4th & Swift - A First Taste

C-Dub and I wanted to try out Jay Swift's new restaurant, 4th & Swift. (Swift's previous restaurants include the original South City Kitchen and Rainwater.) We decided to swing by on Thursday night since neither of us had to work the next day.

My first thought as we walked in the door was how similar the decor is to Rathbun's. Maybe it is the dark bar directly by the entrance or the exposed brick? The aroma of the restaurant hit me next. It had a strong chophouse smell; you certainly would not confuse this place for a vegetarian joint.

4th & Swift dining doom

Our waiter Edward told us that the menu incorporates a great deal of locally grown vegetables from farms such as Jeff Collins Farms, Riverview Farms, and Ashland Farms. The delicious sounding heirloom tomatoes are provided by Laurie Moore with Moore Farms.

With all of this talk about the locally grown vegetables, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a veggie plate to showcase them. (I love that Restaurant Eugene has their "Tasting of Local Vegetables". I hope that other restaurants will follow suit.) Nevertheless, Edward talked me into the house made pappardelle; a dish that features a variety of the local vegetables he spoke of.

C-Dub ordered the Swordfish served with fennel salad and calamari. Speaking of that fennel salad; when I saw it on the menu, I knew I had to order it. I love, love, love fennel. Edward also sold us on the arugula salad; he described the parmesan beignets that top the salad as so good they could be a dish of their own.

While we waited, we were served a basket of house made crackers and cheese biscuits. C-Dub and I agreed that they were both delicious, although I would have preferred the biscuits served warm.

Crackers and cheddar biscuits

We both munched on the arugula salad and really enjoyed it. I love arugula, I love beets, and I love pine nuts - how could it go wrong? And Edward was right, those beignets tasted incredibly indulgent with a crispy outside and a creamy parmesan middle.

Beignet innards

Not to spoil the rest of this post but the fennel salad was my absolute favorite dish of the night. It was simple and delightful; I would have eaten a large plateful if it was available.

Mmm...fennel

With such a tasty start, we were a little thrown by the disappointing entrees. My pappardelle, while flavorful, was undercooked. The corn sprinkled throughout the dish was also undercooked, sadly. Honestly, if it hadn't been undercooked, I probably would have loved it.

The house made pappardelle

C-Dub wasn't too happy with the swordfish he ordered. He felt that the rub on the fish was too salty - I thought it was fine but I also really love salt - and that it was slightly dry on the inside. He did like the fennel salad, though. (Or what he could get of it since I was eager to chown down on some more of that fennel.)

Swordfish with a puddle of rouille

Casey has a risotto-tooth so we decided to order a side of the sweet corn risotto. Unfortunately, it did not vary from the theme; the rice was undercooked and we sent it back.

Sweet corn risotto

I have hope for 4th & Swift. They have a few kinks to work out in the kitchen but, once resolved, it has the potential to become a great Atlanta restaurant.
(If you've been there, I would be eager to your thoughts on the place.)

4th & Swift
621 North Avenue
Building B
Atlanta, GA 30308
678.904.0160
www.4thandswift.com