Adios, La Casita. Ahlan wa sahlan, The Phoenician.

I'm usually sad to say goodbye to any longtime restaurant, but if doing so means being able to welcome The Phoenician, I'm nothing short of ecstatic.

Naji Kadi, owner of Richmond's two La Casita restaurants, recently transformed his Mexican mainstay's West Broad Street location into a Lebanese restaurant as a tribute to his sister Leila Kadi, beloved owner of The Grapeleaf before her death last year. (The Brook Road location of La Casita remains.)

Now a moody, Middle Eastern oasis of shimmering golds, plush burgundies and scads of grapevines, the intimate space on Broad proudly churns out some of the best Lebanese food this side of Tripoli.

Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but outside of a few local Mediterranean bakeries and delis, Richmonders usually have to reserve their kibbeh cravings for the annual Lebanese Food Festival (taking place May 16-18, by the way).

I could eat a bathtub's worth of baba ghanoush and still not be sated, so Richmond's limited number of Lebanese options has driven me a bit batty -- especially when other cuisines are so well represented.

So, losing one Mexican restaurant in exchange for a new mezza spot sounds fair to me. After all, mezza, the appetizer-style of Mediterranean dining, allows those unfamiliar with Lebanese cuisine to try different tastes without fully committing to a heaping plate of the unknown.

And this is another reason I like The Phoenician. It combines familiar Lebanese favorites (hummus, grape leaves and shawarma) with more exotic options (soujok and shankleesh) so both natives and newbies can be satisfied.

Just inside The Phoenician's door is a dimly lit waiting area, conveniently flanked by cushy benches and a full-service bar. Try the Lebanese wine ($5.50 to $7.50 a glass, $23 to $65 a bottle) such as Ksara Blanc de Blancs (a subtle, slightly oaked blend of sauvignon, semillon and chardonnay) or Armenian beer such as Kilikia and Kotayk.

During our Friday dinner, we considered starting with the full Mezza, a $49 fiesta of hummus, falafel, grape leaves, tabbouleh and much more, but our waitress warned it was enough to feed an army.

Her knowledgeable insight and genuine demeanor seemed characteristic of The Phoenician's entire staff. From hostess to bartender to food runner, everyone worked in tandem as one happy family.

With so many enticing starters, the four of us decided to split several appetizers and two entrees.

Highlights of our overloaded table included soujok (mildly hot sausage, $6), kibbeh ($5.50), fattoush, ($6.50), shankleesh (seasoned aged cheese, $8) and kafta kebab ($14).

Cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, soujok reminded me of chorizo -- garlic, spices, heat and tang all packed in one intense bite.

The kibbeh's ground beef and cracked wheat shells were crisped just enough to form sturdy casings around a stuffing of delicately seasoned ground beef, onions and pine nuts.

The Phoenician's fattoush shouldn't be missed. Crisp romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions were accented with fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt- and sumac-dusted pita toasts and a drizzle of olive oil, producing a dish big on flavor and textural excitement.

Similar in texture to feta, pleasantly sour-tasting shankleesh was topped with a spicy mix of diced tomatoes, onion and dried thyme -- perfect for devouring with soft pita.

The grilled kebabs -- lean ground beef mixed with chopped parsley and onions -- were outstanding by themselves, but accompanying garlic mayonnaise sauce sent them over the edge into the realm of heaven.

In contrast to all this edible action, the blandness of spinach fatayer (stuffed pastries, $5.50) was disappointing. Both pieces were too doughy, making the anticipated flavors of sumac and pine nuts undetectable.

The subtle cinnamon flavor in marinated beef shawarma ($15) paired wonderfully with the bitter nuttiness of accompanying tahini sauce, but several pieces of beef were overly chewy and marred by gristle.

Despite a few very minor disappointments, The Phoenician left us so stuffed with happiness we couldn't even consider dessert. I look forward to leaving that for one of many next times. dcraig@timesdispatch.com.