El Agave

06/07/08

Good Mole, Bland Margaritas, Over Priced

by TheBestCritic at Citysearch

While on vacation my wife and I dined at El Agave on a Thursday evening (8:30PM) only about 4 other tables were occupied in the entire restaurant, the bar was completely empty. It concerned us a bit, but we decided to stay based on all the "great" reviews.

Their Margaritas were nothing special, somewhat bland. We Shared a starter, Quesadillas del Pueblo Frijol - black beans and Manchego cheese; very small empanadas like pastry filled with black beans, could not taste nor see the Manchego cheese, but still tasty. My wife had Crema de Flor de Calabaza soup; large bowl nice delicate flavor, but need more spices to really make it outstanding. I had the Nopalli Nopal salad which was really good, unfortunately the avacodo was very hard and inedible. She had the Mole Rosa de Taxco with chicken, very good and sizable portion served with guava made it very interesting. I had the classic Mole Poblano Don Julio with pork which was excellent flavor, but again needed additional spice to ?light it up.?

Needless to say we were fairly disappointed but all in all a good experience; I?d rate it a 7 on 10 scale, but a 5 as value for money. Overpriced for chicken and pork dishes, portiions were average, sauces need some kick. There are too many other great Mexican restaurants in San Diego. If you time is limited, pass this one up.

• Pros: Nice Tequila Museum, Ambience, Quiet
• Cons: Prices, Parking,

03/31/08

Agave?..more like dry jerky

by maulee05 at Citysearch

Agave is a succulent plant in Mexico...the name drew me in immediately and the "tequila museum" was the clincher. The ambience was great and their collection of tequila, very impressive. I had a salad w/ crab & nopali that was FANTASTIC and I anticipated more to come...but the remainder of the evening was a huge disappointment! I ordered their sea bass special of the evening, at the server's suggestion. It was covered in a very bland adobo sauce and waaay overdone. The menu described that my entree came w/ "grilled pineapple" which amounted to canned pineaple chunks warmed in a fry pan. I fared better than my friend though. She started w/ a cesar salad that was drenched in dressing...she couldn't finish it without making herself sick. She ordered a chicken dish, again, overcooked and drrry. We consoled ourselves w/ ice cream from Cold Stone down the street.

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: food, value

08/06/07

Great mole

by imjustsayin at Citysearch

The Mole Rojo with pork comes with rice and tortillas for about $18 and is worth every penny. If you like the real mole with chocolate & nut flavors, try the poblano mole - very rich and flavorful.