Sambuca Restaurant - Uptown (intersection of McKinney and Pearl)

The old becomes new again.
Sambuca opened its first restaurant in Dallas in 1991. Since then owners, Kim and Holly Forsythe, have added restaurants in Houston, Nashville, Atlanta, and Denver. All provide an upscale dining experience of live jazz, great cocktails, and a full dinner menu. Sambuca is an old-school supper club brought to life.

The unfortunate reality about restaurants like Sambuca is that after a while you take them for granted. In general, people are “addicted to novelty”* – always on the lookout for the next “it” spot. I am no different. I used to frequent Sambuca in Houston during my undergraduate days. So that I don’t date myself too much, I’ll just say that was more than five and less than ten years ago (wink). Sambuca in Houston had a good run as the place to be for happy hour (and beyond) on Friday nights. Soon, however, another venue took its place at the top of the upscale, jazz restaurant/bar pyramid. Sambuca, though no less attractive and inviting, got traded in for a “younger and firmer” model.

I am pleased to discover that despite my “not so brief” hiatus, Sambuca (Uptown Dallas) is still doing what it does best: serving good cocktails, good food, and good jazz in an upscale, yet somehow unpretentious environment. I won’t bore you with detailed descriptions of the lighting and décor. Instead, I will offer you the website and encourage you to check out the photo gallery.

http://www.sambucarestaurant.com/

I was there Saturday night to meet some friends for drinks so I spent my time at the bar which easily seats 25 and could accommodate 40-50 standing room only. The bar, with its cushioned seats, plush benches and throw pillows along the wall, invites you to get comfortable with friends (or lovers) for as long as you desire (a big plus in my book). The bar is full-service (just request a dinner menu) and the waitstaff are friendly and attentive.

I’m about to date myself again. Remember the movie “Love Jones” and its fictitious poetry café “Sanctuary?” Remember thinking to yourself, “Man, I wish there was a place where my friends could get together, post up at a booth, and just chill over a little food and drink like in the movie?” Just replace the poetry with live jazz and Sambuca is a little bit of fantasy brought to life.

TIP: If you’re planning on having dinner and/or want to be seated on the main floor, call ahead and make reservations.

*Thanks to Jackie for this lovely turn of phrase.