The best thing I ate this week was the apple dumpling at Village Vine

When Village Vine first opened in Swarthmore in 2020, it was not only a boost for the untapped charm of a tidy downtown district missing a decent sit-down restaurant. It was also part of a wet revolution, with one of the first liquor licenses in a borough that had been dry for more than 125 years. The focus was on interesting wines and eclectic small plates, but consistency proved a challenge. Six different chefs cycled through the kitchen before its original owners finally sold it in late November to new chef-owner John Hearn, who was previously a chef-partner at Roots Cafe in West Chester and the opening chef of La Cabra Brewing in Berwyn.

Hearn has quickly transformed the small plate wine bar into a more ambitious all-purpose restaurant, open for brunch and dinner, with a whiskey-focused cocktail bar and a wine program that features some more predictable varietals than before (along with a couple basic misspellings that hint at a shift in beverage expertise).

But when it comes to the food, Hearn’s hands-on approach assures there is a consistent effort to deliver quality bistro fare at accessible prices, from an organic hot chicken sandwich (spiced with the bottled hot sauce Hearn perfected with his partner at Roots) to a seared tuna tataki starter, and tempura-fried shrimp in a Calabrian chile glaze. Hand-cranked cavatelli is served carbonara-style with a creamy, yolk-topped sauce studded with rendered bits of Ibérico pork and peas.

Our meal wasn’t perfect. The braised short rib French dip sandwich was a little dry with its missing side of au jus dip. (A mistake.) But it was overall the kind of menu I’d hope for in a local standby, with a quality burger and a cheese list showcasing some excellent selections, including St. Malachi from Chester County’s Farm at Doe Run to tangy La Peral blue from Spain.

What surprised me most were the house desserts, too often an afterthought in other small chef-run kitchens.

Hearn practiced his recipe for tres leches for months before unleashing his creamy tower of multi-dairy-soaked sponge cake on Swarthmore. The best finale was Hearn’s delicate take on an apple dumpling. He opted for a flaky puff pastry over traditional pie dough, and it essentially appears as a delicate mini-apple hot pocket, its tender pastry dome with braided sides stuffed with buttery cinnamon apples and Grand Marnier. Then comes the garnish of some cheffy, savory flourishes: a glossy scoop of salted caramel cremeux and a sweet-tart puddle of blood orange gastrique that cuts through all that richness like sunshine.

Suddenly, a casual dinner with friends at the neighborhood place became an event.

Apple dumpling with salted caramel cremeux, $9, Village Vine, 6 Park Ave., Swarthmore, 484-471-3997; villagevineswarthmore.com