Syracuse's Downtown Dining Week(s) set for Feb. 15-29

Published: Monday, January 30, 2012, 11:24 AM Updated: Monday, January 30, 2012, 3:44 PM
By Don Cazentre / The Post-Standard




















Dick Blume / The Post-Standard file photo The Mission Restaurant

Syracuse, NY -- Downtown Syracuse's annual effort to lure diners to locally owned eateries in midwinter begins Feb. 15 and ends Feb. 29
This year, 25 restaurants are involved in Downtown Dining Week, or weeks, a new record (beating last year's total of 22).
During the two weeks, participating restaurants offer deals of 3 courses for $25 or less.
New to the promotion this year is a deal where dining week diners can show their receipts and gain half-price admission to the Clinton Square ice rink.
Participating restaurants this year are: Ale 'N Angus Pub; Anthony's Pasta bar; bc Restaurant; Big Slim's Grill; Bistro Elephant; Bittersweet Wine & Dessert Bar; Black Olive Mediterannean Taverna; Bull & Bear Pub; Byblos Mediterranean Cafe; Dinosaur Bar-B-Que; Elbow Room; Empire Brewing Co.; Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub & Restaurant; L'Adour Restaurant Francais; La Taqueria Fresh Mexican Grill; Lemon Grass; The Mission; Namu; Parisa; Pastabilities; PJ's Pub & Grill; Prime Steakhouse; Sakana-Ya Sushi Bar; Syracuse Suds Factory; and Wise Guys Bistro.

The events' principal sponsors are AmeriCU Credit Union and the Downtown Committee of Syracuse.

For more information, including parking recommendations, at downtownsyracuse.com



Related topics:Downtown Dining Week

Dining Out: Byblos Mediterranean Cafe
Published: Thursday, June 02, 2011,

By: Aimee Koval The Post-Standard

Frank Ordonez / The Post-Standard                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Byblos Mediterranean Cafe, Syracuse

Friday's Best Bet: Taste of Syracuse Published: Friday, June 03, 2011, By Don Cazentre / The Post-Standard The David Lassman/The Post-Standard, 2010 Taste of Syracuse takes place in downtown Syracuse around Clinton Square. Crowds came out to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of last year’s event. Munch, nosh, sip and savor at Taste of Syracuse. Italian specialties, barbecue, Latin American dishes, Asian flavors and more are available Friday and Saturday at the annual Taste of Syracuse, which brings more than 40 restaurants and food vendors to Clinton Square. Sample a little (every booth offers a $1 taste) or a lot (most also offer half or whole portions for $2 to $10.) And all the music — including Saturday night headliner Gregg Allman — is free. THE DETAILS WHAT: Taste of Syracuse WHEN: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. WHERE: In and around Clinton Square. COST: Admission is free. Small “tastes” at each restaurant or food stand are available for $1; other menu items may cost $2 to $10 per portion. View PDFClick to view large printable version » More events in Central New York » Read more about this year's Taste of Syracuse

Dining Week Behind the Scenes with Byblos
























Byblos is located across the street from the Post Standard and around the corner from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Fady Khabbaz, Owner of Byblos Mediterranean Café
Native of  Syracuse

On Byblos’ origins

Byblos is the Greek name of the ancient Phoenician city Gebal in what is now Lebanon. It is believed by many to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. My father is from Beirut and my mother is from Zahle. They moved from Lebanon to Australia, where I was born, before moving to Syracuse. My parents are the chefs at Byblos. My background is in marketing and research, so I spent a year researching before we opened.

We looked at the Syracuse area and found that there wasn’t a restaurant in the area serving authentic Lebanese food. We wanted to appeal to a diverse group in Syracuse. We find a large part of our customer base is people who are seeking healthy, fresh food, as well as authentic food.

On how the menu at Byblos was created
















"all the pastries as Byblos are handmade daily by Fady's mother."

When we were creating the menu, we put a lot of thought into what people would like and what we could do for lunch. We are challenged to make homemade food with care in a timely manner to accommodate the lunch crowd. Quality is our number one priority, so it’s a balance to prepare things quickly, while still maintaining the homemade touch.


