Food was not so good Service was not there
The food was ok. Not really homemade; a lot had a frozen food taste. The dinner I had was the Snapper and it was overcooked and with little flavor. The salad was wilted and had brown spots on the spinach. The service was bad; had to ask for drinks and waiters seemed like they were too busy to wait on us. When we ordered a glass of wine, he said they did not have any and we could go to the liquor store to buy some and bring it in. What's up with that? My friend had the healthy heart not so healthy, all butter sauce. We won't be coming back.    [02 Mar 2005 13:52:44]

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     ­Robert Zimmerna   robert_zimmerna at yahoo dot com

Phoenica Gourmet Not so good
The dining room you could tell it was just upgraded but the food and service just was not up to standards. Servers were not trained very well when asked questions they could not answer. We ordered the grape leaves - they were very oily, dripping in fat. There was some taste but covered in oil. The snapper which was over cooked and with too much flour almost breaded. The taste was just not there. We also ordered the meat pie which we were told are home made but they were a frozen product. The hummus was served with pita bread but the taste of the hummus was bland very little flavor. We wanted a bottle of wine and had to leave the place to get a bottle we both decided not to have any wine. All in all I feel that the food service was just not there..    [19 Jul 2006 17:02:59]

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     ­Anonymous   mscoastmysterydinner at yahoo dot com

Phoenicia IS WONDERFUL!!
I ate at Phoenicia several times during a 7 week stay on the Gulf, prior to Katrina. This is/was one of the best restaurants I've eaten at. The service was prompt and attentive, and the food was heavenly. Seriously! I do NOT know what the other reviewers experienced, but I can tell you this....Phoenicia is one of the best restaurants I've eaten at. I had seafood and was always pleased. Had some Asiago cheese grits. I was amazed by how good they were (and felt a bit crazy to think that they were all that good) - I was quietly eating alone. Suddenly, at the next table, a couple started exclaiming about how "these grits are amazing!". Now grits are no big deal...but I can tell you I always LOVED eating here. One of my top 5 favorite restaurants of ANY category. I just hope they made it through Katrina.    [15 Sep 2006 03:56:09]

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Recommended Dishes: Anything! I was NEVER disappointed with their specials

     ­Ilya Stone   ilya_stone at yahoo dot com

Favorite Restaurant!
My favorite is the Chicken Shwarma. I order it every time... AMAZING! I always enjoy my experience at Phoenicia Gourmet and can't wait to go again! Love it!    [12 May 2007 14:16:39]

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Recommended Dishes: Chicken Schwarma

     ­Anonymous   

Consistently fine meals
I ate at Phonecia Gourmet last night, probably my 30th visit during the past four or five years. Once again, the food and service were excellent and our three meals were a great value. Each of the three of us brought home about half of our entrees; the portions were enormous. Next time, I may just order appetizers and a salad. They've just started doing oysters en brochette (wrapped in bacon and lightly fried); they're one of the best seafood dishes I've ever tasted, and I've lived and eaten on the Coast for 55 years. I'm suspicious of the first two reviews here. They seem to have been written by the same person, note the "was not there" and "not so good" phrases in both. In any case, they're way off base in their evaluation. The stuffed grape leaves aren't "dripping in fat," they're served in olive oil as they're supposed to be. There is no alcohol service at the restaurant, but I consider that a positive thing. I can bring my own bottle of wine and save a substantial amount of money. (Restaurants usually serve wine at about three times the retail price.)    [11 Jul 2007 09:28:18]

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Recommended Dishes: tuna carpaccio, crab cakes, oysters en brochette

     ­Don   

Always a favorite
We eat at Phoenicia at least 5 times a year. The food is always very good to excellent. It is one of the restaurants that I recommend for out of town friends very often.

Also, the lack of a wine list is a real positive in my case also.
   [24 Oct 2007 17:23:51]

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     ­Anonymous