October 01, 2000|By Elizabeth Large | Elizabeth Large,Sun Restaurant Critic
Some like it hot. But some like an interplay of flavors, with lime and fresh coriander balancing cumin and red chile; marinades made from achiote and sour orange; and tacos stuffed with seared tilapia fillets, shredded cabbage and tomatillo salsa. Those people should head straight to Blue Agave, Federal Hill's new restaurant and tequila bar.
Chef-owner Michael Marx's highly seasoned but complex creations will come as a shock -- a pleasant one -- to those who equate Southwestern and Mexican food with enchiladas and refried beans. Think of it as a culinary education, one you're going to enjoy.
But first, start with one of Blue Agave's margaritas, which are works of art in a glass. You can order them made with prickly pear juice or blue curacao or several other variations, as well as the classic ingredients: fresh lime juice, orange liqueur and, of course, tequila. They come in pale blue, green or blush pink, or shade to the colors of a sunset -- all complemented by the restaurant's handsome blue-rimmed stemware.
Order your margarita with or without salt, order it on the rocks or straight up, but don't order it frozen. The bar does have a blender, and the bartender will grudgingly make a frozen margarita for you; but these are tequila aficionados to the nth degree, and they feel freezing the liquor changes the flavor.
Of course, serious tequila drinkers will scorn the frothy drinks and order their tequila straight. No lime, no salt. The restaurant offers more than 60 varieties, all made from the blue agave plant's fermented juices.
When you have your drink, sit back and take a moment to enjoy the surroundings put together by Marx and his wife, Jennifer. She's the interior designer, and together they've transformed the dining rooms of what was the Thai Harbor restaurant into a candle-lit space of brick, terra cotta and flowered tiles. Furnished with artifacts from the Marxes' trips to Mexico, the dining room and bar, on two levels, have an authenticity you wouldn't expect in a restaurant so shiny new.
The same could be said of the food, although the chef has added his signature to every dish. Mexican food can be unattractive when mounds of food in shades of brown and tan are piled haphazardly together. But Blue Agave's kitchen beautifies each plate: a sprinkling of fresh coriander, a decoratively cut scallion, a pretty squiggle of sauce. Who would think a humble black bean soup (although full of flair and quite spicy with the addition of chorizo sausage) would look this exciting?
An appetizer assortment will illustrate the range of the kitchen's talents: crisp little taquitos filled with chicken; quesadillas, one plump with grilled steak and one with wild mushrooms; superb, chunky guacamole, freshly made from dead-ripe avocados; a shredded pork tamale; and my favorite, a peppery shrimp perched on a fat little corn pancake. The pretty platter is enlivened with tomatillo sauce and salsa fresca.
If this seems a bit heavy for you, start with the house salad, a stylish composition of mixed greens, crunchy matchsticks of jicama, orange segments and pumpkin seeds tossed with vinaigrette.
The Blue Agave's burritos are filled with thin slices of flavorful marinated steak. Soft blue corn tortillas are stuffed with crab meat and decorated with two distinctly different chile sauces. A fresh-tasting sauce of tomatoes, olives, lime and poblano chiles enhances the delicate flesh of seared snapper.
Rice takes on a flavorful character of its own, and is more than just a starchy accompaniment. A chayote-jicama slaw is a refreshing accompaniment to many of the dishes. Just about everything on the plate delights.
Only the duck, with its spicy, slightly charred, fat-free skin is less than successful -- and that only because it arrives so rare it's bloody.
Desserts are up to the high standards of the rest of the meal. Odd as it sounds, you will love the peppery chocolate bread pudding; it's a specialty of the house. But there are various other intriguing choices involving crisp pastry, bananas, cinnamon ice cream, and in one case an explosively good jalapeno-pineapple sauce. OK, OK -- if those are too much for you, there's always a classic caramel-sauced flan.
BLUE AGAVE
Food: *** 1/2
Service: ***
Atmosphere: *** 1/2
Where: 1032 Light St.
Hours: Open for dinner every night
Prices: Appetizers, $5-$11.50; main courses, $8.50-$18.50
Call: 410-576-3938
Rating system: Outstanding: ****; Good: ***; Fair or uneven: **; Poor: *
