Scottsdale Eats: Olive and Ivy
On the second night of our second trip to Scottsdale, Boom Boom had a work dinner so couldn’t come out with us. So Mini-Me and I had ourselves a bit of a man-date. We decided to live it up and do what men are “supposed to do” – grab some cigars, go to an over-priced steak joint, and then hit the nudie bars for some good bonding time.
Not. C’mon, he’s only 11. And he doesn’t like steak.
Boom Boom and I got to sample some of their fine California/Mediterranean fare at the wine festival we snuck into the last time we were here. We also got to see the restaurant from the outside and it was gorgeous with a huge patio. I made a mental note to definitely go there if I had an opportunity. Well here it was.
Even with the misters going, it was a little too toasty to sit on the patio. We were hoping to get this table in their private room –
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But alas, they weren’t going to give it to the two of us. They did offer us seats at their kitchen table – a long bar-like counter facing the staff diligently cooking away.
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Alright, let’s do this.
Sour Cherry Paloma – Don Julio blanco, veev acai, grapefruit, cherry bitters. Delicious.
Bruschetta with Manchego cheese, quince jam, and Spanish chorizo
Artichoke hearts with parmesan, arugula, and balsamic
Pesto came with the bread
Potato gnocchi “Pomodoro” with toasted fennel and Parmesan
Sea scallops with sweet corn polenta, asparagus, and bacon gastrique
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Obviously, we were starving.
Most of the dishes were very, very good. The quince jam was a perfect match to the salt and spice in the cheese and chorizo. I had never seen artichoke presented as like that and the flavors were just as good. The real treat for me was the pesto. I’ve always said that pesto was a lot like hockey for me – I never understood the appeal and just never liked it. This changed my mind, easily the best I’ve had.
Mini-me LOVED his gnocchi and had a staredown with that last bite –
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As for my scallops, I enjoyed the polenta and asparagus quite a bit. The big problem was that the scallops were overcooked. Also, a couple times I bit into a shell fragment. So, in my best passive-aggressive form, I asked if they got their scallops still on the shell. They didn’t and couldn’t explain how those pieces made their way into the dish.
Horrified, they gave us a free dessert –
Tres Leches Cake
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Any difficulties we had in finishing our other meals were easily overcome.
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Overall, a beautiful meal in a beautiful restaurant. Everything is house-made from scratch and the balance of flavor elements in each dish was spot-on. It was terrific man-date. Definitely go there.
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7 comments on “Scottsdale Eats: Olive and Ivy”
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I agree this is a very fine restaurant, though I went with my Bride and her girl friend, a local who suggested it. Of course they also enjoyed the idea of it being so convenient for shopping.
… and we may or may not have enjoyed that convenient shopping as well.
I haven’t tried it, but it’s from a family of restaurants that I really like. Glad your man date went well. Maybe next time come back when it’s not a hundred and crazy degrees outside?🙂
Not a 100? Isn’t that like a 4 day window in January? I actually live the heat. I’m sure 115-120 might be different but I was in my element at 105.
I saw the menu beforehand and wasn’t terribly excited, but the execution and surroundings more than made up for it. Lmk if u go?
December to February, we get 3 whole months of it not being hot!🙂 And yeah, I’ll let you know if I make it up there.
That was supposed to be !, not ?
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