Swift's Attic, the eclectic new downtown small plate destination from Mat Clouser and sous chef Zack Northcutt, is certainly trying to bat with the big guys--Uchiko, Contigo, Congress--but the food just isn't all that great, writes Jessica Dupuy at Culture Map Austin in one long siiiiiiiiiigh of a restaurant review. After an initial soft-opening visit that left her eating food by the light of her iPhone in a too-dark corner, she went back for another try.
The food? I’ll be honest. I love the menu and everything it promises to be. And I really wanted to love the food. I anticipated that each arriving dish would be an absolute hit, but in truth, the ‘hits’ were too few, while the ‘misses’ were too many.
Dupuy's "hits" include the "heavenly" Lockhart Quail and pastry chef Callie Speer's Popcorn & A Movie and Chocolate 6 Ways, but misses were many: her cornbread was "unbelievably dense and chewy," the grilled bread was "very uncooked," scallops "did not taste fresh" and some of her mussels were "just plain bad."
Still, Dupuy refuses to dislike the place, which she has high hopes for:
While my hopes for Swift’s Attic weren’t exactly met, I’m not worried. (And Clouser and Northcutt shouldn’t be, either.) The flavor profiles for this ambitious and diverse menu are there, they just need tightening and focus in their execution.
· Swift's Attic opens its doors, spreads its wings and hopefully polishes off a few eclectic wares [Culture Map Austin]
· All Swift's Attic Coverage on Eater Austin [-EATX-]
· Swift's Attic [Official]
The Swift's Attic bar. [Photo: Deanna W/Yelp]