Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

Restaurant: Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

Cuisine: Mexican
Last visited: December 15, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
1223 Pacific Blvd
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (based on the burrito I had)
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Located in Yaletown
• Seats 20
• Made fresh upon order
• Family owned and operated
• Very homestyle Mexican on top of big stove pot and electric stove
• Very popular
• Homemade salsa/guacamole/avocado sauce
• Nothing really spicy, and a bit bland
• Not homemade tortillas
• Busy at lunch
• Eat in/Take-out
• Accepts MC/Debit/Visa
• Tuesday- Sunday 11am-9:30pm
• Closed Monday

**Recommendation: Burritos

I’ve only tried one thing on the menu: The Ahogado Burrito. Apparently it’s one of the best things they serve. The owner highly recommended me to order a burrito and claims that they’re different than any burrito I’ve ever tried. For the most part, he was right. However the best burrito for me is still Chipotle's in the States. I know it's a chain, but I think it's pretty awesome.

I have heard nothing about this restaurant before so I had no expectations for it…which is I think better because I might have been disappointed. This place is apparently a favourite. I liked it enough to give it a 4/6, but I think most people would rate it higher.

Salsa& Agave Mexican Grill has just introduced their new burritos. They’re basically the burritos on the original menu but a bit reinvented. They’re actually customer-inspired burritos. The owner found that a lot of people were customizing their burritos with extras so he decided to just make their creations permanent members of the family. It’s $8, the same price as the burritos on the original menu, so it’s not a bad deal considering you get all the extras…they’re really big too.

As you read my review you're going to notice that I’m complaining a lot about it. It was very good, but just overrated. I think it's popular and people like it because of the portion size and price. Not many places like this in Yaletown. Also becuase it tastes like 'bad for you but sooo good' hangover food

On the table:

Ahogado Burrito 4/6

• Soft pork, rice, beans, cheese, simmered in mild red tomato sauce & drizzle of sour cream on top $8
• The owner warned me that I was ordering a saucy knife and fork burrito, so I was prepared to be pretty sleepy after lunch. It was a pretty big and hearty burrito, it filled up an entire take-out container. It was pretty heavy and loaded with ingredients - but all a little bland.
• I didn’t really like how my burrito was swimming in a pool of sauce though. The sauce is usualyl the best part, but this one was bland. Rather than “simmering in mild tomato sauce” like the menu says it was more like sauce poured into a container and my burrito placed in it. It was a pre-cooked tomato sauce that wasn’t good itself, but good with the burrito. It was very watery and tasted like very watered down canned pureed stewed tomatoes.
• The burrito is very saucey which is great. However it was a bit too mushy, watery and soupy for me. Everything was just really soft and cooked to the point where you could possibly eat it without teeth. I mean it was really good, but about 3/4 of the way through I got tired of eating it because it got so repetitive.
• The best part of the burrito was hands down the pork. They were generous with it and it was very juicy and tender, just like pulled pork. It didn't have many spices; it was just really soft and cooked well so that it had that slow-cooked flavour.

  

• The beans and rice were layered on top of each other and that made it mushy too. The rice was definitely cooked to the point of baby food or Mexican style congee.
• The beans were refried beans with very few seasonings if any.
• I wish there was some fresh lettuce or black beans in it. Refried beans are just such an easy way out to me because it comes from a can and maybe add some seasonings in so it's "homemade".
  
• There was some frozen peas and corn kernels in there as well, but there was so little of them I thought maybe it was an accident.
• The tortilla shells aren’t homemade, which is super disappointing. I think they can afford to do that. A lot of authentic Mexican places will make their own. The tortilla shell also got a bit soggy because it was soaked in the sauce. Then on the ends the tortilla shells got a bit thick because it was so huge and had to hold so many ingredients.

  

• It could have used a little more sour cream as well because they only drizzled a bit over the top.
• It had some fresh salsa made with onions tomatoes and cilantro – it was quite bland again though. They made the burrito and sauces extra mild (not spicy at all, I really don't think they used any spices) for the general population. It was literally figuratively watered down Mexican food.
• It came with a side of hot sauce which was good. It was very smoky and hickory flavoured and really really spicy..

