Blue Agave Keeps Federal Hill Fed and Well Margaritafied

A margarita flight on the table, a basket of chips nearby and three little salsas ready for comparison is a fine way to settle into Blue Agave. In Federal Hill, this Mexican restaurant doubles as a sociable bar stop, with enough food on the menu to turn a quick drink into a full evening.

The room supports several versions of the visit. There are indoor tables for dinner, bar seats for a more casual stop and a small cluster of street-side outdoor tables that puts diners right into the neighborhood's urban motion. It can be a brunch table, a family meal or a lively happy-hour perch without needing to change its basic character.

Chips and salsa arrive early, giving the table something to work on while drinks and entrées are still being considered. Blue Agave serves three different salsas, including a well-liked green salsa, so this is more than the usual obligatory opening basket.

The salsa selection generally stays on the mild side. Hot sauce is available for anyone who wants to nudge the heat upward, while the green sauce that comes with the chilaquiles has been noted for being flavorful without being spicy.

Guacamole has also made an occasional tableside appearance, bringing a little made-to-order theater to the beginning of a meal. It is the sort of detail that suits a lingering table with friends and a round of drinks.

The margarita flight gives Blue Agave one of its most enjoyable calling cards. Rather than choosing one flavor and living with it, you can sample several, compare favorites and pass around a few cautious sips before committing to the next round.

The house margarita has its supporters, and the spicy margarita is a particularly strong pick for drinkers who like a little edge in the glass. The margaritas may be blended rather than dispensed from a frozen-drink machine, producing a looser frozen-style pour.

For a shared drink, mango margaritas are available by the pitcher. Add tacos, nachos or another basket of chips and salsa, and happy hour can remain exactly what it was meant to be: a stop that lasts longer than planned.

Beer drinkers are not relegated to an afterthought. Dos Equis Amber is among the choices, and the bar menu has enough breadth to make a drink-focused visit perfectly reasonable.

The food lineup runs through the familiar Mexican favorites in satisfying numbers: tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, tamales, ceviche, soups and chilaquiles. That range is useful when a group contains the person who always orders tacos and the person determined to try something different.

Steak tacos are a dependable place to begin. They have repeatedly stood out among the menu choices, and a meal of steak tacos with rice and beans makes a straightforward, complete plate.

Carne fajitas bring more ceremony to the table. The plate includes five fajitas along with rice and the usual accompaniments, so it has the scale and sizzle that many people want from a fajita order.

Chicken tacos, chicken flautas and black beans offer additional ways to build a meal without drifting far from the classics. Burritos and enchiladas fill out the comfort-food side of the menu, while ceviche and tamales give a table a few more directions to explore.

Chilaquiles make a strong argument for showing up earlier in the day. The green sauce brings plenty of flavor while staying approachable on heat, and the dish fits naturally alongside the restaurant's brunch rhythm.

For a sweeter brunch turn, tres leches pancakes move breakfast firmly into dessert territory. They make a nice counterpoint to the savory plates when a table would rather split the difference than agree on one style of meal.

The habanero wings are for the person at the table who does not want the mild route. They are crisp and notably spicy, a useful detail to know before casually reaching across the table for one.

There is also a thick tomato-based soup that has inspired repeat orders. It is a quieter menu choice than a plate of fajitas or a colorful cocktail flight, but precisely the sort of dish that can become a personal Blue Agave ritual.

Fried ice cream offers a familiar finish after the main course, particularly welcome after heat from wings or a spicy margarita.

Blue Agave has the easy energy of an established Federal Hill hangout. Conversation, music and bar activity keep the room moving, particularly around happy hour, when the volume can rise to a moderately loud level.

That atmosphere works especially well for a casual drink and a few shared plates, but it does not shut out a full dinner. Staff are helpful with food and drink suggestions and keep an eye on tables through the meal, which helps the restaurant handle both bar-goers and seated groups.

Outside, the limited street-side seating offers a more exposed version of the same sociable mood. There are three outdoor tables reported, so the patio is a small option rather than a sprawling one.

Blue Agave is flexible in a way that suits a busy neighborhood. A solo diner can settle at the bar, friends can build a happy-hour spread around margaritas and nachos, and families can take over an indoor table for fajitas, tamales and ceviche.

Brunch has room for both chilaquiles and tres leches pancakes, while dinner can travel from chips and salsa into tacos, wings, soups or a larger entrée. The menu does not force every visit into the same pattern.

Street parking around Federal Hill can be difficult to find. Once inside, though, the restaurant's extensive indoor seating, bar and small outdoor area provide several ways to claim a spot and make an evening of it.