Agave gives Mexican cuisine the white-tablecloth treatment.

The carnitas de Michoacán brought a generous serving of pork, a tangy tomatillo salsa and a pleasantly bitter cabbage slaw. In general, carnitas are prepared by roasting pork for a very long time and then frying it briefly in its own fat. This results in tender meat with a browned, sometimes crisp, exterior. Agave's carnitas weren't as browned as I'd have liked, but this did allow the meat's subtle citrus and oregano seasoning to come through.

Pato con mole de manzana is a seared duck breast and roasted duck leg served over a smoked-apple mole. This struck me as the most exciting dish on the menu, but my duck breast was overcooked to the point that the sauce was irrelevant. A highlight was grilled corn on the cob served on the side, glistening with butter and speckled with red pepper.

Like the duck, pollo "rayo del sol" seemed a victim of kitchen neglect. The chicken breast was supposed to be stuffed with chorizo and Manchego, Chihuahua and goat cheeses, but after much searching, we found only one crumb of chorizo. Without it, the dish was remarkably bland.

Its flaws notwithstanding, the duck and smoked-apple mole suggest a niche Agave could make for itself: a place to experience not-so-common regional Mexican dishes — or flights of the chef's imagination. And you have to respect a restaurant that serves tequila-flavored ice cream. I'll be back to sample a few of those high-end tequilas.

Should you see someone running around the Grove, arms outstretched, making sci-fi spaceship noises, stop me to say hello.

Have a suggestion for a restaurant the Riverfront Times should review? E-mail ian.froeb@riverfronttimes.com.

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