The menu at Byblos features well-known dishes like falafel, as well as more traditional Lebanese delicacies.

 

We started with an extensive menu and planned to give the menu a year to see how it worked, thinking that     everything might not stay on. People have responded so well to the range of our menu that we will be adding new dishes soon. We have a lot of truly authentic dishes that aren’t on the menu, but can be made to order if someone asks. One example is the dish kibbeh nayeh, which is a raw lamb dish that is similar to steak tartare. People that come in to ask for more traditional dishes are usually of Lebanese descent or have been exposed to Lebanese cuisine.

On Byblos’ authenticity

Byblos is the first authentic Lebanese café in Syracuse. You would have to travel to Utica to find an authentic Lebanese restaurant with the same menu range as ours. Ingredients are necessary to maintaining authenticity. A lot of our ingredients come directly from Lebanon. We have a connection to a supplier there and also get a lot of ingredients from Samir’s Imported Foods on East Genesee Street, as he has a connection in Lebanon, too.


Byblos' dishes feature authentic Lebanese herbs and spices.
Importing ingredients is expensive, but necessary for the dishes. In the summer, we get a lot of ingredients from my grandmother’s garden. Her yard in Syracuse has a huge garden where she grows a lot of the herbs and seasonings we use. She travels to Lebanon once a year to visit her family and brings seeds back with her to plant in the garden.

Byblos Mediterranean Café is one of the 22 restaurants participating in AmeriCU Dining Week. Visit the restaurant at 223 North Clinton Street (across the street from the Post Standard, around the corner from the Dinosaur,) call 478-3333 for information or reservations or visit www.byblossyr.com for more information.

Feasting on Falafel: The Middle East's famous fried patties can be addictive
Published: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 6:06 AM Updated: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 10:44 AM

Don Cazentre / The Post-Standard



































Dennis Nett / The Post-Standard

Falafel served at Byblos Mediterranean Cafe in Syracuse can be an appetizer (foreground) or eaten in a pita wrap (background).
Before he left his home in Beirut, Lebanon for the last time, in the early 1980s, Philip Khabbaz went to see a man named Jean who owned a shop that sold nothing but falafel, the famous fried vegetable patties of the Middle East.

"There were lots of falafel shops -- specialty falafel shops, but his always had a line," said Khabbaz, part of the family that now owns Byblos Mediterranean Cafe in Syracuse. "His falafel was the best."

Khabbaz had to prove to Jean that he had no plans to return to Beirut -- and become a competitor -- before he received what he wanted: the recipe. "My flight was Saturday," Khabbaz said. "I got the envelope on Friday."

Such is the allure of falafel.

It's eaten almost everywhere in the Middle East and in parts of the Mediterranean region -- and it's a low-cost item on just about every American restaurant menu serving Middle Eastern fare. It's hard to imagine Syracuse restaurant stalwarts like Munjed's or King David's without falafel.

Like many traditional foods, its origins are murky -- probably in ancient Egypt -- and the ingredients can be as varied as the landscape of the region.

"There's a kind of mystique with falafel," said Julie Ann Sageer, a local chef and cooking instructor who comes from a Lebanese family and now lives in Marcellus. "Maybe it's the distinctive shape, the beautiful golden earth color -- representative of the earth colors you see in the Middle East."

Falafel favorites?
Who serves the best falafel in the Syracuse area? Send your nominations to food@syracuse.com by Monday. We'll pick those with the most nominations and conduct an online poll at www.syracuse.com during that week. Meanwhile, those who send in a nomination will be entered in a random drawing for the book "Classic Lebanese Cuisine" by Chef Kamal Al-Faqih, (ThreeForks; $24.95). Be sure to include your name and mailing address. One entry per person, please.


Lebanese cooking
Local Lebanese chef/instructor Julie Sageer -- aka Julie Taboulie -- conducts a demonstration on Middle Eastern comfort foods, such as "Kafta bil Sanieh" 7 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Marcellus Free Library, 32 Maple St., Marcellus. The fee is $15. To register, call 673-3221 or go to www.library.marcellusny.com. For more on Sageer's events, go to www.JulieTaboulie.com.
And, of course, the taste.

"It's honestly one of the tastiest things you can eat," said Sageer, who goes by the name "Julie Taboulie" in her professional life. "Crispy-crunchy on the outside, spicy on the inside. They're so addictive. They invite you to eat more."

Yet falafel starts with a humble main ingredient -- garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, and sometimes fava beans.

The beans are soaked overnight or longer, then ground up, but not too finely. To that base are added garlic and onions, spices and sometimes herbs. This mix is formed into patties, then fried.

That sounds simple enough. Then the variations begin.

















                                                                    Dennis Nett / The Post Standard

At Byblos, 233 N. Clinton St., Philip Khabbaz and his wife, Violette -- parents of owner Fady Khabbaz -- prefer to make their mix with more fava beans than garbanzo beans to achieve the right consistency. Sageer uses more garbanzo than fava -- she thinks the fava flavor is more harsh.

In his book, "Classic Lebanese Cuisine," chef Kamal Al-Faqih suggests using only garbanzo beans -- a common strategy of modern recipes because the garbanzos can be easier to find and work with.

That doesn't mean they're easy. If you're using dried beans, preferred by most cooks, then you must soak them at least overnight.

Sageer's method, like many others, adds a pinch of baking soda to the soaking water to soften them. She warns that canned beans will contain too much moisture, and you may need to add flour to help bind them, so they'll form patties.

After soaking, the beans are patted dry -- "you don't want moisture," Sageer said.

Sageer uses a food processor to grind them into a coarse meal, although for centuries Middle Eastern cooks broke up the beans with a rolling pin or mortar and pestle called a "jorn" and "modaqqa" in Arabic.

Most recipes agree on adding finely chopped onion and garlic.

Next comes a variety of Middle Eastern spices. Coriander and cumin are most common, as are varying amounts of red pepper.

"Mine have a bit of a kick," Sageer said, noting that she uses both cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

At Byblos, the exact spice mix is a secret -- the one handed down from Jean in Beirut. But it does include cumin, allspice and red pepper, among other spices, Violette Khabbaz said.

Some of the spices used at Byblos, in fact, come from the garden of Violette Khabbaz's Lebanese-born mother, who lives in Phoenix, in Oswego County.

Parsley, cilantro or other green herbs are added to the mix in many recipes -- such as one included with this story from the book "Good Eating the Arabic Way," from St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Onondaga.

That's why so many versions of falafel have a greenish tint on the inside.

Sageer's recipe, and the one used at Byblos, have no herbs in the mix, so they maintain what Sageer calls a "more earthy flavor."
















                                                                    Dennis Nett / The Post-Standard

Philip Khabbaz forms the falafel patties using a special mold.

Or, as Violette Khabbaz said, "the taste should be from lots of fresh spices."

Before forming the patties, Sageer also adds a touch of baking soda to the mix, to help them stay fluffy. They should be formed into round but flat patties, no more than a few inches across -- 1 or 2 tablespoons per patty. (Specialty kitchen stores carry hand-held falafel molds).

They're fried in hot oil, completely submerged, until a light golden brown.

Sageer said the tradition in Lebanon that she follows is to top the finished falafel with herbs like cilantro or parsley, as a garnish, along with other traditional garnishes like pickled turnips.

Lebanese tradition also calls for falafel to be served with tahini, a sauce based on sesame seeds and lemon.

"The tangy lemony sauce is a perfect match for the spicy, earthy falafel," Sageer said.

In Lebanon, as in other parts of the Middle East, falafel is one of the dishes called mezze (or meze or mazza). That translates roughly into appetizers, or perhaps more closely to the type of small-plate dishes the Spanish call tapas. They can be served on their own or inside pita bread.

Typical Middle Eastern mezze include hummus (a garbanzo-bean dip eaten with pita bread), baba ghannouj (an eggplant-based dip) and tabouli or tabbouleh, a salad made with parsley, mint and bulgur wheat.

"When you set the table in Lebanon, all the mezzes come down," Violette Khabbaz said. "Tabouli, baba ghannouj, hummus, and of course falafel."

