Liz Modern Asian — Restaurant in Scottsdale

Genuinely very confused about what I just experienced… We are from out of town, we saw the reviews and stopped in. First we were told it was restaurant week and that if we didn’t order from the restaurant week menu it could take a while since that was the main focus.. but there was only 3 other tables of people in there and they were already well into their dining experience so I’m confused as to why that was said... with that being said we opted to order the restaurant week 10 course meal as we saw other reviews with pictures and thought why not, seems like a good bang for our buck. Boy do I regret that.

First came the dumplings which were underwhelming to say the least. Just dumplings tossed on a plate with soy sauce over them. Then was the Chinese chicken salad which was also served with the walnut shrimp which was probably the best thing that we had. Next we were brought a plate with a few pieces of chicken on it, we assumed it was the hainan chicken and rice, but were served no rice and had to ask for some. Next they brought us a meat in some buns, which we assumed were the pork buns but the meat was visibly undercooked. When I pointed out that the meat was undercooked since I thought it was the pork buns we were told it was the prime rib. But then the prime rib came out in a plate covered in what appeared to be hoisin sauce and was wildly undercooked. Basically raw, which you can see in the picture I posted. The brisket lo mein left little to be desired and was just noodles with some meat and very lightly sauced. The cheese puffs initially came out frozen still in the middle. I will say the young man waiting on us was very kind and brought us new ones that were nice and hot and crispy. Which is the only reason I provided three stars for the service. The cake was the thinnest slice of cake I’ve ever been served and was also frozen. After all that we decided to go to counter to check out. When checking out a woman, who based on reviews I’m assuming was the owner asked us how it was, I simply said good. She then went and walked over to our table and looked at our leftover food at the table and questioned if we didn’t like the prime rib, as we left it. We then informed her that it was very undercooked, at that point she informed us she could have cooked it more.. but she was the one who initially served it to us.

Needless to say, looking at pictures the items we were served look nothing like what others have posted that dined during the restaurant week menu as well. I am not sure what I just experienced and couldn’t help but laugh at the insanely different experience from what others that have posted.

I don’t normally leave reviews, but I felt compelled to provide this review as I am very confused on how this place has such good reviews. I’m not sure if maybe they were overwhelmed with restaurant week or what happened.. but proceed...

Hailing from Hong Kong myself, I've had a lot of experience with Asian cuisine both within the US and outside of it. I really advocate for American-Chinese food, because I feel it has its own unique flavours and cultural identity while also enjoying more 'traditional' Chinese food.

Liz Modern Asian really impresses because it nails the balance between authentic Hong Kong Barbeque flavours and familiar American-Chinese classics. For instance, the roast pork entree has all the flavours you'd associate with Hong Kong style roast pork, but is executed with a style and flair befitting an eatery in an upscale area like Scottsdale Quarter. The shaking beef is a great interpretation of a Chinese-American staple and was absolutely delicious, with tender, succulent slices of beef - but the vegetables were also standout, with crisp green beans and marinade infused pieces of broccoli. Whether you're a connoisseur of Hong Kong's famed roast meats or someone looking for an upscale Chinese-style meal, you should be covered by the menu here.

I also really enjoyed their steam buns. The buns themselves were pliant, soft, with just enough chew. Each comes stuffed with a protein of your choice. We tried both crispy chicken and charsiu (Hong Kong style BBQ Pork), and found both to be delicious.

The rice, which comes alongside entrees was well steamed with discernible individual grains and nice fluffiness.

All in all, this is a restaurant with a menu that can cater to those desiring the taste and style of Hong Kong BBQ lunch joints as well as those who are looking to 'upgrade' from more traditional Chinese-American fare. In both cases, you'll find that the food here is well proportioned, tasty, and crafted with evident care.

The decor of the restaurant is stylish and modern. It is a pleasant place to sit, enjoy a meal, and look out through the large windows for people watching.

I highly recommend trying out the food here. It is very well-priced for the quality and quantity...

We should have known when the place was empty on a Saturday night that this was going to be bad. But it was 5:30pm and we thought we might just be early diners. But this place was not good in any way. There's almost no atmosphere whatsoever- just a couple of plain tables in an empty room. Behind the counter area were a bunch of dusty wine bottles and glasses, and piled in the back and on the way to the restrooms was just cluttered with junk and supplies. The service was so slow, it took nearly 5 minutes for someone to take our order even though there was only one other couple in there and they already had their food. It was restaurant week, so they had a prix fixe menu for that. We asked to also see the regular menu since it was our first time there. We were told that our table of 4 couldn't order from the regular menu and the restaurant week menu because it would be too hard for the kitchen to handle. So we ordered from the regular menu. Two appetizers and 4 entrees. The first appetizer came out in about 10 minutes, then the entrees, and when we were nearly done with the entrees, the second appetizer arrived. The second appetizer was the only decent thing we had- the BBQ Brisket steam bun. Although it was steamed and then fried, so not what we expected. But still, it was tasty. The edamame was bland, the salt & pepper shrimp was breaded and chewy, salt & pepper pork was also breaded and not very good. Both salt & pepper dishes were supposed to come with white rice, but we never saw any of that. We also had two orders of chicken fried rice, but we all ended up with bits of tendons in parts of the chicken that we couldn't chew. Drinks were served in plastic cups and despite asking for refills on water, we also never got that. We sat around for about 15 minutes before getting the check. While we were there, we saw two separate tables get up and walk out. And after we left, we all agreed that we should have done the same, but we wanted to give them a chance....