4th and Swift has been on my radar for quite a while and I can’t believe it took me so long to give it a try. Upon approaching 4th and Swift, I was amazed at how that Old Fourth Ward area has been transformed. I remember 10 plus years ago, when the only thing around was the Masquerade.

So, pulling up and feeling a little nostalgic about my Masquerade 80s nights, I found an empty spot and parked. I was a little confused as to whether I was supposed to valet or not but found out valet is optional at 4th and Swift. If you want to take advantage of the valet simply pull up and wait and someone will help you.

My outing to 4th and Swift was a belated birthday present from my BFF, Steve. Upon entering we immediately noticed how packed it was. Steve immediately turned to me and said “What Recession?” We were then seated at what I think is probably the best table in the restaurant. It is a curved booth against the wall of the restaurant. I like that it gives a great view of the restaurant, bar area and the kitchen.

4th and Swift Dining Room

4th and Swift reminds me of restaurants like Rathbun’s and One Midtown Kitchen as far as it’s decor. With its stained concrete flooring, high ceilings, and low lighting, it has an overall industrial look and feel to it.

So, I had checked out the menu online and had determined that I would have the lamb lasagna. Although it was listed under the “small plates” section, many reviews said it was an adequate portion for a dinner entree and oh so good.

I logged on the day of our reservation to check the menu again, only to find that 4th and Swift had changed to their spring menu. The lamb lasagna was no longer offered. What?!?! My heart sank, and when the restaurant called me to verify my reservation for later that evening, I asked if it was really not possible to get the lamb lasagna, although I already knew the answer.

Fast forward to dinner that night. As I said, I looked at their online menu but they also have a daily menu with other offerings, not listed on the website. There were some fish offerings on the daily menu, but I really had my mind on the lamb.

Our server, approached our table and mentioned off the bat that she had heard I wanted the lamb and that although I couldn’t get it in the form of lasagna as I had wanted the new lamb entree on the menu was fantastic and that I should give it a try. I thought this was a nice touch that the hostess or whoever it was that called to verify my reservation passed that along.

While neither Steve or myself found any appetizers we wanted to try we went straight for the main courses and decided this would save us room for dessert. I had the lamb and Steve had the Cod fish. I also took our server’s recommendation on wine – a spicy Shiraz. Steve had a beer, but I can’t remember the name. They have just over 10 beers to chose from, a good mix of beers most around $5-6, but you won’t find Budweiser or Coors here. It is an ecclectic mix of small breweries, the only names which I recognized were Peroni and Sweetwater.

4th and Swift Rolls

We were brought some rolls and crispy flatbreads to start. The rolls reminded me of the type you get at Red Lobster. You know, the garlic cheddar biscuits? Except these were smaller and not as flavorful. The crispy flatbread was better.

4th and Swift Cod Fish

Steve’s Cod fish was cooked just right and came on a bed of rice and vegetables. I thought it was fantastic, but Steve thought that the portion was rather small, especially for $25. The plating of my lamb was beautiful. It came with one lamb chop, and some shredded lamb (shoulder) as well as the fried eggplant and some veggies.

My lamb chop was just ok, even for a lamb chop it was pretty small, albeit cooked medium just as I had asked. I liked the shredded lamb part better. It had a spiciness that paired well with my Shiraz. The only thing is I could have done without the yogurt they put on top of it. I understand the idea, mix the yogurt with the shredded lamb to cut the heat, but I just scooped it to the side and didn’t mess with it. It was fine, I just don’t care for that.

4th and Swift Lamb

As far as the fried eggplant, I was looking forward to this too, as I love eggplant, but I was disappointed after just one bite. One cut into these eggplant “sticks” the fried part fell right off and I was left with cooked eggplant with no flavor. I suppose I was expecting something like the eggplant fries offered at Rathbun’s. Topped with powdered sugar, those are phenomenal. The eggplant at 4th and Swift was completely tasteless.

Even though we felt less than thrilled with our food at this point, we decided we’d give dessert a try and Steve chose the Churros which come with a whipped chocolate dipping sauce. If you aren’t familiar with churros they are like sticks of dough covered with cinnamon and sugar. So, we got our 2 churro sticks which we finished in 2 bites. They must’ve been 4 inches long. So, there we sat with 3/4 cup left of chocolate sauce. I don’t know why you would get so much sauce and so little churro.

4th and Swift Churros

I had high expectations of 4th and Swift, and although the service was outstanding, they fell short in the food department. With the $30 price tag I expected to get 2 lamb chops. If you price lamb in the grocery store, chops are very expensive, but the shoulder is pretty cheap. So, I felt a little “cheated” there. 4th and Swift has received glowing reviews from just about every food critic and I’m sure they’ll continue to flourish, but I just feel it is a bit too pricey for what you get.

621 North Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
678-904-0160
Website

Tags: 4th and Swift Restaurant, Jay Swift, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward