by Steven Doyle
The word for “crazy” in Italian is Pazzo and Pazzo in Uptown is now known for a bit of craziness. Late night people know Pazzo as a superb club, located in the back and occupies as much space as the front of the house. This is where you will find the ultra chic, renowned DJ’s and bottle service that packs the house many nights of the week.
The space up front, all unsuspecting of the craziness that goes on behind the hidden doors of the club is this elegant and lovely restaurant, decidedly American-Italian, that serves up insanely good food and cocktails.
With a raw bar available for dinner and in limited quantities upon request for lunch – serves up fresh oysters, seafood towers and new-school, seasonal delights like Oysters Boojey and Blue Fin Tuna Nachos, making Pazzo the healthy place to eat in Uptown. The tower itself made our top list for Dallas and is a serious contender layered with cold whole lobsters, premium oysters, immaculate crab claws and so much more.
Lunch and dinner offers pizza, pastas, and porchetta chops, steaks, grilled salmon and chicken from chef Mitchel Maricich who is a Culinary Institute of America Graduate and formerly with Sixty Vines in Plano. The chef knows his way around the kitchen and gave us a tour recently of his cavernous space in the back of the house. It is this beautiful and pristine kitchen replete with sous vide equipment, a masterful pasta extruder (yes, chef makes everything in-house) and all the required gadgets that makes this host so bountifully delicious.
We adored his knuckle sandwich made with lobster and remoulade, housemade burrata and ricotta dishes, grilled artichokes and baked oysters. The calamri fritto was laden with peppadew and a landslide of Grana Padano cheese.
The star of this chef’s show is his pasta. His hand cut “rags” sings alongside the bolognese. The linguini and clams are spicy and on point, and the ricotta stuffed tortellini made with smoked salmon, braised leeks and an English pea pesto is something to write home – or anywhere else – about.
Do not forget the pizza pies, there is a nice list of including our favorite of prosciutto, Calabrian chiles, red potatoes and a soft egg.
Steaks, yes there are steaks and chops abound including a long bone ribeye and a bone-in short rib chop. But you may order a filet with asparagus to suit your fancy.
Pazzo also has a beautiful selection of desserts and the salted chocolate budino is not to be missed.There is this amazing and gargantuan chocolate cake that is no doubt meant for sharing and is set ablaze for birthdays.
Cocktails are are expertly curated at Pazzo. We appreciated the many versions of the house barrel-aged concoctions which included all the whiskey slawarts such as the Old Fashioned and a perfect Manhattan. Try the Godfather which is a perfect Old Fashioned smoked over a Dunhill.
Life is good at Pazzo where the scene is beautiful, the food on point, the cocktails amazing and the night life with get you shaking.
