After sampling some of Agave's food at a recent Yelp Event, I made a point of bookmarking the restaurant as a Thank You for the support they gave our event as well as to support a small business. So when my wife needed to pick up something from a shop in Carmel, I decided to go along and stop by Agave for a late lunch.
Located on Main St on the east end of the Arts District, the shop is fortunate to have some public parking on the south side of the building. We found our way in and were greeted promptly and because of the time, allowed to pick our own seating (normally you wait to be seated). We grabbed a spot on the main floor (the upstairs is open when needed) near the windows. There is a bar on the west side of the dining area.
After selecting our beverages, my wife went with the Chimichanga and I decided to choose the Tacos de Carne Asada which I saw a lot of great reviews of on Yelp (it is also one of my "go to" selections when trying a Mexican Restaurant for the first time.) In a very brief time, our entrees were delivered (we hadn't even finished the complementary salsa and chips.)
My choice came with two corn tortillas with steak, cilantro and onion with refried beans on the side. There was also a spicy sauce to add which added dimension to the flavor. Although I prefer the taste of flour tortillas, the tacos were still pretty tasty.
My wife's chicken Chimi came with Mexican rice, pico de gallo, sour cream, and a bit of guac on the side. There was also a cheese sauce over the Chimi. She liked the flavor, but was disappointed that there wasn't any crispness to the shell. The dough was a bit spongy like it had been either undercooked or reheated or the cheese had softened the crust. Not sure what happened, but she was expecting the crispy texture and didn't get it. She did let the staff know about it in a nice way but went ahead and ate her meal anyway. Note: She also was expecting it to be shredded chicken, but instead found a large single piece of chicken (tenderloin or breast meat).
The flavors were on the mild side which normally my wife likes, but even she thought it could use a bit more spice.
I will say that we really liked the taste of the salsa. It seemed to be more complex than a lot of tomato based salsas....it seemed to have a hint of smoky flavor to me.
Service was friendly and attentive and like the rest of the family, sincerely interested in making the dining experience a positive one.
Overall, I think the 3.5 star rating is pretty accurate based upon my first dining experience here. No "Wow" factor and the slight disappointment in the Chimi, but I'll round up to 4 because of the friendly service.
Review #2344 read more