Carolyn Fath Ashby
A carnitas burrito also has red curry sauce and chopped peanuts.
I remember the high energy around Cheeseburger in Paradise when Greenway Station first opened in Middleton. It was fun for happy hour, but also perfect for casual family dinners — it could even stand in for an entertaining date night. Ancho and Agave, which opened in the same space last November, is once again providing that level of fun.
The scene at Ancho and Agave is definitely happening. At any given time, other than a very late lunch, the restaurant is booming. There was about a 15-minute wait for a table of two at lunchtime midweek. There was no wait, but still a bustling dining room, on the night of our first official snowstorm of 2020.
Ancho and Agave has one other location, in Bloomington, Illinois. The menu is expansive, with the expected tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas; burritos can be transformed into chimichangas or bowls. There’s also a wide-ranging roster of margaritas, sangria, tequilas, Latin-American-inflected cocktails and wine.
Start with the complimentary chips and salsa. The tortilla chips here are thick, lightly sprinkled with salt, and are nicely complemented by the smoky, chunky house salsa.
There are more salsas and dips to choose from, too — five varieties of guacamole, for instance, from the standard to one with hickory-smoked bacon and goat cheese, and another with ahi tuna. There’s queso and then there’s the Armstrong queso, a luscious, melty cheese dip with seasoned ground beef mixed in. There’s a nice acidity from fresh pico de gallo on top, plus the winning addition of guacamole and sour cream. My three tablemates and I fought over this one.
While the entree menu is largely what you would expect from a Mexican restaurant, there are unexpected touches in the combinations of flavors. The carnitas burrito is filled with the standard cilantro lime rice, charro beans, and pineapple-marinated slow-cooked pork. But there’s additional sweetness from fried plantains, and the whole dish is tied together with a spicy red curry sauce and chopped peanuts, lending a bit of Thai flair. It should be noted that the burritos are for those with hearty appetites.
If you’re going with a large group (four or more), ordering the taco board is fun. The board is about four feet long, takes up the entire table, and contains slots for 14 tacos. It’s an opportunity to try each of the taco fillings Ancho and Agave serves, or mix-and-match some favorites. A board consists of seven street tacos and seven “avenue” tacos (these have what are considered higher-end ingredients). Of course, street-sized tacos don’t really lend themselves to sharing bites, so your group will need to agree on who tries what.
The tacos are all served on soft corn tortillas, but flour tortillas or lettuce wraps are available on request. It’s refreshing to see more than one option for vegetarians. One of my favorites was the battered avocado. Large slices of avocado are battered and deep-fried (genius!) with extra crunch from a mustard seed slaw. I didn’t even notice the chipotle crema, I was so into the avocado.
The chicken asada is also good, with rajas (roasted poblano strips) providing a hint of char and smoke, a drizzle of jalapeno ranch adding heat and salt, and charred corn bringing added texture.
The Nashville chicken taco was an interesting mashup of flavors. The fried chicken comes in one big piece, making the taco a bit difficult to eat, but it was tasty. It’s paired with pickled carrots, golden raisins, lime aioli, and cilantro — this dish bounces around a few continents, but it works.
I can’t say the same for the Mexican poutine. I expected a bowl of decked-out fries, but what I got was an undercooked, steamed potato, with enough moisture in it to water down the queso topping. The barbacoa-style beef on top was excellent, tender and rich with flavor, and the fried egg on top was cooked just right for a yolk poke, but the dish overall was disappointing.
Ancho and Agave states on its website that “we’re the champions of bringing together quality ingredients, refreshing beverages and good times for a crave-worthy experience in a casual setting.” At Greenway Station, it seems to be living up to that mission as a spot for coworkers, friends and families to bond over tacos and walk away satisfied.
Ancho and Agave
1601 Aspen Commons, Middleton; 608-831-3271
anchoandagave.com; 10 am–9 pm Sun., 11 am–9 pm Mon.-Thurs.,
11 am–10 pm Fri.-Sat.
