By Doc Lawrence
ATLANTA--Location,
location. It remains important in the success formula and 4th &
Swift, Chef Jay Swift’s wonderful restaurant is a stone’s throw from the
busiest thoroughfares in the South, yet comfortably nestled in a quiet location
with very ample parking. The adventure is confined to the dining experience,
not the nightmare of navigation and parking which burden many Atlanta
restaurants.
A Baltimore native, Jay Swift
has a menu reflecting Deep South preferences, all enhanced with an imaginative
cocktail and wine program that blends into the overall enjoyment.
I was asked by my companions, a
distinguished assemblage of ranking officials from North Carolina’s renowned
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and the Cherokee Tribe to select a restaurant for an
evening of food, drink and conversation that was emblematic of Atlanta’s
reputation as the unofficial headquarters of New South cuisine. That’s daunting
if you take such requests seriously. New South is in the eyes of the beholder
and since I am an Atlanta native and have a track record that includes years of
dining in many other Southern cities, I made a studied decision.
For one evening, I was a
prophet: 4th & Swift, featuring Chef Jay Swift.
Begin at the bar. There are
bottles upon bottles of handcrafted bitters along with standbys like
Peychaud’s, the magic potion in the Sazerac cocktail. The cocktail menu
features some high-octane delights like “The Cries of Silent Men,” invoking
images of Southern existentialists like Walker Percy. It’s a Gin-based witches
brew with secret elixirs. Maybe topped off with
eye of newt? One can only guess, but all can enjoy.
Dinner was a gentle immersion
into the best of Dixie. Several ordered the chef’s special, Three Little
Piglets, while I spotted braised short ribs from Will Harris’ renowned
grass-fed beef farm in South Georgia. A bottle of Argentine Malbec enhanced the
experience, and the Chef’s special ricotta-stuffed squash blossom appetizer
paired well with chilled Pinot Gris from Oregon. The wine list symbolically
states that management takes its diner’s needs seriously. What you see is
reasonable and compatible. Many outstanding wines are also available by the
glass.
An evening here includes
amenities that make pleasant memories. Spacious seating with comfortable
tables. The noise level is low. Conversation flows uninterrupted by those
dreaded cries of dining banshees, something that can ruin an otherwise terrific
evening. They must have been in other restaurants on this evening.
Jay Swift has perfected the
balance in great dining: Food, wine, cocktails and ambience. Here’s a place to
get to know someone. The dining ritual is the near perfect way to reach out and
build bridges of understanding; and 4th & Swift must have had
this in mind from the inception.
Turning vision into raves from
happy diners isn’t easy. 4th & Swift is a template for gourmet excellence.
This is easygoing, elevated dining, the Atlanta food experience we deserve.
And you thought you knew Vidalia
onions? Enjoy Lynne Brandon’s wonderful story about America’s favorite
vegetable:
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