Excuse Me, I’m Heading to Sfuzzi

I don’t know where I was in the mid ’90s (hair spraying my bangs and trying to get older guys to buy me yard-glass margaritas at a Salt ‘n Peppa concert, perhaps), but I wasn’t at Sfuzzi. My bad. The concept was not only popular in Dallas, but spread as far as Las Vegas before being closed down.

This could have been a story of a cool hangout fading into obscurity, warranting a nod here and there from those of us who remember the heyday of the Dallas social scene (ahem, Deep Ellum), but fortunately for us, original Sfuzzi founder Robert Columbo has made the place retro, and it’s apparent the new Mckinney Avenue spot is turning up the heat.

Sfuzzi (pronounced foo-zee, forget the “s” it’s just for looks) is just what Uptown needed: swank sophistication and a ton of good music and late night food. Therein lies the attraction, the pizza-till-4am factor that gets all the scragglers from the likes of Black Friar and Idle Rich coming in to soak up the booze post-party. But this is no ordinary cafe-style eatery. The decor is top notch, a darkened interior with luscious red accents and chandliers. Outside, a long bar densely populated nearly every night of the week slings drinks and keeps the party going. The soundtrack: popular local DJs spinning pop hits or a cool mix of ’80s faves, nothing too contrived but favored by the crowd.Get there before 2 am and enjoy more than just pizza, like their homemade pastas or bruschetta.

A word to the wise: always valet on weekends. McKinney is not known for its wide open parking lots.

Sfuzzi, 2533 McKinney Ave, 214-953-0300, www.sfuzziuptown.com