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| - Contemporary Mexican Food in Las Vegas - Big On Service Short on Taste.
The Situation:
I took my wife to Agave for Valentines Day. I did a little research to find a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas that was a bit more "upscale" than the usual.
The Atmosphere:
I found Agave Grill and Cantina on the extreme west side of town and it was listed as "Business Casual" which seemed fine: not too stuffy, not too casual. We arrived to find most people in jeans & t-shirts, so we felt a little over dressed but no problem. It just would have been nice to have a clear representation of the place in advance. The atmosphere was nice at first as there was a sort of stained glass window at the front and allowed for light to make the place feel nice. Once the Sun went down, it felt like this place became a "Contempo-cave" wrought iron balls hanging from the ceiling barely allowing light to escape. The bar occupied the center area of the room and the tables for dining around the outside circle of the room almost seemed an afterthought. The contemporary Latino music was a nice change for us at first and then it just continued to blare and the music was less and less distinguishable from song to song which then began to grate on the nerves. It really started to feel like a disco palace after it became dark.
The Service:
Service was very good, we had reservations for 5:45pm and arrived at 5:15pm. I figured we would just have to have a drink and wait it out but they sat us right away even though we were early on Valentines day no less! They were on top of things with drinks, chips and water coming out immediately, and consistently, food also was prepared well and not much of a wait at all. The waitress looked like she could have been a cocktail waitress at a club but which was in keeping with the atmosphere, but she was very nice, courteous, and helpful. Right off the bat when they offered us a $120 of champagne at "half price" and we didn't accept, the 'warmth' of the service declined a bit. Perhaps there is quite an emphasis made on customers that buy 'high ticket' items. At any rate, she and the other servers were also polite and really on top of things.
Appetizers:
We were immediately treated with a bowl of delicious black and yellow corn chips and an arrangement of 3 salsas. Each salsa had its own distinct flavor, seeming almost 'garlicy' so we ordered the guacamole for the chips and I was surprised to see, instead of the usual mini-cup, a gigantic bowl of guacamole! It looked like a 6 month supply! I was in heaven, until I tasted it. Then I was suddenly transported to a magic portal on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
For my palette, it had a combination of sweet and garlic that just didn't work. In fact, for my taste, it was weird. In all fairness, my wife thought it was fine and the salsas as well, although she did agree that there seemed to be a bit of garlic added to the flavor.
Drinks:
Not a lot to review here. They do offer a great selection of top shelf margaritas, tequilas, and wines. But their selection was limited when it came to imported beers and specialty drinks. We decided on a couple Pina Coladas but they were off the menu. The pricing on drinks is average for a restaurant in this category. We paid about $10 each for the Pina Coladas and the Margaritas looked to be about the same price. The drinks tasted great, a perfect blend of flavor and strength where the rum could be appreciated.
Main Course:
I ordered the shrimp & crab stacked enchilada while my wife ordered the chicken enchiladas. I would definitely recommend the shrimp and crab enchilada and I was informed that it is very popular for this restaurant. My wife also enjoyed the chicken enchiladas. Both Entrées came with beans and rice both of which, again, tasted very strange. I've eaten Mexican food all over Mexico, San Diego, New Mexico, and Arizona, and I have never tasted such a weird sweet/garlic sugar spice kind of flavor on most of the food. I just didn't get it. I'm all for something new, but this was just weird. Prices were very reasonable in my opinion, I paid $19 for my dish and couldn't finish it all, (probably too many chips) and my wife's dish was about $17.
Overall:
Agave was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us, literally. We will experience that place only once and hopefully never again. What was cute and cool for the first 10 minutes, became annoying and irritating for the rest of the night. The food was pretty weird tasting (how do you mess up rice and beans?) but the prices were good and the service was great.
Recommended:
No - I get great service from the Sanitation Dept. it doesn't mean I would go there to eat anytime soon.
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Tips and Menu Recommendations This place is usually pretty full so definitely call ahead with reservations if you want to guarantee a spot. Try the shrimp and crab stacked enchiladas - only thing that wasn't really that weird.
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