Las Tortas

Restaurant: Las Tortas

Cuisine: Mexican/Sandwiches
Last visited: November 27, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (South Cambie)
3353 Cambie Street

Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 6
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Specializes in authentic gourmet Mexican sandwiches
• Hole in the wall
• Mexican chefs/cooks/staff
• Expensive for a sandwich, but worth it
• Local suppliers/producers
• Homemade guacamole, dips, beans, potato chips
• Hot & fresh, made upon order
• Busy during peak hours
• Offers authentic Mexican drinks
• Couple homemade Mexican desserts
• Self-service/pay at cashier
• Accepts Visa
• Eat in/Take-out
• Seats 15-20
• Free delivery w/min. $15
• Everyday 5-9pm

**Recommendation: Cubana

I heard about this place through Kim www.imonlyhereforthefood.com and Sherman www.shermansfoodadventures.com …their pictures is what sold me. You can’t say it doesn’t look delicious! And it was! For some reason it’s easy to miss even though the sign is huge! It looks like a hole in the wall, but it’s not really. The inside looks quite new and it’s brightly lit and clean.

To order: take a brown paper bag (also their menu), select your item and give the cashier your paper bag upon paying for it as well. It’s super casual and you can see them mak

ing it upon order. The torta is also served in the same paper bag.

Las Tortas was almost like the Quizno’s of Mexican sandwiches…but more “gourmet”. A torta is a Mexican sandwich or ‘hamburger’. It’s served in a white sandwich roll called ‘teleera’ which they don’t make in house but is supplied by a local producer.

It is expensive ($9.95 for the best one), but it’s huge, and worth it. Homemade local ingredients and lots of it! I think it’s enough for 2 people…and then you’ll have room for dessert & their homemade potato chips too...which I haven’t tried yet. The value is there so I think it’s justified. You’re definitely paying for the ingredients and not the ambiance though.

Note: I really want to say it’s family owned and operated, but I’m not so sure. It’s the sister restaurant to Soupspoons – a local chain that serves gourmet homemade soups. This part really threw me off because I was expecting to see a full on Mexican menu. I think they should offer authentic Mexican homemade soups rather than Soupspoons soup.

On the table:

• **Cubana 6/6
• Pierna, turkey, milanesa & panela cheese. Served hot with tomato, cabbage, pickled onions & jalapenos, guacamole, refried beans, butter and mayo $9.95

• You can customize your order and take out some of the sauces…but I wouldn’t. Just go for it all – that’s how it’s meant to be eaten so I wouldn’t mess around with the recipe – unless of course you have allergies.
• The Cubana is their most popular sandwich. It’s almost a meat sandwich. It has 3 different kinds of meat:
• 1) Pierna: slow roasted pork thigh marinated in Mexican spices. This was super tender juicy roasted lean pork and it almost tasted like meatloaf. It was nice and salty and tasted like pulled pork but even juicier. You can just see the texture of it. I know it looks kind of dry, but it wasn't. It was actually almost creamy. I think because it was layered on top of the refried beans.
  

• 2) Turkey: this was almost like turkey ‘ham’…so not the turkey deli meat and not actually turkey pieces either. It wasn’t as distinct as the other meats used, but it added anther layer of texture and flavour that was different than the other 2.

• 3) Milanesa: breaded chicken breast also know as a chicken schnitzel. This was delicious. For schnitzel it could have been pounded thinner, but for this sandwich the thickness was perfect. It just made it a bit meatier. It was really crispy and not greasy and the chicken was really tender and juicy.
• 
• The pierna looks tastier/jucier in this picture.

• The meats are all delicious and go together so well! Beef is supposed to be the most flavouful meat and this sandwich didn’t even have any – it didn’t even need it.
• Besides the meats, one of the best parts was the Panela cheese, which is a fresh Mexican cheese that tastes like fresh Buffalo mozzarella. It was creamy, mild, and almost sponge-like. It didn’t melt into the sandwich either. I’m not sure if it would have tasted better if it did.
• 
• The sauces and dips used cannot be underestimated. They put a layer of homemade refried black beans on the bottom. It really flavorful and they layer the pierna on top of it. It blends together and the combo is great! Then there’s homemade guacamole in it and I think the mayo is their homemade garlic aioli. They also serve the aoili with their homemade potato chips which many people get as a side.
• Besides all these layers of salty flavours it’s also spicy from the jalapenos and a tangy from the pickled red onions. The cabbage and tomatoes were really fresh too. It’s a great ratio of ingredients and it hits all your taste buds in all the right w ays.

• 

• The bread was amazing and from local suppliers. It was hot with a crispy exterior and super soft inside. It was a perfectly grilled sandwich roll. It was nice and thin yet sturdy enough to hold all the ingredients without everything falling apart.
• To be honest, I was expecting a super greasy sandwich that would be really saucy and drippy. However it was none of the above. It wasn’t even that messy to eat and they give you a moist toilette. I mean it is big and tall, but the ingredients were really fresh and it didn’t feel like fast food even though it kind of is. I would definitely go again.