Fantastically Flavorsome Falafel
From Julie Ann Sageer

1 cup dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas), very finely ground
½ cup dried fava beans, very finely ground
2 pinches baking soda, divided
4 garlic cloves, very finely crushed
1 small yellow onion (½ cup), very finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 ½ teaspoons coriander
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
4 cups vegetable oil

Place garbanzo and fava beans together in a medium-sized bowl filled with cold water and soak with 1 pinch of baking soda for 2 days -- 1 day at room temperature, then 1 day in the refrigerator. After the second day, drain all water and place back in the refrigerator, covered. This should yield about 2 ½ cups soaked garbanzo beans and 1 cup soaked fava beans, or a total of about 3 ½ cups soaked beans.

Finely crush the garlic in a food processor, and finely chop the onion by hand, then blend together. Transfer to small bowl, set aside.

Grind soaked chickpeas and fava beans together until a small, grainlike consistency is achieved (no chunks or lumps). Add in the blended garlic and onion, plus the salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper and sweet paprika. Mix by pulsing food processor (be cautious not to over-mix).

Transfer falafel mixture to medium mixing bowl, adding 1 pinch baking soda mix throughout with spoon. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, pour 4 cups vegetable oil over high heat, bring to 350 degrees.

Form small, oval flat patties by hand or with a spoon, smoothing and scraping off extra mixture on top of spoon with spatula. Drop into frying pan (entire patty should be submerged in oil), fry lightly to a golden brown. Remove from oil, set atop paper towels to drain excess oil.

Serve freshly fried in wrapped and rolled warm pita bread with freshly chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, radishes, scallions and pickled turnips, Finish off with Tahini sauce (see accompanying recipe). Serves 6.

Cook's tips: Adding the pinch of baking soda just before frying allows mixture to rise and become fluffy. It is ideal to have patties thin and flat, not thick and round, so they are able to cook evenly. For 8 to 12 servings, double the recipe.

Tasty Tahini Sauce
From Julie Ann Sageer

1 cup tahini (bottled sesame seed paste)
2 garlic cloves, very finely crushed
1/3 cup cold water
3 ½ lemons, freshly squeezed (3/4 cup)
½ teaspoon sea salt

Before using, stir tahini thoroughly in jar, mixing oil with paste. In a food processor, finely crush garlic cloves, then add tahini. Add cold water; blend.

Add fresh lemon juice and salt. Blend thoroughly, until a creamy but light and airy consistency is achieved.

Serve either at room temperature or after chilling for 4 to 5 hours. Finish with sprinkles of freshly chopped parsley and drizzle over falafel.

Cook's tips: Choose quality tahini from a jar, not a can. Look for a visible separation of oil at the top of the jar. If Tahini sauce becomes too thick, slowly add additional fresh lemon juice and/or cold water, incorporating a little at a time, until an ideal consistency is achieved: It should be fluid, light and airy. For 8 to 12 servings, double the recipe.

Falafel
From "Good Eating the Arabic Way" (from St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church)

2 cups dry chickpeas
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 medium onion
½ bunch parsley
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Hot green pepper (optional)

Soak chickpeas overnight. Rinse and drain. Grind in a meat grinder, alternating with onion, garlic and parsley. When done, add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture. Mix well and set aside for ½ hour.

With hands, take a small portion of the mixture (walnut size); roll it into ball and then flatten into a patty. Fry in hot oil. When brown on 1 side, turn and brown on the other side. Serve hot in pocket bread.


© 2010 syracuse.com. All rights reserved.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Some might call it a restaurant boom in the city of Syracuse. By the end of next month, the city will have nearly a dozen new restaurants on its dining roster.

Some opened their doors several months ago, while others are getting ready to greet diners in the coming week.

The restaurant boom may surprise some after a lull in development in the city, prompted by the recession. People were unable to spend like they once did on eating out.

As the economy seems to be turning around, restaurateurs are responding. They believe downtown has the potential to be a great market for new eateries because of the number of people who work there, the number of students in the area, and the growing number of people who are moving to apartments in the heart of the city.

