on site. I ordered the combo swarma the first time, and the lamb kabob on my second visit. DELICIOUS with a fresh salad and cinnamon (I think) -infused rice on the platter.
The owner waited on us each time, and was welcoming and informative each visit. We will certainly be back!
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