the phoenicians

Are you the type of person who gets hooked on a type of food and eats it at every opportunity without getting the least bit tired of it? I am. My obsessions usually last a month or two, sometimes less, sometimes more.


My latest fixation is the pita wrap--any and all Mediterranean-style chicken and flatbread combinations are welcome in my mouth (preferably not at the same time). It began with the chicken gyro from that little diner in Willis, VA, and has since escalated. That said, I’ve taken it upon myself to discover the tastiest Mediterranean pita wrap in the Albany area (so far I’ve found 13 potential restaurants). I realize this doesn’t interest the majority of you, but hopefully it’ll be a useful resource for my readers in the Capital District. (Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?) Plus, it gives me an excuse to eat a lot.

My first excursion took me to The Phoenicians Restaurant, which I picked solely due to its recognition as the Best Middle Eastern food by the Metroland powers-that-be. I’ll be the judge of THAT, thank you very much.


Upon entering the small building, the first things I saw were two vertical rotisseries, each slowly rotating a huge hunk o’ meat. That settled it--I’d have to get the chicken shwarma. I placed my order, requesting just tomato and lettuce as toppings, with the garlic sauce on the side.

Service was prompt, and before I knew it, I was gleefully ripping into my wrap. First impression, of the visual variety: Disappointment. The pita was thin and falling to bits, the tomatoes were anemic, and the chicken was sparse and didn’t appear to be very moist. I tried not to let the aesthetical let-down cloud my judgment of what was to come. Second impression, of the flavor variety: Dry and relatively lackluster. I could detect no seasoning in the chicken, which I guess I should’ve expected since it was shaved right off the spit. I added the sauce. Third impression, also of the flavor variety: Hello, garlic! This was some powerfully pungent sauce, and although it did provide some wet for my whistle and a whole lot of attitude, I just couldn’t seem to find a happy wrap-to-sauce proportion.


I need you to understand that this wasn’t a bad wrap--I had no trouble eating it in its entirety and enjoying myself as I did so. The highlight for me was the occasional crunchy bit of chicken; too bad they were few and far between. Meh, you could do much worse for $6.99 + tax. However, I certainly hope the eaters from Metroland sampled and were impressed by some other dish.

My mission has now taken a turn for the serious and I vow to find something better on my next trip.

The Phoenicians Restaurant
(located between Rt. 155 and Colonie Center)
1686 Central Avenue Colonie, N.Y. 12205
(518) 464-4444