Agave Tapas
2067 Summer Lee Dr.
Rockwall
214-771-0423
Actually, the name includes "grill," "restaurant" and--I think--"bar" in addition to "tapas." And the name says it all.
In some ways it reminds me of the time I stopped in a place called Carlos O'Kelly's, a Tex-Mex establishment that may or may not have also served corned beef on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, Virginia. On the other hand, in this case, at least, there's a logical connection between Spain and Mexico.
Still, when you walk into a place called Agave Tapas Grill Restaurant Etc, you already know better--and food service confirms this. Their drinks, however, are prepared with much more skill, the wait staff friendly to a fault, John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" was playing on the dining room sound system and the setting is downright spectacular.
Well, spectacular in North Texas terms.
Agave sits on the shores of Ray Hubbard reservoir. If you score a patio
seat, the view stretches across grayish waters, all the way to the Bass
Pro cathedral on the other side. Around the grounds, you'll find free
parking, paved walkways, a line of shops and one large hotel. Throw in
some cheesy entertainment and Branson could call this corner of
Rockwall "Mini Me."
The food is, after all, on the Branson level. Fried onion rings are
commercial in style, though pleasant enough. And they're served with a
dipping sauce laced with smoky heat--playing well with sweet onions and
placid crust. Large "prawns"--butterflied, pounded flat and desecrated
with an odd batter--need sauce, as well. In this case it's a dollop of
pale pink stuff with a pronounced Southwestern flavor...but also in the
process of congealing by the time it reached my table.
Oh, well.
Go for the drinks, the service, the view. Eat something after you've polished off the third of fourth margarita.