Alternative to Carnivale?

Looking for a similarly structured alternative to Carnivale this weekend. Love their bar, decor, atmosphere, etc. Not 100% on the food itself. Would prefer closer to downtown.

Thanks all in advance!

If you are looking for Nuevo Latino cuisine you could try Cuatro or De La Costa. If you're looking for other Jerry Kleiner designed restaurants try Opera, Gioco, Red Light, Marche, or Room 21.

If you are in Lakeview a good option is Agave on Lincoln just south of Belmont. Bryan Garcia opened the place with the menu. He's the former chef at Cuatro. They have also brought in guest chefs for weekend special menus. Last week there was a 4 course tasting menu with wild agave tequila pairings. The dinner included a pre - seating cocktail party. All was a great value for $45 per person. As you can clearly see I am a fan of this place.

Agave
3115 N Lincoln
404 1800

I know it's a LEY restaurant, but I really have liked Nacional 27. The three potato and chorizo hash with the filet was one of my favorite things (not that the filet wasn't really good too).

Nacional 27
325 W Huron

Nacional 27? Sushi Samba Rio?

Nacional 27
325 W. Huron
312-664-2727

Sushi Samba Rio
545 N. Wells
312-595-2300

Thank you all for your responses.

I had a similar take on Le Colonial, and would like to hear suggestions for alternatives. Would anyone recommend VTK in LeC's place?

scanz wrote:I know it's a LEY restaurant, but

Why is it that people feel a need to apologize for liking Lettuce Entertain You restaurants here? This site is full of recommendations for Lettuce restaurants, ranging from Tru to Wow Bao.

Certainly, I can't see why anyone who's a fan of Kleiner restaurants should object to LEYE.

I concur that the food at Nacional 27 is very good, and it's a great room, although not so large or theatrical as Carnivale.

The Great Danton wrote:I had a similar take on Le Colonial, and would like to hear suggestions for alternatives. Would anyone recommend VTK in LeC's place?

I don't think VTK subs for Le Colonial very well. Very different food, different vibe.

If you're looking for dressy Asian, you might consider Aria in the Fairmont or Shanghai Terrace in the Peninsula. Not the same food, but similarly sumptuous.

Aria
Fairmont Hotel Chicago
200 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago
312/565-7997 www.ariachicago.com

Shanghai Terrace
Peninsula Chicago
108 E. Superior St., Chicago
312/573-6744
http://chicago.peninsula.com/pch/shangh ... urant.html

LAZ wrote:

scanz wrote:I know it's a LEY restaurant, but

Why is it that people feel a need to apologize for liking Lettuce Entertain You restaurants here? This site is full of recommendations for Lettuce restaurants, ranging from Tru to Wow Bao.

It is, but it's also the case that mentions of LEYE places frequently draw reflexive snipes. Not quite as predictably as references to the Gale Street Inn as "barbecue" but you've certainly seen it before.

LAZ wrote:I concur that the food at Nacional 27 is very good, and it's a great room, although not so large or theatrical as Carnivale.

It's been at least five years since I ate at (and quite enjoyed) Nacional 27, but I went with some friends for cocktails a couple of weeks ago and we were hugely disappointed. N27 heavily markets Adam Seger's cocktail wizardry, but we got one round of lousy drinks and hightailed it out of there. This was Friday after work, so you would think they'd have their more skilled bartenders at work, but the drinks were not carefully made. And even besides the (lack of) skill in drink mixing, I didn't find the drink menu very interesting either.

We may have been too freshly in mind of a trip to Violet Hour a week or two prior, but in any event, "don't believe the hype."