Our supper club ate at Blue Agave last night. After a bumpy start it ended well. There were six of us and we did not have reservations. We arrived at 6:30 and were told there would be a 25 minute wait. They would be able to accommodate us since there were two tables of four next to each other which had come in at the same time. We decided to stick around since we love Mexican and parking had been hard to find for some of us.
We waited in the lounge area which is on the upper floor. This is basically a balcony on the second floor which looks down on the main dining area. There's no service up there and you need to trudge up and down the stairs to get to the bar. After 30 minutes we looked down and could see the two tables of four next to each. Both had their leftovers boxed up and were chatting. So the estimate of 25 minutes seemed pretty reasonable.
By this point there were a number of patrons in the lounge and at the bar waiting. The space at Blue Agave is not large. I'm not sure if the patrons at those two tables were just clueless or had the attitude that they had paid for their meal and therefore were entitled to the space as long as they wanted. However, it was another 30 minutes before either table showed any interest in moving. The staff cleared off the tables and you could see them debating on what to do. I could see their dilemma. If they give us those 2 tables of 4, they are wasting 2 seats. Plus, the logistics of the room means moving those tables will make it very difficult for anyone to move around them. Also right next to it is a group of four at two tables of two. Those patrons had finished eating and already had boxes for their leftovers. So I completely understood when they made the decision to give away one of 'our' tables to another group. Surely that last table will get up and then they can split those two tables to make a table of 6 for us and a table of 2 for others.
I kid you not, when I tell you that last table also lingered another 30 minutes after they had paid. It was 90 minutes before we were seated. Obviously if we would have known when we arrived we would have gone elsewhere. But at some point we were committed. I don't blame Blue Agave for their estimate as they were spot on for when folks were done eating. I do blame their inexperience in not realizing how long some patrons will linger once they have finished.
Once we were seated, things went well. The guacamole was creamy, delicious and amazing. The salsa bright and fresh. Chips were light and crunchy. Margaritas were a mite sweet but tasty. Service was friendly and efficient. My one complaint was that there was sour cream covering my fajita burrito. I guess I should have realized this would be the case but the menu had not mentioned it, so I failed to ask them to leave it off.
I'll probably go back and try it again, but I would be reluctant to go there with a group larger than four.