Immediately upon entering Sway Bar (627 SE Morrison St., 719-6025), two things are obvious: People make pizza here, and they still haven't figured out what else they do. Beyond the aroma of dough in the ovens, the decor suggests somebody had a suave cocktail lounge in mind—black shelves hang on silver walls, accented by hand-stenciled coats of arms. The booths, black pleather with crisp white piping, might have been upholstered using the leftover suits of Little Lord Fauntleroy. But outshining the table candles are widescreen TVs beaming Jackie Chan's Shanghai Knights, while satellite radio blasts Britney Spears' "Toxic." Service is prompt, a Jack and Coke ($5) is poured strong enough, and sandwich platters come with high-
quality corn chips. But as Friday dusk drinkers mosey on to their next stop, the question looms: Who exactly is this place for? Even the patrons are in an identity crisis: When a waitress shatters a glass, the surrounding customers clap hesitantly, as if still deciding whether they're supposed to be that kind of crowd.
WWeek 2015