Phara's Mediterranean Cuisine
Austin, TX 78751
Phone: (512) 632-7067
04/12/2008 Posted by PhoenixFyre
My husband and I went to Phara's first on Saturday last weekend, then we went back again on Wednesday. The atmosphere is so friendly, and Phara greets all of her customers personally, and is truly concerned with whether or not they are happy. We've been to a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants, because that's what we like to eat when we go out, and the food at Phara's is delicious. I had the beef kebab, and he had the chicken kebab. It was seasoned and grilled and very tender, served with veggies, tahini and a bed of rice. We brought our own bottle of red wine, as Phara's is a BYOB restaurant, and were given two wine glasses and a corkscrew, which we thought was very convenient! After our meal, we had the mango ice cream for dessert, and it was delicious! It tasted homemade, was very creamy, and had large chunks of mango in it. While we were eating dessert, we watched Elisa belly dance, to the live music of Rajamani who switched from the oud, to the guitar, to the drums throughout the evening, and later on she came out in a completely different costume, and wowed us with her flamenco dancing! They perform there every Wednesday, and I highly recommend checking them out! The other members of Rajamani's band are just as versatile, with Joseph who switched from drums to flute to the bass, while Cochino played excellent percussion, from the bongo to castanets. We were -very- impressed by the show! Christopher's is a beautiful lounge next door. It's dedicated to Phara's son, Christopher, who passed away after suffering from cystic fibrosis. The whole story is on the back of the menu, and worth reading. One quibble: The entrees are slightly pricey at $16.99 a plate, though this is actually fairly average for a restaurant of this class, we have found. But if you don't want to spend a lot of money, I highly recommend the appetizers, which are quite filling, particularly the Mezza plate.
Pros: Food, entertainment, atmosphere.
Cons: Prices, indoor seating space.
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