Warren R.
Yelp
Wow, Swifty's is beautifully done. The wait staff and service are very attentive, and the music is at a reasonably low volume. You'd want to eat there, no question. I was with other diners who may or may not offer reviews, but I'm sticking to the crab cakes.
I'm from Maryland, the land of crab cakes, and when I moved here, the crab cake benchmark was at Silver's in Southampton (now closed). There, the cakes had a little panko and egg for binding, aromatics, shallots, peppers, and Bay seasoning. They were gently formed into cakes and sautéed in clarified butter on one side. They were brushed with butter, sprinkled with breadcrumbs on the other side, and put under the salamander until crispy. No sauce was needed, but it came with remoulade.
I'm spoiled, but Swifty's crab cakes were not up to standard. Two came, identical in shape, like hockey pucks. They were breaded on all sides, and given the evenness of the crust, they appear to have been preformed and cooked in a deep fryer. There was plenty of good crab, but too much filler to hold shape and a noticeable absence of richness, umami, and seasoning. A remoulade would have been far superior to the tartar sauce, but something was needed to improve the dish. I'm sure, for the prices, Swifty's can do better on the crab cakes. I've even given them the recipe.
One more thing. The special for the day was Puffer fish tails, and what came was at best an appetizer for the table for $20. Like the crab cakes, the puffer tails were breaded and evenly fried, also in a deep fryer. The fact that they were undercooked on the inside suggests they were previously frozen. The bill, $68.00! Whoa. I could have gotten a 1.5lb lobster, a great strip steak or filet au poivre, a beautifully prepared piece of halibut, a small Dover sole, or grilled lamb chops for that price elsewhere. This dish was a disastrous mistake at $68, even if properly prepared.