4th & Swift

My Atlanta renaissance continues, and this time right down the street!

The Old Fourth Ward is part of what makes up my neighborhood; created in the 1870s under the city ward system, it’s a historically African American district on the east side of Atlanta’s Downtown, birthplace of Martin Luther King as well as the location of Ebenezer Baptist Church. The area (to my delight!) is experiencing a period of rapid growth and reinvention, with a variety of bars, cafes, and cutting-edge restaurants gracing these so recently forgotten streets.

4TH & Swift is certainly central to the party… Housed in a long forgotten dairy’s abandoned engine room, the restaurant retains much of the original ‘design’; exposed brick and concrete beams are softened with warm wood accents and well directed lighting. An open kitchen faces the dining room, visible to diners through floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

The kitchen, led by Jay Swift (formerly of South City Kitchen) does its own take on traditional comfort foods with a heavy hand of farm-to-table menu features, taking advantage of ingredients from local, sustainable farmers. In a move I’d like to see more, menus change constantly (and always seasonally) based on the quality and availability of ingredients.

My dining companions and I did a bit of sampling over a few bottles of wine (a good list, though heavily American). There was widespread agreement that the highlights of the dining experience were the following courses…

Beetroot Carpaccion; Whipped Mascarpone, Preserved Lemon, Himalayan Pink Salt
Seared George’s Bank Diver Scallops; Pumpkin Risotto, Pumpkin Seed & Golden Raisin Pesto, Fall Greens
Roasted Duck Breast; Braised Cabbage, Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes, Dried Cherry & Walnut Compote

I’d love to say, ‘go try the scallops’… but, who knows what Chef Swift will be serving. I’ll just say ‘go try 4th and Swift’.

-bryan