4TH & SWIFT

He says:
This past weekend, I treated Uptown Girl to a special Valentine’s Day dinner at 4th & Swift, one of Atlanta’s hottest new restaurants in 2008. And what says “romance” more than a 4-course prix fixe menu for $75/person? With Bacchanalia-level prices, though, there also come the expectation of a creative menu, top-shelf ingredients, and unexpected pairings that challenge the palette.

Could 4th & Swift deliver?

She says:
For the first course, Downtown Boy and I both chose the poached Maine lobster. If they were going to charge us an arm and a leg for dinner, we were going to get the most out of it! They were generous with the lobster meat, which was buttery and delicious. It came atop a pile of cauliflower “risotto,” which was, unfortunately, just a bland pile of steamed cauliflower. Also absent was the carrot-ginger emulsion… there was a butter sauce on the bottom of the plate, but it lacked any distinct ginger or carrot flavor.

My second course involved Yellowfin tuna prepared two ways. The first, a slab of tuna lightly seared and set on top of seaweed salad, was uninventive. The second was tastier and more creative – a spicy tuna tartare mixed with avocado and topped with wasabi tobiko (roe).

He says:
My second appetizer of pork sugo and herb gnocchi was disappointing. Ground up into a Bolognese-style ragu, the pork was as bland as the tomato base it came with. It didn’t help that underneath the parmesan flakes it looked like Hamburger Helper. The accompanying gnocchi was delicate and tasty, but it wasn’t enough to save this dish.

My “counting sheep” entrée – a North African inspired dish that included 3 types of mutton – fared much better. The merguez (spicy sausage) was rich and smoky. Two generous chops came with a creamy tahini sauce. And the slow braised shoulder, while tame, paired well with the moist bed of couscous and a spicy harissa.

She says:
On our server’s recommendation, I selected the roasted North Carolina pheasant for my entree. It reminded me of Thanksgiving dinner. First, the late fall/winter flavors were all there… the tender roasted pheasant meat, the buttery mashed sweet potatoes, the cabbage hash, and a sort of cranberry and nut chutney. And second, it was far too much food. I definitely enjoyed the dish, but I also wondered if 4th and Swift was trying to justify the price of this prix fixe meal through quantity rather than quality.

Consequently I could only manage a few bites of my dessert, a spiced chocolate pot de crème. The custard was fine, but missing any real intensity. I was put off by the cinnamon “churros” that came alongside, as they were not cooked through, leaving the interior unappetizingly gooey.

He says:
The parsnip and apple cake, 4th and Swift’s avant garde version of carrot cake, was a complete letdown. Any notes of either parsnip or apple were lost in two successive layers of maple cream cheese frosting.

Another letdown, I might add, was the restaurant’s décor. The entire “faux warehouse” look of backlit brick face walls and exposed piping is just so played out. It’s the de facto look of restaurants that are too lazy to create an authentic vibe. And I guess that’s my major problem with 4th & Swift, overall. The kitchen here is talented, but too many dishes are lazily prepared, or formulaic, or just plain boring.

We say:
Good food in search of true inspiration.




4th & Swift
621 North Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
http://www.4thandswift.com/

SOTTO SOTTO

He says:
Ah, Sotto Sotto, where have you been all these years?

Uptown Girl and I consider Italian one of our favorite cuisines, and yet we have struggled to find a great Italian meal ever since moving to Atlanta. We have followed recommendations from friends and publications alike, and everywhere we have dined we’ve encountered generic pasta in boring cream sauces. After a long while, I resigned myself to second-rate Italian in this city… but finding an establishment like Sotto Sotto gives me real hope.

It occupies a small, unassuming space on North Highland that is easy to miss, which is probably why it took us so long to eat here. Nevertheless it is lovely inside, with dark wood tables, dim accent lighting, and the unfinished plaster walls of a Tuscan villa. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived for an early dinner, but by the time we left every table was full. In this economy, this tells me that Sotto Sotto is doing something right.

Our waiter said Sotto Sotto’s risotto was considered the best in the city, and I won’t argue with him. The mushroom risotto I ordered was sublime. The Arborio rice was creamy and tender without falling into mushiness, with a robust mix of wild mushrooms infusing every bite.

The pappardelle with duck ragu was less of a revelation but no less delicious. The delicacy of the fresh pasta paired well with the light tomato base and rich slivers of duck thigh. The kitchen could have been more generous with the duck, but this is a minor complaint. Each of these pasta half-orders only cost $10, and they were more than filling.

She says:
These half-order pastas are the most brilliant idea ever. After hemming and hawing between two pasta dishes for 10 minutes, I finally realized I could get both! The cappellacci de zucca is a seasonal dish, little pasta “hats” stuffed with butternut squash and sweet potato, and served with sage in a brown butter sauce. I’ve had better versions of this dish before, and although the pasta was perfect, overall the dish was too mild. Luckily I had a second dish to savor – the tagliattelle al funghi. It was the noodle version of Downtown Boy’s wild mushroom risotto. Again, the fresh pasta was excellent, and the sauce achieved a terrific blend of creaminess, saltiness, and mushroomy earthiness. I would definitely put it among my top 10 favorite entrees in Atlanta.

I really didn’t need dessert, but I had to try the chocolate soup, just because it sounded so… different. It was basically a bowl of warm melted chocolate with bits of crunchy, salty “croutons” that added a nice textural contrast. A delicious novelty, but a bit much.

We say:
There’s nothing overly fancy at Sotto Sotto … just basic Italian dishes that are close to perfect.




Sotto Sotto
313 North Highland Ave. Atlanta, GA 30307
http://www.frittirestaurant.com/sotto/