Dallas resto industry vets plan to revive Sfuzzi and its frozen Bellinis

Veteran bar and restaurant guys Brandon Hays & Phil Schanbaum of This & That Hospitality (High Fives, Tiny Victories, Whippersnappers, Ferris Wheelers and Alice) plan to breathe life into an old Dallas concept, and they’ve hired one of the original chefs to revive its spirit.

The duo announced today that they will open Sfuzzi, a Cal-Ital concept once lauded for its frozen Bellinis and Sunday brunch, in the former Capital Pub space at 2401 Henderson Avenue. They’ve hired two former Sfuzzi vets to give the project a lift. Peja Kristic, the chef and owner of Mot Hai Ba, is launching the menu (he was Sfuzzi’s exec chef from 2011-2013). And Fernanda Rossano, who in 2009 worked as a barback at Sfuzzi, will handle the cocktail mix. Look for pizzas, pastas and those Bellinis to land on the new menu.

“Sfuzzi was where I cut my teeth in the restaurant business and learned quite a bit in my young career,” Hays says in the announcement. “I was given keys to the kingdom and had to learn quickly. Going at it again after all these years of Phil and I owning our own venues lends a different perspective.”

If I recall correctly, this will be Sfuzzi’s forth life and third Dallas resurrection. The restaurant was founded 2009 by Robert Colombo on McKinney Ave. in 1987, but that only lasted a few years. In 2009, Hayes and Colombo joined forces to re-open Sfuzzu in another McKinney Ave spot, which also didn’t last long. Neither did a Las Colinas Sfuzzi. Now Hays is trying again.

No opening date  or website was announced.

photo: Brandon Hays and Phil Schanbaum, courtesy Sfuzzi/Kathy Tran