Imagine the antithesis to a dimly lit, packed-to-the-walls dive bar. What do you see? A large open space, with sunlight pouring in, and plenty of room to breathe, right? Thus, the story of Swift Half, David Garry and Heather Gleason’s follow up to the wildly successful, and now Center City staple, Good Dog. Located in The Piazza in Northern Liberties, Swift Half not only differs from its elder in space, and ambiance, but also the dining experience. Think pub food with an emphasis on slow cooked, rich, and inviting flavors.

Upon the initial announcement of Swift Half’s opening, the first thing on everyone’s mind was the burger. Will it be the same as the infamous Roquefort-stuffed creation at Good Dog, blissfully worshiped by Craig LaBan? Or will chefs Jessica O’Donnell and Jeff Kozlowski lock themselves in deep meditation and create something even more epic? The answer is simple really, no really, that’s the answer; the two chefs went with simplicity. The Swift Half Burger is the same eight ounce patty of seasoned ground sirloin used at Good Dog, draped in a sheet of perfectly sauteed sweet, and tangy onions. Don’t be disappointed when you realize there are no hidden treasures deep within the meat, instead the burger can be topped with any of the fine offerings from the cheese plate. Keeping it traditional, we opted for the Keen’s aged cheddar and applewood smoked bacon, and the results were brilliant.

The muffaletta was a long time Good Dog favorite that has now been transplanted to Swift Half’s menu. O’Donnell’s take on the classic New Orleans sandwich ditches the Sicilian bread for slices of sourdough olive loaf, specially made for her by Wild Flour Bakery. A succulent ratatouille of eggplant, artichokes, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes and seasoned with rosemary and thyme smothers spicy molinari friuli salami and an intense, dry aged cremosa provolone. With the option to remove the meat or cheese, the bulky ratatouille with its overwhelming flavors makes this sandwich a great choice for vegetarians.

There’s no question why the steak sandwich has moved from the daily specials to a full residency on the main menu. Tender, slices of pink and juicy NY Strip are topped with an aioli with a garlic kick, crisp arugala and beautifully ripened plum tomatoes. The zest from pickled onions help to balance the sweetness from the aioli and the pepper flavor from the steak. Served on a crispy, onion ciabatta, this was our favorite of the bunch. Imagine a fine steak meal in one hand, a pint of a hoppy local craft beer in the other.

The sandwiches at Swift Half, succeed quite well in carrying out the vision of thoughtful pub food. We’re glad to see they are, as other restaurants in Philadelphia, embracing Twitter for draft updates and menu specials. Be sure to follow them: @swifthalfpub.

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Swift Half Pub
1001 N 2nd Street – Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)

Ask Tommy Up for the real meaning behind the initials in P.Y.T., his new burger joint at The Piazza, and you won’t get a straight answer. Most will immediately make a connection to the song by the late King of Pop, but Up won’t admit where it’s from, sarcastically offering suggestions like: Pad Your Tummy and Pick Your Toppings. Still, after one look of the sleek space and its pale wood bar, retro green vinyl stools. and crowd of tenants from the apartments that surround, you’ll realize that it all feels pretty and young. Since becoming Philadelphia’s most well known party promoter in recent years through his company PaperStreet, opening a lounge was a logical next step for Up. It was his love for California style burgers that led him to develop the space as not just a bar and dance floor, but a full fledged restaurant.

During his most recent tenure throwing parties at the upstairs lounge of Time Restaurant, Up became friendly with Chef Josh McCullough. After casually pitching the idea of P.Y.T., they started working on a menu of a variety of sandwiches and desserts. The pair did research by eating some of the best burgers in America, citing New York, Miami, and Los Angeles as especially inspiring. Eventually Up and McCullough settled on a menu composed of a variety of sandwiches, hand cut fries, beer battered onion rings, lobster fishsticks, and milkshakes – both virgin and alcoholic.

The namesake P.Y.T. Burger is a five ounce proprietary Ashley Foods patty topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions, kettle chips and a house made garlic mayo on a Martin’s potato roll. Even with the overwhelming crowd, McCullough’s kitchen staff was sending out expertly cooked burgers; ours, ordered medium, was the perfect combination of a crispy exterior and juicy, pink middle. Chef McCullough attributes this killer grill job to a very hot griddle and a well-trained staff that’s been instructed to treat the burgers as they would a steak – by probing each one for exact temperature.

Burgers are also offered with more patties: the Royale With Cheese topped with two is for the Jules Winnfield in you and for those with an even large appetite, The Big Mic offers a towering three. One can also customize their burger to taste, with a variety of cheeses including goat, blue and Boursin toppings like a fried egg, jalapeños, avocado and more. The TLC Burger, does indeed taste like chicken, because it is: lean chicken breasts are ground and formed into a patty. The consistency gives that perfect burger bite, with a peppery seasoning and unmistakably grilled chicken taste.

Vegetarian offerings are aptly named “Bogus Burgers” but are delicious none the less. The Calibunga Burger is a patty formed from white beans, basil, tomatoes and garlic held together by garlic bread crumbs. The refreshing departure from the typical black bean burger and fresh flavors impressed us. For those shy to meat and not necessarily focused on health concerns will love the Shroom Burger. Shredded cheddar cheese is sandwiched between two Portobello mushrooms which are beer battered then fried and topped with special sauce. Never before have we encountered a mushroom burger that was such an artery clogger, but damn was it good.

For the kid in you, the menu offers the P.Y.T. Dog, a Hebrew National jumbo beef frank topped with homemade chili, diced onions and blanketed in cheddar cheese. There’s also no fooling around with the Pretty Serious Grilled Cheese, a smathering of Boursin, mushrooms and tomatoes that can be ordered with or without bacon. We can’t say we tried the Peanut Butter Jelly Time but there’s no going wrong with a grilled PB&J with bananas. An ice cream sandwich is still being toyed around with, but we did get to sample the current incarnation of vanilla ice cream dotted with chocolate chips, sandwiched between chocolate peanut butter cookies from Brown Betty Desserts and sprinkled with ground coffee beans.

This past weekend, P.Y.T. launched to much fanfare, with hordes of people coming out to taste free burgers offered by Tommy Up on Twitter. It’s a realization of what he does best, bring the people to the party. Now that he can feed, intoxicate and entertain his guests, Up is going to find himself with a new problem: getting them to leave when it’s closing time.

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P.Y.T.
1050 N Hancock Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)