You Gotta Eat: Agave

Looking sharp: Stylish new Agave cantina shows promise

By James P. Reza

It is a pleasant Thursday evening in the heart of Summerlin, and the sizable bar at Agave is smiling three deep. The chatter level is high and the crowd is clearly having a good time at this new Mexican cantina that opened just before New Year's Day. In the fast-paced field of Vegas hospitality, Agave is Summerlin's new kid on the block--following late 2004 openings by nearby BJ's Brewery (deep-dish pizza), Islands (burgers) and a longer tenure by Olive Garden--and Agave is taking full advantage of that short-lived distinction.

The newest effort by the Corrigan family (those behind the successful local Roadrunner restaurant/bar mini-chain), Agave differentiates itself in many ways, the most obvious being that it is open 24/7, a byproduct of its limited gaming license. Further, the architectural design and details are wonderful, with enough impressive custom fixtures imported from Guadalajara to lend it an honest cantina vibe. Like kindred spirits Roadrunner, Sedona and Kennedy--essentially any of the recent trend of mid-level neighborhood cantinas--the presence of bartop video poker is a foregone conclusion. To its credit, however, Agave's oval bar, sited beneath the towering columnar raw pine ceiling, reserves about a third of its top for those looking to escape the isolation of electronic gaming and enjoy the novelty of conversation.

Since its opening, I've found myself at Agave seven times, not for any particular reason except I was in the far-flung neighborhood, it was new and my guests had yet to see it. On four visits, it was strictly drinks (Agave has a selection of unique tequila-based specialties) and appetizers (a good portabella mushroom tamale, $8; spicy chile relleno stuffed with rock shrimp, $9) at the bar; on three we sat for meals. Like nearby Kona Grill, the atmosphere is nice without being threateningly trendy, the bartenders are friendly, and the staff is all good-looking. Taken as a comfortable neighborhood cantina--where food is always secondary--Agave succeeds admirably, and when the weather warms a bit, the beautiful outdoor patio (replete with gas fireplaces) will be a serious challenge to other suburban hottie happy hours.

Seated meals have been another story. The menu is at once upscale, challenging and tasty (tacos of goat meat, potato and portabella mushrooms, or crispy rock shrimp, from $10-$12), then turning poorly executed and bland (flavorless buttermilk and chive corn cakes with shrimp, $9; any of the bean and rice accompaniments). While some menu items shine (blue corn chicken enchiladas, $13), others, like the too-fishy tacos ($12) fall flat. Such inconsistencies can be expected by a place that has been open about three weeks, but there seems to be a deeper challenge ahead: What does Agave want to be when it emerges from this break-in period--an upscale, stylish Mexican cantina, where the food, atmosphere and environment conspire to pleasantly bring together a variety of people, or a middle-of-the-road joint that happily rakes its money from liquor and poker?