Our flight to Phoenix out of Denver was late getting out of the gate due to a faulty sensor that took about 45 minutes to get fixed. We had hoped to get into Phoenix around 1 p.m., but it was well after 2 p.m. after we gathered our bags and made it to the tram that took us to the car rental facility about 3 miles away from Sky Harbor Airport. A couple missed turns, we finally made our way up to Scottsdale where we were going to stay for the evening and to have dinner with my two sisters and my brother-in-law who live in the area. Knowing that we were going to be hungry when we go into town, I had asked one of my sisters where a good place to eat would be close to our hotel. She didn't hesitate. "Blue Agave," she told me. "Their food is so good!" We made it to Blue Agave Mexican Cantina about 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon.
Brian Johnson grew up around the restaurant business. He worked at and, eventually, cooked in restaurants and found a great love for the business. But Johnson was encouraged to go off to college to study business. However, it became evident that business college wasn't for him, so he decided to drop out of college and head off to culinary school.
In 1994, Johnson enrolled at the (now closed) Scottsdale Culinary Institute, one of the largest culinary schools in the nation. Johnson went through the full program and graduated with honors in 1997.
(Pictured right - Brian Johnson. Photo courtesy Phoenix.org)
From there, Johnson found work at a French restaurant before moving on to an Italian restaurant. He eventually ended up at a corporate-owned Chinese restaurant before the place closed down in 2005. By this time, Johnson was ready to get out of the corporate restaurant world and do his own gig.
The same year, a Mexican restaurant on the border between Scottsdale and Phoenix had come up for sale and the owner was motivated to sell the business. Johnson decided to take a chance and bought the restaurant, opening Blue Agave Mexican Cantina in 2006. He changed up the menu and eventually ended up renovating the spot over time making it one of the top destinations for Mexican food near the tony North Scottsdale neighborhood.
The one thing I really liked - after the fact - about Blue Agave is that it's not a chain. There are a number of Blue Agave-named restaurants in the Phoenix area, as well as in the Denver area and down in Texas, but this Blue Agave is a stand alone business and that made it even more appealing to me after I found out it was a single outlet restaurant.
There's ample parking in front of the restaurant which is located on the corner of a strip mall just off the 101 Loop and N. Scottsdale Road. (see map) There was a patio area in front of the restaurant and an open air bar just inside the restaurant. We were greeted by a young man who wanted to know if we wanted to sit at a high top table in the bar area, or in the dining room.
Even though I thought the bar was sort of nice, we ended up getting a booth in the dining room. It was more air conditioned in there and even though it was in the upper 80's with very low humidity, I knew my wife would be more comfortable. 80's and 90's rock music from the likes of Pearl Jam, Oasis, and 3 Doors Down were playing in the background at a moderate level.
Our server that day was a hip and laid-back guy by the name of Eddie. We had gotten food menus and were looking them over when he brought over a basket of fresh warm chips and a bowl of a smokey and delicious salsa made with roasted peppers and tomatoes. We were both famished and dug right into the chips and salsa.
I wanted a margarita and they had an extensive selection on their drinks menu. I ended up ordering the El Maestro Especial - Blue Agave's top shelf margarita finished with a shot of Grand Marnier. It featured Maestro Dobel Diamante (diamond) Tequila, Clement Creole Shrub orange liqueur, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and agave nectar - just like I make mine at home. The only problem is that the bartender forgot to put the shot of Grand Marnier with the margarita. But that was fine, I probably didn't need the extra booze. My wife didn't want a drink just yet, but she did take a couple sips of my margarita. It was excellent - a great start to our vacation. I made short work of the margarita and then ordered up a Dos Equis Ambar to have with my food.
Considering it was mid-afternoon and we were going to have dinner at my sister's house later that evening, we really didn't want anything heavy. But they had a lot of interesting items on the menu that made my mouth water. Their Ultimate Chimichanga was listed as their most popular dish - by far - on the menu. It featured a huge chimichanga stuffed with slow-roasted pork, pinto beans, rice, cheese, a green chili sauce, a Baja cream sauce, a jalapeño cream sauce and pureed chipotle peppers. There was a warning with the description that it was "very hot". That sounded more like a challenge to me!
Some of the other house specialities included a spicy Baja shrimp pasta, cilantro lime chicken, and a spicy carne asada rice bowl. My wife considered the cilantro lime chicken, but thought that may be too much food. Other items on the menu included fajitas, a jalapeño steak wrap, and assorted styles of enchiladas.
My wife ordered up the single chicken tamale. It was served with a green chili sauce, Manchango cheese and cilantro with picked red onions. It came with rice and a choice of black or pinto beans. She hesitated on the beans for a moment and I was sort of incredulous. "You LOVE black beans," I said to her. "That should be easy for you." She sort of chuckled and agreed. She said it was the perfect lunch for the time of day - nice, light, and enough food to fill her up for now, but to leave room for dinner in about 4 hours.
I also went light with a couple of tacos from the a la carte part of the menu. I got the grilled fish tacos and a shredded pork taco. I considered getting a birria beef taco, as well, but I knew that would be too much. The fish tacos were cut in half and filled with grilled white fish, pico de gallo, red cabbage and a sliced avocado. It came with a delicious chipotle mayo sauce on the side. The fish tacos were sort of bland, but the chipotle mayo dipping sauce helped zip up the flavor. The shredded pork taco was the winner of the plate. It was pretty simple - pulled pork with pico de gallo and mixed cheese finished with a dollop of spiced sour cream. In hindsight, I should have gotten the birria beef taco instead of the fish taco. But I always want to try fish tacos, so I couldn't pass it up.
Even though we weren't able to try any of the house specialties opting for a light mid-afternoon lunch instead, my sister's recommendation of Blue Agave Mexican Cantina was spot on. Although I wasn't as impressed with my grilled fish taco as I was with the shredded pork taco, my wife raved about her green chili chicken tamale. The El Maestro margarita was a spot-hitter - even if they forgot to add the splash of Grand Marnier - and the service was good. It was a clean and comfortable atmosphere at Blue Agave. But I would like to go back and try one of their house specialities if I get the chance.