Malek Abijaoude is one of my favorite people in the Austin hospitality community. His dead pan sense of humor reminds me of a Lebanese Steven Wright. And his Phoenicia Bakery and Deli is one of the city's most popular places for Middle Eastern cuisine. There's a familial air about this place and it all begins with the congenial host. He starts his day in the wee hours of the morning baking Pita bread and other goodies. And the amazing variety of products at Phoenicia is enough to give the uninitiated a tutorial on Middle Eastern delights.

We'll follow the counters as we profile all the offerings at Phoenicia. What better place to start than with the twenty varieties of olives. The Greek Colossals have a rich, rewarding taste. And do try the Jumbo Kalamatas. These black beauties, named after the town of Kalamata, Greece have a dense, pleasing texture.

Next it's on to the bakery counter and the Halawa. This is a confection that begins with sesame paste and sugar and you can get it plain, with pistachio or chocolate marble. I prefer the plain as the others are a bit too sweet for me. Another tasty and historic treat is the Locum. This originates from Turkey and the taste can be likened to powdered gummy bears: works for me! A middle-eastern style butter cookie, the Maamoul is infused with dates and has a very mellow flavor. The dates kind of sneak up on the palate in this cookie. And for the Lebanese holiday, similar to our Halloween, called Barbara there is a funnel cake dipped in a sweet syrup: it's called Zulbia Biemeh. Don't wait for a holiday to try this.

And now on to the part of the store that's my personal favorite: the sandwich counter. First I make sure to get a helping of fresh Tabouli salad and then the classic Falafel, a delicious blending of chick peas, fava beans, cilantro and Malek's spices. Roll it into a patty and fry it and you have serious taste. And this is prelude to great treats like the ubiquitous Gyro: blended lamb and beef shaved from the rotisserie and served on warm Pita bread with a yogurt sauce. How about ground beef seasoned with onions, parsley and spices. This is the Kafta and was the first sandwich I ever tried at Phonicia. And I'm still ordering it. And then there's the Roasted Chicken which has flavors that one has to taste to fully comprehend. The garlic sauce takes this one over the top for me: beautifully nuanced layers of flavor in this one.

Then I like to finish or complement the sandwiches with some Humus. This is the classic mashed chick peas blended with tahini and lemon juice. Served on a fresh pita it is irresistible.

You want more? Well you're in luck because this store is loaded with gourmet middle eastern goodies of all degrees. Just take a stroll and keep watching the shelves!!!!!

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