David Mankiewicz, the Executive Director for the Downtown Committee said, "Everywhere where housing is opening on the upper floors you have new businesses on the ground floor. They follow where people live." Mankiewicz says it’s a great trend for the city, considering the new housing built within the past few years. "Now the places are filling in with new restaurants and hopefully new retail."

The type of food served at each new restaurant varies from Asian to Mexican and all are owned and operated by people living in the area.

The Downtown Committee is savoring this trend and sees it as good news for the local economy.

The following information is from the Downtown Committee's website.

Byblos Mediterranean Café (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

• 223 N. Clinton St.
• Phone: 478-3333
• Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am to 7 pm, occasional Saturdays for special events (call ahead)
• Website: http://byblossyr.com
• Opened: April 26, 2010

Owner Fady Khabbaz is proud of his Lebanese roots, and he emphasizes that Byblos is the first and only genuine Lebanese restaurant in Syracuse. His parents, Violette and Philip Khabbaz, take charge in the kitchen with home-country recipes, assuring that the cooking methods, spice blends, and tastes are authentic. Khabbaz emphasizes the distinctive difference in his fare from other Middle Eastern food available locally. "Our customers can tell that the ingredients are fresh, homemade and authentic." Popular among the made-to-order menu items are the Beef, Chicken, and Kafta Kabobs; Falafels; Baba Ghanuj (eggplant dip); Grape Leaves, and Tabbouleh Salad. To finish off the meal, Byblo's offers Baklava and fine Turkish Coffee. One diner's accolade, "You have a five-star eatery at a one-star price." Khabbaz purchased the building at 223 N. Clinton Street nearly two years ago, then began drafting his business plan for the restaurant and the renovations to the apartment on second floor. A New York State Main Street Grant though the Downtown Committee supported the project. He admits it has been hard but rewarding work. "We knew what we wanted to do and we knew we had a good product. The response has exceeded our expectations."

Gary Walts / The Post-StandardThe Edgewater Grill, 2 Oswego St., Baldwinsville, NY.

Italians call it dining “al fresco” — out in the open, under sunlight or starlight, in the fresh air.


 In Central New York, it’s something we have to wait for. But when that warmer weather finally hits, you can count on folks grabbing every available outside seat.

   Here’s a look at some of the outdoor dining opportunities around Central New York — and you’ll notice being near the water helps, but isn’t essential:

  1) Borio’s Restaurant, 8891 McDonnells Parkway, Cicero: An outstanding view of Oneida Lake rewards those who sit outside — but if you have to, the views are pretty good
  through the dining room windows, too. Seafood, prime rib, etc., plus live bands on the patio.

  2) The Cascade Grill, 2846 Route 38, Moravia. Billed as Owasco Lake’s only waterfront restaurant, the Cascade has three decks open during the season, overlooking the lake’s
      southwest corner. There’s also dock space for boats. Casual dining, with steaks, seafood and local produce.

  3) 1820 House, 1715 E. Lake Road, Borodino. The deck offers a truly stunning view of Skaneateles Lake. Specials include Lobster Bisque, Veal & Lobster Picatta, and Scallops
  Diablo.

  4) The Retreat, 302 Vine St., Liverpool. When the weather turns warm, the outdoor patio with its own tiki-flavored back bar starts rocking. The lines are long, but the party is
  happening. And the menu has a little of everything.

  5) The Brewster Inn, 6 Ledyard Ave. (Route 20), Cazenovia. The outdoor patio leads to the lawn, which leads down to Cazenovia Lake. Enjoy the fine dining and the extensive wine
  list — one of Central New York’s best.

  6) Byblos Restaurant, 233 N. Clinton St., Syracuse. A new Lebanese eatery near Clinton Square, with 24 seats outside during good weather. Or just take your food to go and head
  to  the square.

  7) Rudy’s Lakeside, 78 County Route 89, Oswego. There are lakes and then there are lakes, and Rudy’s offers tables alongside Central New York’s greatest: Lake Ontario. Enjoy the fish fry and the special Texas Hot Sauce.

  8) Alliance Bank Stadium: What says summer more than a hot dog at the old ballpark? Nothing.

