The Phoenician - A New Lebanese Restaurant in Richmond

As some of you may know, I absolutely love Lebanese food. So, when one day I was driving along Broad Street and saw a sign saying that the Phoenician, a Lebanese restaurant, was coming soon, I called MTH right away. Well, it has finally opened and MTH and I tried it out 2 Friday evenings ago. Unfortunately, we have to drive to it versus walk but it was worth the short 2.5 mile drive west. When we walked in, we could tell it was more upscale than our Lebanese mainstay in Alexandria, The Pita House. But, would it be as good or possibly even better? When you are seated, they bring a basket of pita bread and a yogurt dipping sauce (no, it's not like tzatziki - there's no cucumber). We started with the Kibbe and Halloumi. Again, if you're an avid reader of mine, you know that I love Halloumi. It's not exactly Lebanese since I believe it's only made on the island of Cyprus but it's definitely Mediterranean. Kibbe are fried balls of meat and Bulgar stuffed with pine nuts. My description may not sound appetizing but it tastes very good. Then, for the appetizer we both ordered the shawarma. I went with chicken and MTH went with beef. They're both served with vermicelli rice and seasoned green beans. There was a nice hint of cinnamon in the dish. And, we ended with baklava. My favorite flavors in baklava are rosewater and pistachio as I already mentioned here.

Overall, it was a great meal and we'll definitely be going back many times in the future. The next time we go, I think we'll try the meze platter and not order any entrees.

It's Fitting

We just watched a documentary on air guitar! Definitely funny.

The Contortionist

We're Rock Stars

MTH bought Guitar Hero II on Friday. I have to admit it's fun. The songs are real songs you've heard of and you can really get into it. Here's a picture of MTH rocking out:

Richmond at the Center

Last night, MTH and I went out to dinner near Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). If any of you are political junkies, then you'll already know where this post is going. There was a huge fundraiser at the Seigel Center called the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. Both Obama and Clinton attended. It was a madhouse in front of the building. There were people wearing masks, people carrying huge letters that spelled O-B-A-M-A and people shouting. Since it was Richmond, there was no traffic jam. I definitely wish I'd had my camera. But, I do have some funny pictures from my recruiting trip to Atlanta last Monday. If you're a Ron Paul fan, then maybe they won't be as funny.







Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the monkey that was in the van.