Agave Grill - Greenwood Village

Looking for tex-mex with serious flavor? Not the “fry your tongue” spicy of some places, Agave Grill has cornered the high-end, perfectly spiced dishes. We came here for our anniversary and were treated to a back table. The large bar area at the front of the restaurant was a little intimidating, but the intimacy grew as we were lead to our table at the back of the restaurant. The hardwood floors and the mexican tapestry fit with the perfectly set tables…it let us know right away that we were in for something a little different. My wife is Mexican, so I was looking for a nice dinner on the spicy side. Agave Grill fit the bill. We started with the rock shrimp and crab cake apps. While the rock shrimp was very spicy for my taste, my wife raved about the flavor. The rock shrimp was nested between two corn cakes and accented with a spicy red sauce. She loved it. The crab cakes were awesome, accented with a mild, avocado sauce. The cauliflower and jalapeno soup was awesome – very creamy with just the slight jalapeno taste. The beet salad was also very, very tasty. The beets are nestled underneath a mound of arrugula (rocket) and accented with a tangerine chili vinaigrette. The best part of the salad was the sweet corn encrusted goat cheese. It was warm, and soft and perfect. My wife enjoyed the special : flat iron steak with pasta-less mac and cheese. The cheesy mix included chick peas which had the flavor of traditional mac and cheese, but no pasta. The flat iron steak was perfectly cooked. I enjoyed the double cut pork chop. Not served with mashed potatoes, but a mound of “mescal spiked celeriac puree” which looked like potatoes, but tasted like mashed turnips! Completely surprising, but amazingly good. The pork chop has a light, slightly sweet, slightly tart strawberry glaze. We made reservations early, so we didn’t have a problem getting a seat. However, when we left, there were still open tables. I would still call ahead, as they are getting good press in the Denver area and may start to pack out. Service was almost perfect (forgot to fill my empty wine glass, but ran over when I picked up the bottle myself), and the atmosphere was romantic after they dimmed the lights at 6:30. If you want boring dinner fare, don’t come here. If you want to try new spices, interesting south-west flavors and a little heat, make your reservations and get ove to Agave Grill. We will be back and we will rave to our friends. Great place for the adventurous eater!