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Phoenix Lebanese Restaurant
FOX 13's Jason Wright takes us to the Temple Terrace restaurant that was started by two friends who came to the U.S. because of the conflicts in Lebanon.
TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - Leaving home in Lebanon wasn’t a choice, but it was necessary. But leaving the war back home didn’t mean that Kassen Babha and Lara Altakash wanted to leave behind the foods and flavors they loved.
In that desire, the idea of Phoenix Lebanese Cuisine was born. A little more than a year later, the restaurant has expanded from breakfasts to lunch and dinner menus as well.
Phoenix Lebanese Cuisine
What they're saying:
"We actually named the place Phoenix because the Phoenix resembles like rising, rebuilding and holding onto hope," said Babha. "Lebanon throughout the history has gone through lots of hardship."
Everything in the restaurant is inspired by their hometown heritage with the recipes and décor straight from the streets of the Eastern Mediterranean.
"Everything is made with Lebanese recipes, Lebanese flavors, Lebanese spices," shared Altakash.
"We tried to not just bring the food but also the essence of the place, the vibe," admitted Babha.
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As for the cuisine, they encourage visitors to sit for a Finjan coffee and a breakfast made fresh.
"We serve mainly Saj," shared Babha. "We make bread from scratch."
Creating Saj bread
Saj is a regional bread that they make by hand and then the baker stretches the dough on a heated dome to get it paper thin.
It can then be paired with whatever else they offer to pair it with from the menu. It can be served with zaatar and cheese or it’s a base for their Mediterranean pizza.
"Everything’s made fresh," he said.
The menu reflects those fresh flavors from an Akawi & Cheese blend to Zaatar served with the fresh Saj.
Altakash said of the menu that it’s, "The food that we make at home."
"This place is not just a business, it’s a love letter to Lebanon. We can promise our community that we’ll always aim to bring freshness and authenticity and just being unique," she said.
What's next:
You’ll find Phoenix Lebanese Cuisine located in Temple Terrace at 12635 North 56th Street.
They are open 6 days a week from Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. You can learn more about them on their Facebook and Instagram social media pages.
The Source: This story was written based on interviews with the owners of Phoenix Lebanese Cuisine.