Taste of Home
Sameer Eid has been up since 4am.
“I get my produce from the Detroit Produce Terminal,” says the 78-year-old creator of Phoenicia Restaurant in Birmingham. “I taste everything. There were some tomatoes there today from Florida—no flavor. Now the ones from Mexico, they tasted like tomatoes.” He takes a drink of strong, aromatic coffee. “That’s always been how I work. When I got into this business—it’s now 47 years—I didn’t know a thing about it, but I was really fussy. Everything we serve has to be something I would eat, something that reminds me of the foods I grew up with in Lebanon.”
Sameer hails from Marjayoun, a city “in a corner of Lebanon between Israel and Syria.” He came to the United States in 1961 to study finance at the University of North Texas, in Denton. “I’m so lucky Texas was my introduction to the States,” he says. “The culture of hospitality, the climate, it’s very similar to Lebanon. My first thanksgiving here, I received an invitation to celebrate in someone’s home; they didn’t know me, they just contacted the foreign student office and got my name. Incredible.”
When a cousin moved to Windsor, Ontario, Sameer turned him down his invitation to join him. “I didn’t want to go to Canada, I loved the United States. But I was OK with Detroit.” He began eating regularly at a Lebanese restaurant, Borridy, in Highland Park. One day, the owner told him she was ready to retire and that he was the only one she trusted to take over.
“Did I know how to cook?” He holds up his fingers to form a zero. “Did I know anything about running a restaurant?” Another zero. “But I really enjoy food.”
And so, in 1971, Phoenicia was born in its original Highland Park location. Ten years later, the restaurant moved to its current site in downtown Birmingham, on South Old Woodward. Early on, “I did everything,” says Sameer. “The tile work, I built the tables. I’ve been a dishwasher, busboy, chef, waiter, plumber, electrician.”
But he didn’t expect to own the restaurant forever—until his son Samy Eid completely surprised him. Like his dad, Samy had worked the gamut of restaurant jobs from his teens onward, until he went to UM and graduated with a pre-law degree. Then he decided to take a year off, working in the restaurant, before going on to law school. In that time he realized he wanted to be a restaurateur and, in 2003, joined his dad as a partner.
“I was shocked,” says Sameer. “He’s more into it than I am.”
“I like the numbers side of the business,” says Samy. “That leaves Dad free to work with the customers and our suppliers; really, what he does in dealing with the purveyors is a bit of a lost art.” Meanwhile, Samy has taken Phoenicia in new, bold directions. Six years ago, he commissioned Birmingham-based firm Saroki Architecture to completely remodel Phoenicia into its current sleek-surfaced look. He’s also begun to expand the family business, acquiring the former Forest Grill—now simply Forest—run by the married team of Nick Janutol, executive chef, and Allicia Janutol, general manager.
The Janutols love the new partnership. “Every day we deal with Samy and Sameer, and work closely with them,” says Allicia. “They’re a family, and that’s how they run their operation. Their work ethic is incredible. And Sameer has a drive that just doesn’t stop. He’s always instilling the importance of family and love, and Samy’s the next generation of that.”
Nick agrees. “It’s family first, people first. It’s appreciating everyone who walks through our doors, from every person on the staff to our guests.”
The Eids’ next restaurant venture: Leila, named for Sameer’s wife and Samy’s mother. “She’s the heart of that entire family,” says Nick. “Her passion and love—she’s taken us under her wing.” Working once again with Saroki—“The space is gorgeous,” says Allicia—Leila is slated to open in 2019 in the Farwell Building in Detroit’s Capitol Park district. Samy, Nick and Sameer are working together to develop the menu, with the Lebanese foods so lovingly prepared at Phoenicia featuring prominently.
That food includes exquisite versions of Middle Eastern standards like lentil soup, fattoush and shish kebab—although Phoenicia’s surprise best seller is dry-rubbed barbecue ribs, for which Sameer developed a taste in his Texas years.
He’ll continue to apply what he calls his “fussy” standards, all with the aim of making his guests happy. “In the service business, you are never bigger than your customer. Be humble. Be realistic. This guy is paying your living. Make sure he is happy. You don’t have to break him with the price; be realistic. We know that our customers appreciate the experience. I have people who come in, I carried them around in Highland Park while their parents ate; now they bring their kids, and I carry them around. That’s the greatest gift on earth.”
Will he retire any time soon? “How do you spell that word?” he asks. “I think retirement is great when you’re old, but I’m not. When I am, I will know what am I good at. So far, in 78 years, I’ve learned some things, and I am going to keep learning.”
Three customers—a family—have stopped by the table. Sameer gets up, hugs each in turn. Everyone’s smiling.
Phoenicia
588 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham
248-644-3122, PhoeniciaBirmingham.com
Forest
735 Forest Ave., Birmingham
248-258-9400
