Spokane Food Blog

De Leon + Ian Wingate = Love in your mouth.

Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, you know what I mean.

We tried Agave out a few weeks after their grand opening, and while the decor was still the garish mid-90s fish theme from Blue Fish, the food was really pretty outstanding.

We shared the duck, which was perfectly medium-rare and was paired nicely with a habanero sauce. Habanero sauce is a fickle food, equally often done too hot and too mild, but here the flavors were balanced just right. The dish in many ways (and probably not too surprisingly) reminded me of Wingate’s duck at Moxie, just instead of being “Asian/American” fusion, it had more “Mexican/American” flavors. OK, that’s not a shock, as that’s what Agave is all about, but let it be known that they do it well.

The carne aside salad was also very good, as was the key lime pie.

Price wise, Agave actually seemed on average to be just a few dollars cheaper than some of its peers — none of the dishes were more than $28, and the vast majority less than $20. Not that I mind paying a few more bucks for a good meal, but hey, every little bit helps.

Agave served up a very impressive meal, and should be checked out by everybody. Highly recommended.

Point of discussion: Great food or not — does Ian Wingate’s $7,175 worth of parking tickets deter you from visiting his restaurants?