Swift Half

The Good Dog Bar is one tough pub to follow. There is that legendary blue-cheese-stuffed burger, of course, so good that it inspired me to haiku and song. But there is also such an elusive aura of perfected grunge in its cozy rowhouse bones, patinaed by generations of drinkers, that it could never be duplicated.

It's "that ancient falling-down character," says co-owner Dave Garry wistfully. He even speaks of the Good Dog's perpetually vandalized toilets with measured fondness. (Well, sort of): "I wouldn't want to re-create it."

So it's no surprise that the Swift Half pub, the Good Dog sibling that Garry and his wife and partner, Heather Gleason, recently opened in the new Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties, feels like a completely different creature.

I'm not sure the Dog's gritty bike-messenger crowd will embrace it, as it lacks even a hint of urban funk. For one, there are no cans of trendy PBR amidst the myriad craft beers, most of which come in wee half-pint pours. And I just don't see them giving the dainty little cucumber sandwiches much hipster cred.

The room itself is a generic open box of a bar with wooden booths, flat-screen TVs, and a glass wall that looks out onto terrace seating on the Piazza. Like so much of this dramatically modern development from Bart Blatstein, there's a crisp newness here that borders on sterile.

But a little time and some crowds will no doubt be the ultimate seasoning. And with the Phillies slugging in playoff form one recent night on the gigantic TV screen overlooking the moonlit Piazza, I could finally imagine this unique public space in its thriving glory. Nearly 100 people reposed on folding chairs in the open square gazing up at the action, and every one of the 48 seats on the Swift Half's terrace was filled.

There were far more Phillies fans in jerseys than NoLibs scenesters, to be sure, a sign of the Piazza's mainstream demographic. But with a menu from the Good Dog's executive chef, Jessica O'Donnell, and her chef de cuisine, Jeff Kozlowski, there's nothing bland about the food.

Granted, there may not be any lightning bolts of bar-food brilliance on the level of that cheese-stuffed burger. But this menu is full of good ingredients and satisfying flavors, with a shade more culinary ambition and a lighter touch than the Good Dog's comfort-food ruminations.

For starters, there is a pair of thick-cut lamb chops edged in a garlicky green marinade of mint chimichurri, fairly priced at $14. It's easy to recall O'Donnell's Striped Bass experience in the menu's deft seafood items, like those gorgeous Jersey scallops with zucchini ribbons and cherry tomatoes. A simply grilled whole branzino was as plump and juicy as any I've had recently around town for $21. A $24 steak-frites is relatively pricey for Northern Liberties. But as meat goes, this tender strip steak glazed in jalapeño butter with good house-cut fries and a side of grilled corn was worth the cost.

For a slightly upscaled seafood twist on wings that is more likely to fly, O'Donnell tosses crisply fried shrimp in a spicy blush of sour cream and Stilton spiked with Tabasco.

That Swift Half happens to have real Colston Bassett Stilton lying around is one of its most appealing virtues. The left side of the menu offers a nibble-centric selection of quality charcuterie and serious cheese: aged English cheddar from Keen's, a piquant Bianco Sardo di Moliterno; and the washed-rind Ardrahan from Ireland that, atop a burger, lends the patty an ethereally earthy funk. For that matter, the grilled cheese with Gruyère and Gran Biscotto is a stellar comfort upgrade.

You'll still have to head back to the Dog on 15th Street if you need to see bleu geysering from your patty's center. But the availability of more premium cheeses as burger toppings at Swift Half (an extra $1.50) is a fair consolation. Meanwhile, the burger itself is a half-pound beauty, a thick round of that same Good Dog beef sporting a well-seasoned crust, a toasted brioche bun, and a lingering savor.

By comparison to such gusto, those dainty cucumber sandwiches are an oddity - tea time at the Piazza. But they're an admittedly tasty homage to the comfort food of Garry's childhood in County Cork, Ireland, especially with a homemade dill aioli to moisten the crunchy cukes.

The good fish and chips, half a pound of flaky fresh cod inside a crisp Guinness batter, are another tip to that Irish heritage. So is the name: "Swift Half" refers to that "quick pint on the way home from work," Garry says.

Actually, there's no such thing as a half-pint in Ireland, he concedes. But the Swift Half's cute 10-ounce pours are both a bargain (especially Mondays when they sell for $2) and handy for sampling multiple flavors over the course of a meal. There are usually great craft choices on the 10 rotating taps (Sixpoint Sweet Action Ale; Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout) and fine bottles, too, including large-sized options that are fun for sharing, from Saison Dupont to Brooklyn's Local 1.

Swift Half's personable servers did a surprisingly good job of guiding us through the menu and drinks. It was the follow-up service that was really lacking, with slow pacing and randomly delivered courses, and food-runners with no clue who ordered what.

The kitchen wasn't perfect, either. The muffuletta was a disaster, with totally wrong bread (a chewy olive thing, not the typically seeded flat round) and mushy olive salad topping. The vegetarian shepherd's pie was too heavy for the waning heat of summer. The mole-glazed ribs need a complete revamp, from the less-than-tender meat to a sauce that still hasn't found the right register of brightness and depth.

The desserts also need some tweaking, though their clever inspirations are already right. The daily bread puddings are appealing, from pineapple-caramel to roasted peach with rum sauce - but each needed a more thorough soaking. Kozlowski's daily "fudge board" trio is most intriguing. The white chocolate with pistachio and the chocolate almond were fine. But it was the dark chocolate and bacon fudge that caught our attention: "The power of bacon and fudge in one object!" our server cheered in a slogan worth remembering.

Let's just say this particular morsel of chocolate studded with homemade bac-o-bits is still a work in progress (not crunchy or bacony enough!) But I love the instinct to give this new venture its own signature dish. With an act like Good Dog to follow, this pub has to think big.