On a surprisingly sunny day in Binghamton, I finally had the chance to try Iron Agave. Located in the heart of Downtown Binghamton, it offers a unique Tex-Mex experience for diners looking to try something new.

My photographer, Emzie, and I had the chance to try the Restaurant Week dinner menu. Three courses were available to try, with multiple appetizer, entree and dessert options for only $30. Iron Agave also offers a three-course lunch menu with select meals not included in its dinner menu, like the Big Mac crunchwrap and Nashville chicken tacos, all for $18. Restaurant Week also featured the return of its chocolate torte cake, which had previously been absent from the main menu.

Emzie and I started our first course with an order of cheesy carnitas taquitos and the southwest Caesar salad. My order of taquitos had sweet and savory notes and were covered in a delicious crema and chipotle sauce drizzle. They were laid in a bed of iceberg lettuce, adding a refreshing taste to the dish. Emzie’s Caesar salad had corn, beans, onions and romaine lettuce with some light cheese sprinkled throughout. It also included tortilla pieces that gave it a good crunch.

For our second course, Emzie ordered the Tex-Mex “steak and frites” tacos. The three tacos were coated in fresh chimichurri with a side of fries. The fries were crinkle-cut — a personal favorite of mine — and dusted with spices that gave them an extra kick. For my entree, I chose the BBQ pork and ribs messy mac, which had a large serving of carnitas pieces inside the mac and cheese and was topped with two ribs. The mac and cheese was gooey and perfectly cheesy, pairing great with the ribs.

Between bites of delicious food, diners can also get a taste of Latin culture with the restaurant’s ambience. Diners can listen to a variety of classics from “María” by Ricky Martin to Marc Anthony’s “Ahora Quien.” More sports-interested diners can watch the latest sports games from either table or bar seating.

By the third course, we were completely full, but one look at the dessert course and we knew we had reached the star of the show. Emzie tried the mini churros, which arrived warm with a side of dulce de leche as a dipping sauce. The churros were crunchy on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside — a perfect bite.

On the recommendation of our server, Sabrina, I tried the chocolate torte cake. The cake, with no exaggeration, might just be the greatest cake in all of Binghamton. The chocolate torte cake was flourless, with a texture similar to a chocolate mousse, and had a side of strawberries and whipped cream. The cake was also drizzled in a light chocolate and dulce de leche sauce, giving it an additional sweetness that wasn’t too overwhelming and helped round out our meal. We also added the leftover dulce de leche sauce from the churros to the cake, which melted it together into a delicious bite.

Overall, the meal was delicious and offered a unique spin on traditional foods that helped it stand out from other restaurants in the area. Restaurant Week this year runs from April 7 to April 16. While most people come to Iron Agave for its famous margarita towers, I will definitely be back for the chocolate cake sometime soon.