The last time we visited El Agave we were invited to try some of their new vegetarian items. They invited us again to try out a new happy hour menu along with some other additions they added recently.
Light passes through each glass bottle of tequila, illuminating the room with a yellow hue. There is over 2000 bottles of tequila to choose from. Think about that for a second.
I hope the big earthquake doesn’t hit soon. A sea of yellow would flood the streets of Old Town!
This time we got bread along with our tortilla chips. The bread seemed a little hard which resulted in us stuffing ourselves with chips instead.
Looking back at our salsa selection from our last visit it appears as if we got a different orange salsa this time. It was much more spicy than the red mild salsa we had before. The bean dip had a nice thick consistency.
Happy Hour Items
We ordered a few items from the happy hour menu and a few new items from their regular menu. The tacos from their happy hour menu are all $10 and each order comes with three tacos. They are street style sized tacos so they aren’t huge, but I can see myself filling up on one order as long as I had a drink or maybe a shared appetizer. Packed with plenty of toppings, with the fish being moist and flaky I was happy with my first bite.
Not to be outdone in any taco showdown are carnitas tacos. You might not be able to tell from the picture but they were even juicier than the fish tacos. And did they pack a full porky punch. These were good.
New Menu Items
From the regular menu, the Tlacoyos de Huitlacoche is a new appetizer. I’ve never had it before and it might not be for everyone. Huitlacoche a fungus that is grown on corn and is a delicacy in Mexico. Since it is a fungus it’s accurate in that it resembles the flavor profile of a mushroom. It’s earthy, muddy, a little sweet, and a little savory. What it also brings is the funk. There was a strong sourness to it and while I did enjoy it I’m not sure it would make the top of my list everytime. The masa also gave a nice dense yet soft vessel for the huitlacoche. It helped balance the pungency.
The shrimp tacos are about double the size of the happy hour tacos plus they come with rice. When they say jumbo sized shrimp they mean it. These were really good and all of the tacos come with fresh tortillas. Too many times have I eaten a taco and only recognized the toppings or ingredients added to the tortilla. This is one of the places I get to appreciate great tortilla making ability.
We couldn’t end our night without something sweet and Michael let me choose! Usually he has a bigger voice in the dessert making process (totally fine with me) but I just rolled with it. The tres leches cake was as moist as you want a tres leches. Light in texture, but sweet, milky, and rich in flavor, I dug this moist cake. You can’t go wrong with strawberries and cream either.
Going to a place and getting to try new items is always great, especially when you enjoy them. The wait time for food wasn’t as long as the last time, but it also wasn’t speedy by any means. When you visit take that into consideration. You can always use it as a time to relax and sample some tequila while enjoying the good food.
Disclaimer: We were invited to a complimentary meal, but the opinions stated are our own.
El Agave
2304 San Diego Ave., Ste B
San Diego, CA 92110
www.elagave.com
Great looking tacos! I have a hard time getting carnitas tacos that aren’t overcooked with some of the pork turning out crunchy.
Most of the time I prefer it all sopping wet but at times a little crunch is welcomed.
Best Mexican food in SD best moles!!!
Love mole!