  9) Armory Square: From the porches at PJ’s Pub & Grill and Empire Brewing Co. overlooking Walton Street; to the street-level seating outside The Blue Tusk and Clark’s Ale
   House; to the charming brick-lined courtyard at Pastabilities, there are plenty of fresh air options in Syracuse’s hottest nightlife district.
 
  10) Baldwinsville: A river runs through it (the Seneca River), and that provides the attraction for outdoor seating at the Edgewater Grill and the Lock 24 Restaurant. Then there’s 
  Mohegan Manor, which has a large porch out back, overlooking a garden with a fountain.



Food & Drink Editor Don Cazentre can be reached at 470-2297 or by e-mail at dcazentre@syracuse.com. Find Food & Drink updates at www.syracuse.com/food.

What's In Store: Lebanese restaurant now open

Last Update: 4/30 6:23 pm What's In Store 4-30-10
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Downtown Syracuse's first Lebanese Restaurant, Byblos, is now open just north of Clinton Square.
Owner Fady Khabbaz says the first few days of the new venture have been busy. Byblos is open for breakfast, lunch, and a dinner, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The name Byblos comes from an ancient port city in Lebanon.
Want to know what's in store in your neighborhood? Call us at (315) 446-9900, or e-mail us at yourstories@9wsyr.com.

Syracuse getting 1st Lebanese cafe

February 5, 5:44 PM Upstate NY Restaurant Examiner Bill Dowd

SYRACUSE, NY -- Not many people outside of history professors or members of the Lebanese community can identify Byblos.

However, Byblos is one of the more popular names for restaurants serving Lebanese cuisine. That's a style not seen here right now, but that soon will be remedied.

Byblos Mediterranean Café soon will open at 223 North Clinton Street in downtown. It will be the city's first Lebanese restaurant. Dine in, take out, and catering services are planned.

Not up to speed on Lebanese cuisine? Read about it here.

Oh, and the name Byblos? It was the name of an ancient Phoenician city in what now is Lebanon. The modern name of the Mediterranean port city is Jbell, although it also has been known as Gubla, Gebel and Gibelet over the centuries.

1/4/2010 4:30:00 PM by Eric Reinhardt


SYRACUSE - A new restaurant will soon occupy the first floor of a renovated building not far from Clinton Square in Syracuse.

The eatery, Byblos Mediterranean Café, is set to open by mid-February. It will occupy the street-level floor of the building at 223 N. Clinton St.

Fady Khabbaz, a first-time developer, undertook renovations at the site after buying the structure in October 2008. His family will operate the restaurant.

Khabbaz had hoped to open the eatery in December, but the preparation work took longer than expected. He continues working on a system of inventory control, as well as hiring and marketing.

Downtown office workers will be the eatery's target market, Khabbaz says. He also plans to use social-networking Web sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to promote the restaurant.

"You reach your target audience right there, so it's a no-brainer," he says.

Khabbaz says he had always wanted to operate his own business, and he credits his graduate-degree work at Syracuse University with providing further inspiration.

Khabbaz earned his master's degree in business administration from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in May 2009.

His coursework taught him about reviewing financial figures and devising a business plan, he says.

"It builds your foundation in terms of being able to piece together all the puzzle from marketing to financials to anything that would go into running your own business," adds Khabbaz.

Then, he had to be concerned about building out the proper space in which to operate the restaurant.

Khabbaz and his contractor, Ben Coir of Darrell Coir Floors in Cicero, have restored the building's façade, installed new windows and a roof, replaced signage, and repaired the building's brickwork.

First-floor renovations to the restaurant area included adding hardwood floors, ceiling lights, a new bathroom, a ventilation system, and kitchen equipment.

The building is also home to a second-floor studio apartment, which Khabbaz is currently using but could eventually be made available for rent.

Don Brosh Master Plumber of Liverpool handled the plumbing and David Cook provided electrical work, according to Khabbaz.

A friend of Khabbaz, Justin Como of Baldwinsville, who is currently a master's degree student at Ohio University, is serving as the graphic designer for the restaurant. Como is providing artwork that includes the design of the menu, logos, and the restaurant's front sign. Como previously worked as a production artist for Mack Studios of Auburn.

