Failure.

It’s a hell of a thing. A brutal thing. But sometimes it yields something amazing. At least that’s what I tell myself at night after failing time after time to discover some esoteric Rosicrucian society that will teach me the Great Work. Look it up. I’m not going to explain it.

So what does failure have to do with The Oliver? Well, it was Republica prior to being rebranded to The Oliver. It failed, so they changed it.

From the ash, a phoenix.

Welcome to The Oliver.

My parents were in town for the week so we wanted to try a new place out. The Oliver has only been open for a short time so we decided to give it a go. Pretty much just trying to show my parents that Katie and I are cool people that go to cool places with money we didn’t get by selling plasma.

We’ve come a long way since 17.

Anyways, The Oliver is in the Plaza. Walking into it, we’re all pleased. It’s a pleasant looking place. It’s cool but not too try-hard. And I personally really enjoy tuft couches.

It also has a bar. This image doesn’t do it justice. It was kinda busy and I was feeling weird taking photos in front of everyone. All the Yums just doesn’t have the gravitas yet for me to bust in and not give a fuck. I’m sorry.

Anyways, we order some drinks and apps. When you come here, try the pork nuggets.

I should have a joke about that. But I don’t.

They were pretty much just fried BBQ pork balls. Very satisfying. As for drinks, we all had pretty normal stuff. Except for Katie. Who just had to be different and order the Summer Babe to remind me that I’m blessed to have tricked her into marriage.

It looked like a 1950s soda bottle. And since we watched the Sandlot before going to dinner, we felt it appropriate.

So what did we order?

Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich – Diamond Crystal buttermilk battered, baby Swiss, spicy slaw, B&B pickles, lemon chive mayo, house brioche bun. Katie added a side of sweet potato mac’n’cheese because she’s a mad-woman.

Angie’s White Cheddar Enchiladas – kale slaw, borracho beans, corn bread. My mom got this. The sauce was straight money.

The O Burger – steakburger, aged white cheddar, B&B pickle, caramelized onions, dijonnaise, house brioche bun.

And the taco platter with red snapper. I took a photo of it but it looked dumb. So you’ll have to take my word for it that it was very tasty. My dad ordered it and demolished it.

Overall the food was really good. Nothing was bad. A few of the dishes, like the enchiladas and chicken sandwich, were great. The burger was good, but you can get a better one at Pigwich. Try something different when you go. But overall it was a very nice meal. Worth the money (with the exception of the burger, which I would rate 6/10).

And the bathrooms? They looked like a Germany disco owners wet dream.

This is usually the part where I delve into some crippling self-introspection that attempts to let you into my steadily declining mental state while trying to make a profound statement about the world’s apathy and the fact that Applebee’s is still a thing. But you know what?

I got nothing. Life’s been pretty rad recently. When I’m happy, I just can’t write good.

See?

Sorry, though. I’ll work on being sad for the next review.

As for The Oliver?

Taste: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Bathroom: 9/10

Verdict? Try it out.