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Arts 8; Entertainment
The Best Of Everything
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C4c rtty Shoivivom
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DON'T BE TOO LA TE!
WE'RE EXPECTING
ANOTHER SELL-OUT!
Beyond Burritos
YOUR
ONS
Agave's gourmet cuisine transcends
the usual Mexican fare.
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AT
NEW
YEAR'S
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*PARTY
•OPEN BAIV
06-COURSE
ITALIAN DINNER
*CHAMPAGNE
TOAST
•PIZZA at I &nit(
•PARTY FAVORS
*ENTERTAINMENT
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SI
BAND
ITALIA
J14
12/13
2002
92
ai Celebrity Showroom
w 7096 East Fourteen Mile Road
(Between. Mound & Van Dyke)
(586) 268-3200
41,1041110001104110.1111i
is not the kind of
style of Mexican dining.
restaurant one would
The chips, too, are made at
expect that serves
Agave ... and fried to order ...
Mexican food.
Also on the table are their
In fact, it is not likely that
two homemade cooked salsas.
you would have seen one like it
Top sellers are the Bistec
in this part of the country ... If
Asadero filet ... Polo
you have, it might be a rarity.
Barracho (Drunken Chicken)
This is because Agave, on the
... and Mahi-Mahi en Crema
DA NNY
corner of Woodward and
... grilled mahi-mahi topped
RAS KIN
Canfield in Detroit, is not your
with a chipotle-cilantro
Local Columnist
ordinary Mexican restaurant.
cream sauce, with cucumbers
The usual south-of-the-bor-
and mango salsa.
der fare that most people associate
Among the appetizers, most request-
with Mexican food ... fajitas, burritos,
ed is the Queso Fundido (baked
nachos or tacos ... are what you might
Chihuahua cheese casserole, served
call variations of authentic Mexican
with a choice of wild mushrooms,
dishes.
Mexican sausage or shrimp) ... The
What you get at Agave is true
Quesadilla Agave is in a class by itself
authenticity based mainly on recipes
... At least I thought so ... Three masa
from Central Mexico ... many of which
(corn dough) delights stuffed with
you will very seldom, if ever, see on
sauteed mushrooms, Chihuahua
another Mexican menu in this
region.
Like Corte Del Toro
(French-boned rib-eye) ... a
16-ounce chili-encrusted
seared steak finished on the
grill with an ancho pepper
adobe sauce ... or Bistec
Asadero ... grilled filet mignon
drizzled with a chipotle-
tomatillo sauce ... or Arroz
con Mariscos (seafood saffron
rice) ... steamed scallops,
shrimps, clams, and mussels
in a tomatoaffron rice with
peas, carrots and scallions.
Agave is a culinary experi-
ence not to be missed by lovers
of true Mexican food ...
Cuisine with a Mexican City
flair is different and tasty ...
.Agave's Josh Charlip and Chef Carlos Bonilla
with a flavorful character all its
very own.
Caesar Salad is one of the many fea-
cheese and epazote (Mexican basil),
and closed like turnovers ...
tured specialties at Agave ... YOu won't
Quesadillas are a big specialty dish in
find too many good ones. at Mexican
restaurants.
Mexico City.
An appetizer that you certainly
Yet it is most accepted as being the
won't find anywhere else around here
creation of a restaurant owner and
are the Callo De Hacha con Almejas
chef in Tijuana, Mexico ... Caesar
ancho pepper-glazed scallops,
(Cesar) Cardini.
The Caesar Salad at Agave is served • sauteed with little neck clams and fin-
with anchovy fillets ... and is truly a
ished with a fresh cucumber-beet salsa,
main course when chicken or salmon
roasted parsnip puree and a mixture of
-
cilantro and olive oil.
is added.
Carlos is a graduate of the fine
Excellent chefs Carlos Bonilla ... and
Marco Chavez are very adept in this
Schoolcraft College culinary program
s.„
•
... and worked at Emily's after coming
here from Mexico City ... The mole at
Agave is from the recipe of his mother,
who used to make it regularly at home.
His grandmother came to their
home often to make Sopesitos ... At
Agave, there are three of them on the
plate ... one with beef, one chicken
and one sauteed vegetables.
She is responsible for getting Carlos
interested in cooking ... Among his
creations is the signature soup at
Agave ... Sopa Agave ... tender cactus
sauteed with Vidalia onions and tequi-
la and slowly simmered in a chicken-
tomato broth ... with crisp tortilla
strips, panela cheese and dollop of
sour cream.
Marco is the son of Manuel Chavez,
one-time owner of the former
Ristorante Di Modesta in Southfield
... Their Manuel's Mexican restaurant
in the Crosswinds Mall was a popular
standout.
Another son of Manuel, Ricardo
Chavez, is a waiter evenings.
Marco is a working partner at Agave
... along with Josh Charlip, whose
Bagel Factory, next to Star Deli on 12
Mile east of Telegraph, has been there
nine years.
Josh's mother,
Sheila, is a first- and
second-grade teacher
at Hillel ... and dad
Eliot is an attorney.
John Lopez, general
manager, was former-
ly co-owner of Union
Street restaurant in
Detroit.
The sleek upscale
decor at Agave brings
out very New Yorkish
styling ... The former
site of Stewards and
Canfield's On
Woodward, it has
been completely
remodeled through-
out ... So much so
that it is hardly recog-
nizable from before.
Its open ceiling, open box-like curvi-
linear separator between the lounge bar
with its metal high-top tables ... and the
main dining room with metal chairs,
white linen napkins, varied colored
insert squares on walls, etc. ... make for
a strikingly beautiful combination.
Among the waitstaff is also Gary
Ford, who Josh brought back because
of his popularity ... Gary was at
Canfield's on Woodward.
Agave is open seven days weekly ...
for lunch and dinner ... Monday-
Thursday, 11-11; Friday, 11-1 a.m.;