Apr 18, 2022 - Food and Drink

"Heavenly" chiles en nogada at Agave Restaurant in St. Pete

Ben Montgomery

I stayed the night on St. Pete Beach this weekend and stumbled across a diamond in the beach-bland rough: the chiles en nogada at Agave Restaurant on Gulf Boulevard.

I've eaten Mexican food in at least 29 of these United States and I've never seen this dish on a menu.

Details: Called Mexico's most patriotic dish, chiles en nogada comes from Central Mexico, Puebla specifically, and it's typically served in August and September when pomegranates come to market.

It involves roasting a poblano pepper stuffed with minced beef and pork, pecans, carrots, apples and raisins, then covering it with a slightly sweet walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds.

This was a heavenly culinary experience. I zoned out and forgot about the drunks stumbling past and the ambulances wailing by.

Do yourself a favor and go.

Add Axios on Google

"Heavenly" chiles en nogada at Agave Restaurant in St. Pete

More Tampa Bay stories