Agave is a hidden gem located in the Historic Cabbagetown in Downtown Atlanta. It is housed in the general store of the Old Fulton Cotton and Bag Mill. The menu specializes in southwestern cuisine and has won awards for being the best in Atlanta.The environment inside the restaurant is astounding. A Native American decor with upstairs seating, a fantastic bar and partial view of the kitchen. Parking is free and valet. which is thought to be rare around that neck of the woods wanted to try things on the menu that people wouldn’t normally order. So I invited another open-minded foodie friend. Tim and Malcolm started us with two drinks.
I had the Spicy Jalapeno Margarita. Now I don’t know anyone in Atlanta who serves this type of drink. It’s a refreshing and a somewhat spicy drink. They use Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila, fresh lime juice and Agave Nectar topped with a slice of jalapeño.
My friend ordered the Herradura Estate Top Shelf Margarita. If you are looking for a refreshing quality drink and not spicy, this is what you should go for. They used Herradura Estate Silver, Royal Montana and Fresh Lime & Sour served with refreshing cold ice.
For appetizers, we wanted to be a bit adventurous and selected the Queso Fundito. This awesome starter consists of Cheddar & mozzarella cheese baked over a house made New Mexico chorizo red chili topped with pico de gallo, sour cream, & cilantro. One word to describe it- Amazing! This is the perfect snack. I would eat this every day if I could..
Round two for appetizers, we chose something a little more traditional.Fresh house made Guacamole with chips. I am a sucker for everything that has avocados and is usually a go to when it comes to appetizers and snacks. First, I loved the presentation. Restaurants don’t usually do this. It consisted of ripe avocados, tomatoes, sliced onions and also jalapeno cilantro cream salt pepper with fresh lime juice with pico de gallo served on top.
The round three for appetizers was the Huevos Poblanos.Now I would overlook this on the menu. It doesn’t really catch your interest, but it’s a must try. It consists of fire roasted poblano pepper topped with charred tomato serrano stone ground grits, a fried egg, lime crema, & cilantro. This was really good, it’s more of a comfort food starter with the grits and fried eggs.
For salads, we ordered the Spinach strawberry salad. I loved it and I am not a huge fan of spinach. It comprised of fresh baby spinach, red onions and chunks of queso fresco tossed in a citrus lime vinaigrette with sliced strawberries with an aged balsamic drizzle.
Amazingly, we made room for some entrees.
First, we had something more traditional. Rio Rancho Steak Burrito and Stew. The burrito was made of tortilla flour with beef tenderloin sautéed peppers, onions, refried beans, pico de gallo and spinach rice topped with mozzarella Gaucho red chili sauce and pico de gallo. I could not finish it. There are no words to explain how good it was. Plus it’s a perfect combination.You have this gigantic burrito with a cup of amazing house-made Hatch Green Chile stew. You can’t go wrong either way
Second, we sampled the Seared Jumbo Diver Scallops. It included Fresh Chile rub pan-seared sea scallops with fire roasted tomatoes, serrano stone ground grits, and smoked bacon cider collard greens. This dish was unique. I loved how the sea scallops had a unique outside texture which was somewhat crusted outside and moist inside. The collard greens were what kind of threw me off for a second, Most people who grew up with collard are used to a sour or vinegar taste. These were sweet with a hint of bacon flavor. I loved it, It complemented the grits splendidly
Third was the Chipotle Shrimp & Grits. I usually roll my eyes when I see this on the menu. Because it’s a normal meal in the south. It’s everywhere. If you are going to have it on the menu then make it interesting. Agave did. I was impressed. It consisted of sautéed large shrimp , chipotle, zucchini, onions over creamy blue cheese stone ground grits drizzled with aged balsamic dressing.
Last was dessert. We tried the traditional creme caramel flan with sliced strawberries. Must have!!
The verdict.
This place is fantastic. it’s a Southwestern fare with a southern touch. Everything we had was really good. The service was amazing, Malcolm was very attentive and very knowledgeable of the menu. Prices were super reasonable. A great date night spot!!
Agave Restaurant
242 Boulevard SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
