Oliver's Modern American

This place is in the old Polynesian dairy queen building, nostalgic and cuteThe hostess was so friendly, and our server Riley was completely slammed since her coworker apparently left unbeknownst to anyone.Anyway, Riley was fantastic, efficient and friendly We ordered the pork and the salmon, along with the shrimp appetizer and beet salad Everything was delicious and cooked to order

First off, let me say, I really wanted to like this place and have been looking forward to trying Oliver's for months.  The building is beautiful and oh so cool.  Unfortunately, our food was just poor to fair.  There were four in our party and two of us ordered the NY Strip to be cooked medium.  Both steaks were served undercooked, looking quite rare, and the pieces were incredibly fatty, making it difficult to eat.  The steaks were not hot, and the cauliflower puree that the steaks were placed on was room temp.  Extremely disappointing considering it was $38.  When we mentioned this to the server, she simply apologized and picked up barely eaten plates.  The other two in our party ordered the Rajas Fettuccine with shrimp, which was fair and served with just 4 shrimp, and the other ordered the Coconut Lime Scallops which consisted of 4 pricey overcooked/chewy scallops served over a bed of succotash.All of us were disappointed which was really too bad considering we were so excited to try this venue.  We won't be going back to eat and will just admire the building as we drive by.

I don't really like leaving negative reviews, but this time I kinda feel like I need to say something.I'd been looking forward to trying out Oliver's since I saw that they were opening and finally wrangled a friend to give the place a try with me.From the beginning, it was slightly off. The restaurant wasn't all that busy, but we had a bit of a wait for my table (despite the reservation). Ultimately, we were at the bar for a few waiting (not awful, but not ideal).When sat, we went through the menu items and settled on a few appetizers: Grilled Asparagus and Burrata. The Asparagus was pretty good, and we had no complaints... The Burrata, however, was bad enough to be sent back. While the taste of the burrata was a bit different than we expected, the main reason we sent it back was the bread. It was, not only charred like it had just been slapped on a griddle, it was impossible to tear and chew. It was one of those items that you fear may yank out a tooth.For the main course(s), we did the Pork Tenderloin and the Bistro Steak. It was odd being asked if we wanted the Pork to be medium or well done (first time we had ever had that question asked of pork), but went with the medium... cuz, YOLO. It wasn't bad and the only bits left at the end were the ones that appeared a little bit too undercooked for liking. The biggest disappointment, to me, was the Bistro Steak. The only flavor to it was char. Au poivre is supposed to be a bit of a crusting, but this was just charred black (much like the edges of the bread with the burrata) and had the same taste. The mixture of herbs that were supposed to come on it looked to be just parsley. Despite the exterior, however, it was cooked medium as asked... I just wish there was taste that wasn't "burnt." That literally overpowered everything.Despite the food coming up short, the service and staff were great :) Overall, the experience was a pretty big let down. I want to think it was just an off night/off experience (but it was a Friday night... prime dining time) and try again, but it's a pretty tough bit to swallow with the price tag that is attached to the food and drinks (the drink is what will get you and pretty overpriced). Maybe someday.

What a wonderful location, building and very friendly staff. But I'm writing this review because I want to see this place get better with the food because we had such a nice evening but the food needs more thought.The apps and salads where wonderful, the Caesar dressing was perfect. We were a table of 6 so we had different main meals and here is the groups info, and trust me this is so the team at Olivers can improve...this is not negative.3 people got the scallops. And while the scallops themselves were cooked to perfection and great, the coconut was way too overpowering and the succotash was not the right combination for scallops. Scallops are rich in nature and should have very light side so you focus on the scallop. This dish needs to be rethought is what all 3 people said. One person got the airline chicken. First, we laughed at the name because we have all eaten airline food so this was an instant turn off....but she still got it. Her review was it was just boring and lacked pizzaz. The risotto was nice but slightly too sweet. I'd definitely rename it and then think of a boneless thin slice with a nice seasoning to compliment the risotto. Lastly 2 of us got the Meatloaf. The spuds were insane. The meatloaf itself was fantastic....but the bbq sauce was insanely sweet. We both scraped it off the meatloaf and enjoyed it. The meatloaf was moist and beautifully flavored. We all have been to Polynesia and understand the history and vibe...but every dish can't be over sweet . Maybe rethink the scallops and what it is accompanied with. I think you initially advertised it with grits....that would have been way better but was not an option.Thanks. You will see us back, and hopefully you keep pushing forward and have some updates on the food.Great spot and neat small bar! L

