A few days ago, my wife and I were looking to hit up a restaurant close to home, as we were in a hurry. We chose Aguacates, a place where that neither of us had eaten. First things first, Aguacates has a great street presence. The restaurant features a patio on the sunny side of the street (in the afternoon), and an overall bright, colorful, enticing appearance.
On this particular day, we decided to sit inside, at the bar. It turned out to be a good call, because the bartender was super chatty and made sure that we were well attended to throughout the meal. He also pointed out the tequila selection, which he was very proud of (the menu lists over a dozen tequila shots). By the way, going into this meal, we had not heard much, either way, about the food. The restaurant was surprisingly off of our radar. That said, we had no expectations.
Upon sitting down, a basket of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa was set in front of us, for free. The chips were fresh and warm, and we both liked the salsa. Off to a good start. After munching away and perusing the gigantic menu, which was no easy task, we ordered our food.
Since I was in a lunch/breakfast mood, I ordered the huevos rancheros. My wife ordered a beef taco and chicken enchilada combo plate. After ordering, we took a couple of sips of our Mexican beers, while listening to the lively authentic Mexican music. Then, within five minutes, our food appeared. It was the fastest service that we had ever experienced. We both looked at each other, wondering how it was even possible.
My huevos rancheros was presented on a dish accompanied by a couple of large, soft tortilla shells. I scooped up the ingredients, loaded them onto a shell, and added salsa, and El Yucateco (green chile habanero hot sauce) on top. To me, it was just the right mix of perfectly prepared eggs, rice, beans and ranchero sauce. The El Yucateco brought the exact amount of heat to the dish that I was hoping for.
My wife also liked her two selection, and commented that it was not greasy at all. She noted that they were pretty basic dishes, done very well. We’re not talking about gourmet Mexican food here, rather this is hearty, well prepared meals, served up fast, at a ‘beyond reasonable’ price.
Aguacates is a great addition to Elmwood Avenue, and should do very well considering its awesome location, its zesty appearance, and its surprisingly good food. There’s even a kids’ menu.
Grab a full meal at the bar with a pink Cadillac margarita, or order a bucket of beer and sit on the patio with some chips and salsa, and watch all of the activity on the street – whatever your pleasure, Aguacates is set up to accommodate.
