El Agavero in Oakland, CA – update, dinner
Review date: November 2011

Carlos and I went back to El Agavero to try the seafood soup, specifically the 7 Mares. We first had this soup at the unexpectedly 5-star Los Mariachis in Red Bluff(!), CA on the way up to the Pacific Northwest last year.

It was a little too much to hope that EA would able to duplicate that excellent version. They tried their best – the shrimp-based broth was surprisingly tasty, and the good-sized bowl was full of seafood. Unfortunately quite a bit of it was something we couldn't quite identify – dried reconstituted octopus was the closest we could come – but whatever it was, Carlos didn't care for it. Like most places they use frozen Alaskan king crab. The serving portion was generous but this is at best an indifferent quality shellfish. There were lots of good shrimp, quartered scallops, and hunks of different whitefish, however. It wasn't a bad deal for $17.50, but it's inferior to La Note's/Berkeley outstanding bouillabaise for just a couple of dollars more.

We split the Happy Hour quesadilla again, this time trying it with shrimp. It was a little salty, but EA's bland guacamole is perfect with it, as is the tomato-based salsa. I used to enjoy a great version of this at the old 360-degree Burrito in San Francisco, and although EA's version was not as good, it was nice to just have it again one more time.

The crisp taco with carnitas this time showed more salt on the carnitas, probably because we weren't wrapping it up in a flour tortilla with melted cheese as we had before. It wasn't oversalted, though, and the pork was juicy and tender. It's been consistent both times we've had it, which is good. One reason we stopped going to Gordo's/Berkeley was the inconsistency of their cooking drove us crazy. When they were good, the carnitas was perfect, but when they were off, it was god-awful – and they started to have more off days than on-point days, so that was the end of our relationship with them.

El Agavero isn't the Cal-Mex love of our life, either. But we like the quesadilla and it's awfully hard to argue with a tasty filling appetizer for five bucks. We'll keep looking, however.

Two people: one starter, one soup, one a la carte entree, with tip was $40

El Agavero in Oakland, CA – update, dinner
Review date: November 2011

Carlos and I went back to El Agavero to try the seafood soup, specifically the 7 Mares. We first had this soup at the unexpectedly 5-star Los Mariachis in Red Bluff(!), CA on the way up to the Pacific Northwest last year.

It was a little too much to hope that EA would able to duplicate that excellent version. They tried their best – the shrimp-based broth was surprisingly tasty, and the good-sized bowl was full of seafood. Unfortunately quite a bit of it was something we couldn't quite identify – dried reconstituted octopus was the closest we could come – but whatever it was, Carlos didn't care for it. Like most places they use frozen Alaskan king crab. The serving portion was generous but this is at best an indifferent quality shellfish. There were lots of good shrimp, quartered scallops, and hunks of different whitefish, however. It wasn't a bad deal for $17.50, but it's inferior to La Note's/Berkeley outstanding bouillabaise for just a couple of dollars more.

We split the Happy Hour quesadilla again, this time trying it with shrimp. It was a little salty, but EA's bland guacamole is perfect with it, as is the tomato-based salsa. I used to enjoy a great version of this at the old 360-degree Burrito in San Francisco, and although EA's version was not as good, it was nice to just have it again one more time.

The crisp taco with carnitas this time showed more salt on the carnitas, probably because we weren't wrapping it up in a flour tortilla with melted cheese as we had before. It wasn't oversalted, though, and the pork was juicy and tender. It's been consistent both times we've had it, which is good. One reason we stopped going to Gordo's/Berkeley was the inconsistency of their cooking drove us crazy. When they were good, the carnitas was perfect, but when they were off, it was god-awful – and they started to have more off days than on-point days, so that was the end of our relationship with them.

El Agavero isn't the Cal-Mex love of our life, either. But we like the quesadilla and it's awfully hard to argue with a tasty filling appetizer for five bucks. We'll keep looking, however.

Two people: one starter, one soup, one a la carte entree, with tip was $40.

El Agavero
2071 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA
http://www.elagavero.com/new_folder/EL_AGAVERO_WEBSITE_MENU_2011.pdf 
Review date: October 2011

El Agavero in Montclair Village opened just as I was leaving my job down the street in 2006. I had tried their burritos, which were decent but the 'wet' kind, which we don't care for. I never went back, but the restaurant has remained, getting decent reviews on Yelp.