After seeing the 4.8 Yelp rating and everyone raving about how amazing the food is, I was very excited to try this restaurant. I knew I really wanted to try the pork belly that everyone was crazy about. We started with pork belly- braised with green curry, pineapple salad and a crispy rice cake. I've had a lot of pork belly in my lifetime and this was probably one of the worst as it had no flavor. The rice cake did nothing for me either. The combination of everything on the plate did not work and just seemed off. Burata- burata cheese, peach jam, spicy honey, and noble bread: sounded yummy and the server highly recommended it. I was expecting a burst of flavor but was again very disappointed as it had zero flavor. I added some salt hoping it might elevate the flavor but nope. The bread was chewy and cold and I felt like I was chewing cardboard. Blackened salmon: creole sauce, stone ground grits, fennel, leek, andouille sausage: description sounded amazing and highly recommended by the server but again was very lacking in flavor. Hubby took a few bites and commented he could've made a tastier salmon dish. I had to agree. The service was very attentive and kind. Unfortunately even the best service can't make up for the lack of flavor and for me, food is always the number one reason why I go back to a restaurant. Hubby wasn't very happy with the flavors either. Oh well, at least we tried and know it's just not for us. I would've rated 3/5 but because of the excellent service, I'm giving this restaurant 4 stars.

The interior reconstruction was very well done and appreciated the Dairy Queen history and memorabilia that was kept. Service was good overall, I reserved the Chef Table seating, which was nothing special besides just being seated at the bar by the open kitchen. I ordered the veggie flatbread and found the bread/dough to be hard and burnt. The veggie selection on the flatbread was diverse, which was a nice variety.

It's only the second week for this Scottsdale restaurant, which is in an old Polynesian themed Dairy Queen. It's got a great interior which kept a a small portion of the Polynesian theme. There is a collection of old Dairy Queen memorabilia in the hall to the restrooms. They even pay homage to Dairy Queen with bar glasses - - they have Dairy Queen logo shapes on them. All of the staff was friendly and helpful and really aiming to please. We showed up to our reservation a few minutes early and they took us directly to a booth in the bar area. Our server was there getting us water and drinks and taking our order right away. Our cocktails were delicious - - hubby ordered the Gin Blossom and I got a cocktail called "The Queen," a delicious sweet drink! I ordered the meatloaf which came with a balsamic glaze, mashed potatoes, and crisp green beans. It was so delicious! Hubby ordered the airline chicken with risotto and broccoli, and both were also very good. Wow that risotto was delish! I hope this place is around for a very long time. What a great place!

Came here for dinner recently. Very friendly staff! I was seated right away. They seem to have a limited amount of beer options. Only 4! But one sounded good and actually liked it very much (Fate Brewing Highway to Hefen). I order the pork tenderloin which comes with a chili sweet potato mash and Swiss chard.Everything was excellent. Good portions on the sweet potato and Swiss chard but only five pieces of tenderloin. Could have used a few more.I also ordered a side of carrots which are sautéed in basil, oregano and citrus. They were also excellent. Highly recommend.

We had a nice experience here. I like how they did the interior, it offered privacy and had different sections so the overall noise level wasn't too loud (which is often my biggest complaint when dining in Scottsdale). Great service and the pork belly as a starter was great. Special sauce and the pineapple was a nice touch. The fettuccine as a main dish fell flat a bit. Wasn't bad but wasn't too memorable, we will probably try something else when we return. Overall, I do like this place!

Brought my husband and friends here to celebrate hubby's bday and it just so happened to be opening weekend. We were greeted and sat immediately upon arriving and given the option to sit inside or out. We chose outside for the ambiance. For opening the weekend, I thought it would be busy, but surprisingly enough, it was pretty quiet. This place is kind of nostalgic looking as it was an old style Dairy Queen with a steeple like ceiling. The staff members were very friendly and attentive and the food was pretty good. Don't pass up the flat iron steak with frites (fries). That was the best meal on our table. There were a couple things food wise that I would tweak, but considering it was their first weekend open, I'm still going to give them 5 stars and vow to try them again.