Salsa & Agave

Salsa & Agave
1223 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

I know this might sound really belated but… Congratulations to fellow blogger Mijune, who organized Vancouver’s 1st Cupcake Challenge (winners here). Organizing such event almost out of nowhere is no easy task and the fact the event attracted over 1000 visitors is something to be admire, specially considering that all publicity was in the form of social media (oh, I hate that phrase!!!!).

Of course, that brings two questions… How it is related to Salsa & Agave and, more importantly, how come I didn’t blog that event? Well, let’s just say I was there but, due to other circumstances, I wasn’t able to taste the cupcakes (I won’t have been able to taste that many anyways) nor I was able to take any pictures. I have already talked to Mijune about this so, if you were expecting to read about it here, I apologize for that… As for the other question, I was looking for something to eat nearby and, aside from the usual Yaletown suspects, I decided to confront my daemons and go to a Mexican restaurant across the site of the event: Salsa & Agave.

OK, a quick recap of why Mexican food is one of my daemons:

• Mexican food served here in Vancouver is a bit stereotypical, usually confused with Tex-Mex.
• To paraphrase Mijune, it is usually the same set of ingredients but mixed in a different way.
• People believe that Mexican food is representative of Latin American food. As an odd reason, people expect things like corn chips to be served “free”.

This is, of course, a generic list, there are some particular ones which I won’t delve into. However, the fact that most “Mexican” restaurants here have barely been able to meet expectations (with the exceptions of Las Tortas, if it wasn’t that expensive, and, to a lesser degree, La Taqueria and Doña Cata) does not help a lot. So, with all that in mind, I asked for a table – outside for better lighting conditions.

Stereotype #1, is this *really* necessary or it is something people are so used to that it is served by default? In my case, I just took one to taste it. It is pretty much something you can get in your local supermarket. Since it is “free”, I won’t hold it against them nor make any judgement about it. So, to those expecting this, well, yes, it is served…

Let me ask you a question to all of you. Whenever you hear Mexican food, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Rather than a dish, two ingredients came to my mind: corn and peppers (not necessarily hot peppers but also sweet/stuffing peppers). Given that a lot of people (at times, me included) confuse actual Mexican with Tex Mex, I have stopped trying to order anything authentic but rather “unusual” things. This means no wrap or burritos… Actually, just check this link provided originally by Chris. Sure, tacos fit (or does not) that description; however, I also believe that there a lot of other Mexican dishes out there to be “discovered” by people not as familiar with Mexican cuisine. One of the happens to be mole. My first time I had it was at El Calli, which left me a bit perplexed. Still, I admitted I liked it and have been looking forward to try it again somewhere else. The fact Salsa & Agave had it, meant ordering it was a no brainer (plus the fact we have already feedback of tacos and burritos from Sherman and Mijune)

In this case, the mole was served with rice and beans – the beans being, of course, the mashed/refried variety rather than cooked like baked beans. I prefer my beans semi-whole but this one worked fine. The rice… Well, it is not white rice and did what it was supposed to do.

Now, big caveat to people allergic to peanuts: Salsa & Agave’s mole use peanuts so you might not want to apply… As for the sauce, it was quite complex; however, similar to Montgomery Burns, all these flavours ended up fighting against each other. How so? There was some sweetness in it; there was some bitterness in it; there were some other flavours/taste but had to concentrate really hard trying to “isolate” it. However, unlike, say Chinese five spices, rather than complementing each other, it wasn’t so and none was pronounced enough to overcome the others. So, as a result, I wasn’t sure what I should be tasting… I know that sounds a bit confusing; but, in the end, I must admit I am willing to give it a try again… If it wasn’t for the chicken. Sorry, I wished they used dark meat similar to what El Calli did. It is because the breast/white meat chicken was, well, bland and tasteless.

I think the fact I didn’t try some stereotypical/well known dishes, like Sherman and Mijune did, resulted in my having a different perspective. It wasn’t perfect by any means nor I loved it but, at least, it didn’t close the doors and have me throw in the towel for Mexican food. As for me coming back, I think I might do so to try some of the other offerings, which can be helped if somebody with more experience in this type of food guided me.

Tagged under: Chicken • Downtown • Mexican