Agave

Ashland, Oregon, October 7, 2014—

OUR FAVORITE PLACE for dinner here (New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro being in the nearby towm of Talent) is a sImple sorta-Mexican place on the main street, now ten years old, remarkably consistent, the menu never changing, but in every way always a pleasure. (Which is more than can be said for the theater here, but that's another story.)

We started out tonight as we almost always do, with the cabbage-lime salad, also involving grated carrot and thin crisp-fried tortilla strips, and the guacamole, not quite as good as mine but plenty good enough.

I went on from there to two tacos: carnitas, nice morsels of crisp-cooked pork; and pato, house-made duck confit. These tacos are complex and substantial, but not heavy — ideal pre-theater nourishment. With all this, a quite good Margarita or two.

We took our dessert around the corner, where the dessert pastries and ice creams are old favorites too: for me, a dark chocolate tart on a salt-caramel bed on good pastry. Well, I don't do this every day..

• Agave, 92 North Main Streett, Ashland, Oregon; (541) 488-1770

• Mix Sweet Shop, 57 North Main Street, Ashland; (541) 488-9885