Publications & Sites 
Hidden Highland Park gem
Joseph Skaff, chef/proprietor of Phoenicia in Highland Park, insists, “It is a pleasure to serve my customers.”
PHOENICIA
Where: 1910 First St., Highland Park
Hours: noon-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (lunch); 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday-Monday
Phone: (847) 266-9990
Web: phoeniciacuisine.comNote: handicapped accesible elevator
Maps
Updated: January 4, 2012 5:56PM
“I have the best quality in the world. The best ever. Nobody has the quality of the lamb, chicken and kosher beef that I do,” boasts Joseph Skaff, chef/proprietor of Phoenicia Mediterranean Cuisine.
Despite this claim and being located in the heart of Highland Park, Skaff admits that his restaurant is one of the city’s “best kept secrets” that still relies on word of mouth even after 13 years of continuous operation. The 100-person restaurant may be a bit off the beaten path inside a strip mall, but the quality of the cuisine does speak for itself, helped along not only by Skaff’s gift for self-promotion but the man himself. An immigrant out of Lebanon, the gregarious Skaff says he speaks, “A little Greek, a little Italian, Lebanese, Hebrew, French, Armenian and Spanish. Not fluent but I get by.” Phoenicia’s “famous soups” include a yellow lentil with vegetable and fresh puree of carrot. Thick as stews and vegan, they are made of pure vegetables without a beef or chicken stock; no flour/gluten; and no cream for thickening so they are also dairy-free with nothing but the thick and rich taste and aroma of the vegetables themselves to whet your appetite ($4.95 cup/$5.95 bowl). Prices are approximately 20 percent lower if ordered to-go. Other winning selections include the couscous with salmon curry which offers a filet of salmon sauteed in a mild, sweet Madras curry sauce and served with organic spinach, marinated red cabbage, boiled mango and sweet dried apricots over a generous portion of couscous ($17.95 to go/$19.95 in-house). And the mixed grill kabob can be seen as either a good introduction to Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cultures or a smorgasbord. The combination of kafta kabob, lamb brochettes and chicken brochettes are charbroiled to order and are still dripping in juices when served up with organic grilled onions, marinated red cabbage and sliced oven-roasted potatoes and rice pilaf ($18.95 to go/$19.95 in-house). After each meal, a platter of baklava is complementary to every table, “whether you spend 20 bucks or $100,” Skaff said. He also noted his surprise at finding that his customers had written about him on Yelp. “People are giving us five and six stars ... and that makes me very happy and very proud that I work hard for something, not for nothing,” he said.
