El Torito Grill - Review #6

Date of Visit: February 23, 2008

El Torito Grill RSM 22322 El Paseo Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 (949) 589-4164 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Yelp Official Site

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UPDATE: This location has closed and is now called Mi Casa.

With so many people searching for information on "El Torito Grill in Rancho Santa Margarita" or "El Torito Grill RSM" I knew it was time to round up my El Torito Grill buddies, Chris and Kristanna, and make the trek out east down the 5, the 133, and the 241. I'd been to this location before when it used to be called Agave Mexican Grill. I'm not sure why Agave Mexican Grill went out of business. Maybe it just didn't have the name brand recognition that El Torito Grill has.

We started out with a basket of chips and salsa, the first time I've ever had chips and salsa at an El Torito Grill. We wondered if maybe they had got rid of serving the handmade tortillas with honey butter so we inquired and they brought us some of those too. They aren't pictured but we still got 'em and we still loved 'em.

I turned their special appetizer of the moment into my entree. It consisted of a lobster quesadilla, two carnitas tostadas (probably the best part of the meal), chicken tenders (yeah, that's not Mexican but that's what came with the plate), and, get this, a deep-fried beef tamale.

Chris the carnitas fiend veered slightly from his usual El Torito Grill order of the Carnitas Yucatan platter with an order of two carnitas tacos that he requested be made into burritos instead. What he ended up with was more like tacos that had been rolled up slightly but he said the carnitas meat was as good as ever.

Kristanna ordered the sizzling steak and shrimp fajitas. I forgot to get her opinion on them but they sure look good.

We didn't get dessert this time but we might've if their special dessert was anything different from what it was when we went to the Brea location back in November. Since it was still the deep-fried ice cream we went to a nearby bakery and got some Boston cream pie that was too rich to finish.

They were understaffed this evening and very busy but did a professional job handling the crowd. I still think of El Torito Grill as corporate but corporate done right. I just wish they would go back to a more frequent changing of their special dishes and respond to requests for information from the media. El Torito Grill maintains a solid four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating for the whole chain:



Read our other El Torito Grill entries:

• El Torito Grill - Review #1 (Mission Viejo)
• El Torito Grill - Review #2 (Irvine)
• El Torito Grill - Review #3 (Anaheim)
• El Torito Grill - Review #4 (Newport Beach/Fashion Island)
• El Torito Grill - Review #5 (Brea)

Or click on the "el torito grill" label below to read our full El Torito Grill coverage:

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Agave, RIP?

Just started getting wind that Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina in Rancho Santa Margarita has closed. If anyone has more information on this please leave a comment. UPDATE: It has been confirmed that Agave Mexican Grill has closed down and is now an El Torito Grill.

UPDATE (March 12, 2008): Click HERE to read our new entry on the El Torito Grill in RSM.

Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina - Review #1

Date of Visit: April 15, 2006

22322 El Paseo
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

UPDATE (March 12, 2008): Agave has closed down. It has become an El Torito Grill.

Right next door to RSM's OPRAH, I mean, OPAH, is Marc Cohen's third restaurant, Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina. Can it claim itself as an "authentic" Mexican restaurant when its owner is clearly not Mexican? Hard to say, but the food is at least serviceable. The setting is very trendy, which nowadays means it also includes some classic elements but also enough nouveau elements to please the jetsetting crowd.

Since I'm behind on about four or five entries now I'm going to mostly let the pictures do the talking.

Nice leather-bound menus


The inside


Still the inside


Heated patio


Black-Bean Crab Cake with Papaya Salsa


Chilled Shrimp Cocktail – Cabo Style


Chicken Tortilla Soup


Crispy Chipotle-Honey Chicken Salad


Hearth-baked White Pizza


Fruit with Chocolate Fondue






This shady character was hanging out in the mens restroom

If you happen to be in the area and you want some Mexican food you probably couldn't go wrong stopping by here. Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina earns a three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating: