Desert Diamond restaurant Agave not a sure bet

It's not the worst hand you could pull, but it's one you must play carefully.

That's what we discovered on two recent trips to Agave, located at Desert Diamond Casino off Interstate 19 on Pima Mine Road.

Overall, appetizers and desserts were unblemished, but some of the entrees needed work.

What partly makes up for Agave's faults is its pricing, which tends to be lower than at other comparable restaurants. And unlike at many finer dining establishments, entrees come with sides.

The menu offers a variety of fish, meat and vegetarian dishes. Dinner entrees top out at $24.95 for rack of lamb.

Some of the dishes are the same as when the restaurant opened in 2001, and 39-year-old executive chef Ramón Delgado still helms the restaurants at both Desert Diamonds.

Agave is bright and airy, with lots of windows and some outdoor seating. Diners don't need to walk through the casino and the cacophony of slot machines to get there, although the slots and table games are mere steps away.

Service is friendly, but the pacing was off. During both visits, appetizers came out only to be followed three or four minutes later by the main courses. Servers weren't able to answer some some basic questions, such as if the raspberry iced tea was pre-sweetened (it was).

Some things, thankfully, haven't changed.

You can't go wrong with the signature tortilla soup ($4.25 at lunch; $4.95 at dinner), which was served in a large assymetrical bowl. The reddish broth had a nice thickness and was flavored like a tasty enchilada sauce. Chunks of chicken, avocado, soft cubes of queso fresco and crunchy tortilla strips made the soup a satisfying starter. A dollop of crème fraîche of lime juice, sour cream and cilantro added coolness.

The Maryland crab cakes were a pretty dish and came three to a plate ($8.95) with diced green and red peppers scattered on the plate. The thick cakes with some egg and mustard dijon were chock-full of crab meat with a dash of Old Bay seasoning. A trio of aiolis were drizzled over the dish — roasted tomato, wasabi and garlic. We wished the cakes had a bit of crispness to them, but the flavors were just right.

The baked brie cheese "en Croute" ($8.95) was a sight to behold. Arriving on a plate loaded with Parmesan crostinis, blackberries, strawberries, red grapes and housemade triangles of piadina with rosemary, the 8-ounce slab of brie was wrapped in puff pastry and baked a golden brown. The apricot-fig compote lent a sweet flavor that complemented the mild brie. It was a meal in itself.

The applewood-smoked bacon rib-eye steak ($19.95) was prepared medium-well rather than the requested medium. The 14-ounce too-fatty cut came with a side of mild peppercorn or a decadent garlic-butter sauce that had tastes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.

Sautéed veggies that included purple cauliflower, squash, red peppers and zucchini and a choice of potato came on the side. We opted for mashed potatoes with the redskins still on.

The pan-seared halibut fillet ($14.95) was a thick 8-ounce cut, but the fish was dry. A Hollandaise-esque white wine and herb butter sauce helped juice up the fish a bit. Veggies and potato also accompanied the dish.

During a lunchtime visit, we ordered the coconut shrimp ($8.95). It arrived with five skewered Mexican tiger shrimp, each encased in a crispy breading.

The shrimp were warm and juicy, and the outer layer, while light on the coconut, went well when dipped into the side of jalapeño pepper jam. It was the perfect combination of sweet and heat that got our meal off to a good start.

During lunch, sandwiches are on the menu. The Agave club stack ($6.95) is piled with turkey, smoked bacon, avocado and Havarti on an herbed flatbread. Keeping it from dryness was a chipotle mayonnaise with a touch of cilantro.

We were not impressed with the wide fettuccine pasta and four-cheese sauce ($10.95 for lunch and $13.95 for dinner). The plate comes with sautéed mushrooms, sage, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and a choice of shrimp, chicken breast or grilled vegetables.

We went with the veggies, which were the high point of the dish, most notably the abundant sliced mushrooms and miniature asparagus cuts hidden amid the pasta strips. The cheese sauce, made up of blend of asiago, romano, mozzarella and Parmesan, was soupy and surprisingly bland, considering the number of different cheeses involved. It made the wide, flat pasta too oily.

While our taste buds had a run of bad luck, our sweet tooth made out like a bandit.

The Mississippi Mud Pie ($5.25) was served more like a giant cake slice, a sweet treat from beginning to end with its layer upon layer of crisp peanut brittle, coffee ice cream, caramel and chocolate ice cream.

There was so much going on, with such an elaborate setup, that we had to topple that monster over and eat it on its side.

The Sahuarita pecan-bourbon tart ($5.25) is a classic. Underneath an army of upright nuts from the Green Valley Pecan Co. was a vanilla cake soaked in caramel and bourbon on top of pie crust. More caramel, along with a sweet vanilla guava sauce, topped the dessert.

Fried ice cream ($5.25) was another monstrosity, a baseball-size shell of sweetness. Delgado said vanilla bean ice cream is rolled into crumb cake powder and wrapped into a wonton wrapper. When someone orders fried ice cream, it's fried for about 90 seconds. It was drizzled with jaliscos cajeta, or butterscotch sauce.

After cracking open the dessert, the vanilla bean ice cream inside was a bit soupy, but it acted as a creamy sauce to the crust and whipped cream.

The ice cream was served in a large crunchy chocolate tortilla shell with a liberal sprinkling of sugar.

Berries garnished all the desserts, abating just a touch of the guilt we felt from consuming the large sweets.

Review

Agave Restaurant

Next to the Desert Diamond Casino, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road at Interstate 19, 393-2720.

• Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

• Family call: Kid-friendly.

• Wine list: Includes a variety of California bottles that range from $18 to $38.

• Noise level: Dinner was a bit noisy and crowded; lunch, a blissful quiet.

• Vegetarian choices: Salads, pastas and sandwiches.

• Dress: Casual.

• Reservations: Accepted.

• Price range: Dinner prices go from $11.95 to $24.95.