Carlos has been feeling the yearning for rice and refried beans – as a side to carnitas, not the main dish, LOL – so recently while walking past we checked out the menu. Seeing some interesting items, we decided to return for one of our weekly dinners.

The chips are unsalted and thin, winners with us, and the salsa comes in a plastic molcajete, with a great spicy-hot build-up. Instead of the usual big dice of raw white onion with watery tomatoes, they use a thicker tomato puree with a discreet sprinkle of green onions, which is much more pleasant. And of course, chiles – a lot of them!

El Agavero runs a 1/2 off all starters for their happy hour. As we wanted to try the cheese quesadilla with meat, we were pleased to see this is listed under starters as well as as an entree. We ordered it with carnitas. Our one disappointment with El Agavero is that chile verde is not available at all. Instead, they offer spicy pork, the grilled pork al pastor. I like this pork more than Carlos does; it's dry with no gravy.

The cheese-carnitas quesadilla came with a nice little scoop of guacamole, barely sufficient as Inez loves the stuff and will put it on anything. We asked for sour cream on the side, which they placed in a separate cup (I'm the only one who uses it; neither Carlos nor his mother like it). The two flour tortillas with melted cheese were good-sized, and the carnitas was generously stuffed inside. Especially good with that salsa spread on top, it could easily serve as an entree for one person, and was a substantial appetizer sufficient for three or four people. Since Inez only had one slice, we brought the last three slices home with us.

Sometimes when we order quesadillas elsewhere, either the cheese or the carnitas can be salty. Especially in places like this, which are just as much Happy Hour Bar as they are restaurant/take-out, we wouldn't have been surprised to find the salt content quite noticeable. We were pleased that the salt level was low, and appreciated it.

Inez ordered the grilled chicken breast, which was cut into strips. The dry rub was tasty, but the meat was a little overdone. She liked it, but we wouldn't order it ourselves. The side salad comes in a separate bowl and is surprisingly large. The chicken plate is filled out with the usual rice and beans. El Agavero gives a choice between refried and black beans, a nice touch.

Carlos chose the two-item entree of an enchilada with carnitas and the chile relleno. He said the relleno was good, not great but perfectly acceptable. For some reason he was expecting a flour enchilada so was taken aback at the corn tortilla wrapping. However, he enjoyed the carnitas filling, especially when his mother gave him the hot sauce from her entree which she didn't use. It's quite different than the red salsa they bring with the chips. This was pureed tomatillos, maybe a hint of lime juice, and a big handful of fresh habanero peppers! It was over the top for me but Carlos adored it, using up the entire cup. What he didn't care for was the rice, leaving it behind although he cleaned up the refried beans.

I chose an entrée of the crispy taco with spicy (al pastor) pork, but alas, it was the commercial oven-baked shell, not the yummy griddle-fried version that our former favorite take-out Gordo's makes. It's generously stuffed with pork shreds, and I liked having the lettuce on the side so I could add the amount I wanted. I used up the sour cream and guacamole from the starter quesadilla, along with that red salsa, as well. In terms of size, if you want a small entree this works very well, coming with rice and beans as the sides. 

Portions aren't huge here, but all their appetizers seem substantial in size, so it's best to have a group of four or six unless you plan to take the leftovers home. Not the greatest, but nearby and more than decent. As it's in Montclair Village, there is sufficient street and garage parking, along with being safe to walk down the street at night. Yes, the Cal-Mex food is better down on International Blvd., but it's dark by 6:30 now. Between the streetwalkers and the drive-by shootings, we're not going down to Fruitvale district any time soon. Carlos' mom is scared enough about living in Oakland as it is.

They had some interesting seafood soups on the menu, so we want to come back to try some different things. El Agavero is noisy and small, but the waitresses are cheerful and efficient, the prices are reasonable for non-greasy Cal-Mex standards, and it's just good enough to become one of those weekday stand-bys we could depend on. There are times, either due to traffic or just sheer disinclination, when we don't want to drive more than 10 minutes to reach a restaurant.

Three people: one starter (an amazing bargain for under $5 during Happy Hour), three entrees, one beverage, with tip was $59.