There is a new Lebanese restaurant debuting on West Broad Street called "The Phoenician". The sign and the facade have already been changed at 4401 West Broad Street, formerly La Casita Mexican Restaurant. Outside it doesnt look like much but inside the decorations are very cool-very fantasy Moroccan but not tacky. There are huge middle eastern lamps hung all over the place with fabric banners that attach to them and silk pillows that line the seats at the larger tables. They play ethnic music while you eat (not live of course), and the red burgandy and gold walls give everything a warm bellydance oasis feel. Okay so enough of that, the food is AMAZING I've never had such a great kabob and my boyfriend loved his falafel. They give you pita and two kinds of hummus/olives before your meal, that alone was worth going for.
For two at lunch its around $17.00 without dessert!!
Two for dinner with all the workings including dessert and starters -er more like $60.00.
Not a lot of people have heard about them, and they're worried locals wont go for the whole Lebanese cultural food thing-so go try em out!!
For two at lunch its around $17.00 without dessert!!
Two for dinner with all the workings including dessert and starters -er more like $60.00.
Not a lot of people have heard about them, and they're worried locals wont go for the whole Lebanese cultural food thing-so go try em out!!
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Wed, February 6, 2008 - 3:21 PM -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Wed, February 6, 2008 - 7:48 PMWe just went, I was impressed :)
-
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Thu, February 7, 2008 - 11:18 AMSounds like an awesome place for a hafla or dancer get together... Perhaps we could put something together! Just dinner, good company, and if there was any space, a little dancing....? -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Thu, February 7, 2008 - 6:37 PMIt would be a beautiful space for that :)
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Thu, February 7, 2008 - 6:41 PMMy thoughts exactly! I have to call about their evening hours. I havent asked them about their thoughts on people dancing in there yet, but it would be a nice place. I wish I remembered if there was room for dancing dancing not just between tables stuff. -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 3:19 AMit would be dancing in between tables -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 7:24 AM(Open) TABLES or (closed) BOOTHS? -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 12:04 PMbooths around the side, tables in the middle. It is sorta cramped there.
-
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 12:22 PMYuck. Sounds like the stereotypically WORST place to perform. Diners have to stand up or crane their necks just to catch a glimpse of the dancer, the dancer has to hustle from station to station like a busboy at Shoney's during Sunday brunch, and the drummer is crammed over between the buffet and the restroom door. Super. -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 2:35 PMSome places rearrange tables for when dancers come in. :) -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 2:42 PMIn RICHMOND?!? Yeah, right! Damn, I've seen dancers practically body-checked in mid-performance by waiters coming through with the steaming hot platters of pasta primavera and moussaka! "'Scuze me there, toots ... OK, who gets the Greek salad and the diet Sprite?" during the best part of the taksim. I can't remember the last time (hell, the FIRST time) that restaurant owners actually rearranged tables to accomodate the dancers and musicians. #127 of Why I Hate Belly Dance Performances in Restaurants. It's just that kinda town, I guess ... -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 3:04 PMGeoff,
I think you are referring to haflas that just so happen to be held in a restaurant. There's a difference when the restaurant owner has actually hired a dancer to entertain customers. They want the show to be the best it can be so that peolpe will enjoy it, come back again, and increase business. In this scenario, they are usually more apt to make adjustments for the dancer. -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 5:36 PMUhhh, MAY-be ... but there aren't a whole lot of restaurants in Richmond who DO regularly hire dancers to entertain the diners, and the few that I've been to ... hmmmmm, I'm reluctant to name names in a public forum ... didn't (or couldn't) make any accomodations at all ...
It's unfortunate that live dining entertainment is such a rare phenomenon these days that so few restaurants devote any space to it whatsoever. There's an Indian restaurant on Midlothian Turnpike ... can't remember its name ... that has a cool little 20' x 20' dance floor ... Dunno if they ever USE it, but it really caught our eye when we went in there for the lunch buffet ... a place where a dancer could entertain without dangling her fringe into the marinara, worrying about elbowing seated diners in the head, or getting shoved around by the waitstaff! -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 6:10 PMAre you talking India Garden &Grill? -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Sat, February 9, 2008 - 12:27 PMYeah, that might be it ... They have a main dining room and a smaller, less formal one that faces Midlothian, and in the middle of that smaller dining roon, there's a little squared-in area of laminate parquette or something. We asked the owner if he often had dancers or other entertainment; he said that the little dance floor was used mostly in private parties. -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Sat, February 9, 2008 - 1:54 PMThat sounds like the same place, good food if I remember correctly
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 8:24 AMWhy dance for free?
It seems like a good place for a professional paid gig at standard rates!
Don't get me wrong; I love dancing at Positive Vibe and other good causes. We should put our free dancing to good use where people really need it.
www.samirashuruk.com/standar...nes.html
Christi
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Fri, February 8, 2008 - 7:07 PMI just went for lunch today. I thought the food was acceptable - not the best Mediterranean food I've ever had, but plentiful and reasonably priced for lunch ($7 or so) and the atmosphere was quiet and pleasant.
There is more room for dancing there than in a lot of the restaurants people dance at around here. My only concern is that it's expensive for dinner -- $17 for entrees. So maybe a good place for a dancer to go, but a lousy place for a hafla or other event where everyone is expected to buy food for the privilege of performing for free. It's just too expensive for that. -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Sat, February 9, 2008 - 12:29 PMWhat were the vegetarian options? Overpiced "sample-plates" of pita bread, iceberg lettuce, hummus, baba ghanoush and three sickly looking dolmas? Or REAL vegetarian options? -
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Sat, February 9, 2008 - 2:11 PMI was too busy scarfing chicken shawarma and beef kebob to pay attention to the vegetarian options. The hummus was good though.
-
Re: The Phoenician -New local Lebanese Restaurant!!! 4401 W Broad st
Sat, February 9, 2008 - 5:51 PMAs far as the dancing goes I'd say just ask the people that own the joint and see if they are even amenable to dancer(s) or haflas.
There are some real vegge options......like falafel-the food is made by a little old lady from that particular region when I went-so no , the food is ethnic to a degree, meaning if theres something that would take someone hours to make I'm sure they get it from Nicks med. Btw the pita and hummus is free with the meal. Like I posted the food for dinner is expensive but the surroundings are very nice and the place in my oppinion is too unique to not give a little post on. The food isnt going to be five star but it is very good, better than most "fancy" restuarants I've been to in richmond. Having had alot of those foods homemade I was happy with it-although Lebanese food is very different from alot of mediterranean dishes its kind of all on its own.
-
-
