CLEVELAND, Ohio – Masa & Agave Cantina has opened quietly this month in The Westin Cleveland Downtown. It’s not to be confused with Agave & Rye Cleveland a few blocks to the west. Masa & Agave verges on relaxed fine dining, while Agave & Rye is more casual. Putting “Agave” in the name refers to the restaurants’ focus on agave spirits such as tequila and mezcal.
Masa & Agave is one of two such concepts developed by Apicii, a national hospitality group behind a diverse portfolio of restaurants, bars and private event spaces nationwide. The first Masa & Agave is in Minneapolis.
While the restaurant’s menu is decidedly Mexican from appetizers to entrees, the managers brag about its extensive collection of agave spirits – 150 tequilas and 50 mezcals – ranging from $12 to $150 per shot. That number is not easy to curate in a controlled liquor state like Ohio.
With so many to choose from, what’s the best agave spirit?
“This is really a matter of preference,” said Tony Edgerton, Corporate Beverage Director of Apicii. “Here in the United States, we love our tequila, so the highest profile would go to the extra anejo tequila that sometimes goes for thousands of dollars a bottle.”
Anejo tequila must be aged for at least one year in oak barrels but is often aged longer. Extra anejo indicates additional aging.
“As a lover of agave spirits, I see equal value in a beautiful bottle of ‘gusto historico mezcal,’ for example, that is made using organic ancestral methods and fermented in hollowed out tree trunks, then distilled and bottled,” said Edgerton.
“These recipes have been made by families for centuries and they oftentimes only bottle 500 liters a year,” he says. “Those are special bottles due to the family history and culture in every bottle. How can you put a price on that?”
The menu at Masa & Agave is a collaboration developed by corporate culinary directors and Cleveland-based Chef de Cuisine Chef Felipe Londono. It starts with guacamole, salsa and queso fundido as well as a fresh tuna tostada with tuna tartar, chili de arbol, red onion, cilantro and corn tortilla chips.
Tacos range from the familiar to a nopales and wild mushroom that comes with roasted oyster mushrooms, huitlacoche, grilled corn, poblanos rajas and avocado tomatillo salsa. The entrees include pork carnitas, enchiladas, quesadilla and more.
The chicken mole rojo is made with a handcrafted mole of chocolate, peppers and more that has been cooked low and slow for 48 hours. It is served with queso fresco, crema, onions, and cilantro. The tablones is a tender Modelo Especial-braised beef short rib served with pico de gallo, cilantro and heirloom-corn tortillas.
Because the Cleveland location is new, guest preferences are yet to be determined. The most popular dish in the Minneapolis location is the birria tacos. These are braised beef tacos served on corn tortillas with a crispy layer of Chihuahua cheese and a beef consommé dipping sauce.
The best-selling cocktail in Minneapolis is the passionfruit margarita — tequila, chinola, passionfruit, pineapple, lime, hot honey and a guajillo salt rim. A signature “elote” cocktail is also available — masa-infused mezcal, corn milk, ancho chile, lime and agave nectar.
Masa & Agave is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is at 777 Saint Clair Ave., Cleveland.
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