Khabbaz declined to disclose the total project cost but did say he's using his own assets to help fund it. His brother, Waleed, is also an investor in the restaurant. Khabbaz isn't using any bank loans to fund the construction or startup costs.

The Downtown Committee of Syracuse supported the renovation work with a $30,000 grant.

The funding is part of the committee's Clinton Street grant program, which assists development in the area by providing 50 percent matching grants to property owners.

The eatery will employ three full-time employees, including Khabbaz's parents, Philip and Violet, who will serve as head chefs. Initial plans also call for two part-time employees.

Khabbaz hopes to eventually employ between eight and 12 people, which will be a mix of full- and part-time workers.

"My parents, who are going to be seeing to most of the day-to-day business, have had many years of experience in the restaurant business," he says.

Violet and Philip Khabbaz previously operated Phil's Middle East in North Syracuse between 1982 and 1989. They closed the business after the property was secured through eminent domain.

The menu at Byblos Mediterranean Café will include falafels (vegetarian patties), shawarma (a Lebanese wrap), panini wraps, pita wraps and pocket salads, rotisserie chicken, lamb, and beef.

Khabbaz also wants to provide imported Mediterranean coffee "at an affordable price," he says.

Suppliers for Byblos Mediterranean Café include Binghamton-based Maines Paper and Food Service, Inc., and Samir's Imported Foods of Syracuse.

Prior to buying the building at 223 N. Clinton St., Khabbaz worked as an account executive for The Post-Standard between August 2002 and September 2008. His new business is located across the street from the newspaper.

Khabbaz has a bachelor's degree in business from the State University of New York at Oswego and a master’s degree in business administration from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Khabbaz also earned an associate degree in liberal arts from Onondaga Community College in 1999 after graduating from Liverpool High School in 1996.

SYRACUSE -

A new restaurant will soon occupy the first floor of a renovated building not far from Clinton Square in Syracuse, according to the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc.

The eatery, Byblos Mediterranean Café, is set to open by the end of the year. It will occupy the street-level floor of the building at 223 N. Clinton St.

Fady Khabbaz, a first-time developer, undertook renovations at the site after buying the structure in October 2008. His family will operate the restaurant.

Khabbaz and his contractor, Ben Coir, have restored the building's façade, installed new windows and a roof, replaced signage, and repaired the building's brickwork, according to the Downtown Committee.

First-floor renovations to the restaurant area included adding hardwood floors, ceiling lights, a new bathroom, a ventilation system, and kitchen equipment.

The building is also home to a second-floor studio apartment, which is available for rent.

The Downtown Committee of Syracuse supported the renovation work with a $30,000 grant.

The funding is part of the committee's Clinton Street grant program, which assists development in the area by providing 50 percent matching grants to property owners.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Syracuse Downtown Committee grants developer $30,000

By Charley Hannagan / The Post-Standard
November 05, 2009, 2:58PM


Syracuse, NY--The Downtown Committee of Syracuse Inc. has provided an entrepreneur with a $30,000 grant to renovate a Clinton Street building into a studio apartment and Middle Eastern restaurant.

Fady Khabbaz, 32, of Armory Square, today said the renovation of 223 N. Clinton St. is the first of what he hopes will be several developments. Khabbaz would not say how much the project cost.

Khabbaz hired Ben Coir, of Darrell Coir Floors Inc. to restore the building’s brick facade, install new windows, a roof, and completely renovated a former storage space upstairs into a studio apartment. The apartment is listed at $2,200 a month, he said.

Coir also renovated the first floor restaurant space by adding hardwood floors, ceiling lights, a new bathroom, ventilation system and kitchen equipment.

The restaurant called Byblos will be run by his mother Violette Khabbaz, who formerly had a Middle Eastern restaurant in North Syracuse and now runs a catering business on the side.

Khabbaz received his master’s in business administration from Syracuse University’s Whitman School and formerly sold advertising for The Post-Standard. He said he’s always been attracted to Syracuse’s buildings.

“I’ve always liked Syracuse for the buildings and the people,” he said.

Khabbaz said he and his brother Waleed Khabbaz are actively looking at other buildings in the downtown to renovate.

Link to the Article on Syracuse.com