I have used Carnivale multiple times as my "Show a non-Chicagoan the big city" restaurant. It looks fabulous inside, so gives guests a sense of a cosmopolitan atmosphere, and yet the food has consistently been spot-on: well-prepared and just delicious. You wouldn't think so, but I have been enough times where I am not at all embarrassed to admit it. I just took a business partner, and he is still talking about it and wants to go back. So for anyone who has not been, don't be afraid to try Carnivale, as I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Stopped in for a snack and had a Carnivale margarita and a Gunthorp duck arepa, which turned out to be a spectacular combination. The salty tang of the beverage contrasted with the rich fat of the quacker, griddled with caramelized onions and dotted with sugared nuts, and with some chili heat and microgreens, it was a well-balanced mouthful. The arepa was a relatively bland base, but that was just fine with all the other flavors going on.

I must say, after nibbling down the street at Publican, the pricing at Carnivale seemed extraordinarily reasonable (9 buck drink; app about the same).

Took some friends/relatives to Carnivale a few days ago and had another fantastic meal. It was after eating this dish . . .


Goat Chorizo with Yogurt -Cumin dressing by chef Mendez

. . .at the Green City Market BBQ Festival that I realized I needed to get back to Carnivale. Shortly thereafter, we were, happily, there again . . .


Cherry Blossom Caipirinha - Agua Luca cachaca, Green City Market cherries, homemade red wine syrup
To say I started out with this cocktail would only be partially accurate, since I ended up having 4 of them throughout our meal! But they were delicious -- fruity yet not overly sweet.



Amuse - plums, goat cheese, olive oil, (pea?) shoots on baguette
Chef sent out these tasty bites. I thought the sweetness of the plums and richness of the cheese complemented each other very nicely.



Swan Creek Egg - fried in extra virgin olive oil, Iberico Ham, black truffle
I'd seen chef Mendez' message on Twitter about this dish, so I was very pleased when he sent it out for our table. It was as good as it sounds/looks and we were clanking forks as it disappeared rapidly.



Arepa - Gunthorp Farm duck confit, Venezuelan masa cheese cake, cashews, caramelized onions, aji rocoto puree
A great starter, as detailed above by Hammond. As good as the duck was, the spicy cashews nearly stole the show.



Squash Blossoms - Stuffed with crab and sofrito, breaded and fried, basil habanero salsa
This was another dish about which I'd read on Twitter. We ordered a set for the table . . .



Squash Blossom - interior view
Crispy outside, luscious inside. Rich and immensely satisfying.



Kona Kampachi - Lime, cilantro, mint, basil, scotch bonnet chile puree
Even though I ordered this last time I was Carnivale, I knew I had to have it again. I'm completely addicted to the scotch bonnet chile puree.



Arrachera - Grilled skirt steak, rice and beans, sweet red onion, chimichurri sauce
Fantastic skirt steak -- juicy and charred wonderfully.



Pernil - Rum glazed pork shoulder, fried plantains, Puerto Rican rice and beans
This is my friend's favorite dish at Carnivale. He rarely strays from it but that's fine because we all got to have a few bites. I LOVED the addition of the house-made pork rind that topped the dish.



Churrasco - Nicaraguan style wood grilled beef tenderloin, malanga goat cheese puree, arugula chimichurri, spicy beet salsa
Another example of the kitchen's deftness at preparing steak. The accompaniments were delicious, too, especially the tart/sweet beet salsa.



Swan Creek Chicken - stuffed with cheese and wrapped in pancetta, with summer squash and baby carrots.
This was a special on the night we were there and I'm so glad I ordered it (also a reason why I can't remember all the details about it ). The skin and pancetta surrounding it were extremely crispy and the chicken was moist and juicy. It had a nice, chickeny flavor, too. I loved the squash, which were cooked just until tender.



Ice Cream Cake - mango, pistachio and guava (from bottom up) with numerous sauces
This dessert, which stood close to a foot tall, had a presence attack. Everytime one was served, all the heads in the dining room turned to follow it. I really enjoyed it, especially the pistachio and guava ice creams, and the sauces.

What I love most about Carnivale is the distinctive combinations that chef Mendez comes up with. Not only is he marrying up (dare I say "fusing?") elements from different Latin cuisines but he's also building these dishes with many local and seasonal ingredients, which adds another dimension to them. As thoughtful as his menu is -- satisfying, proven standards -- it's the specials that reflect his natural ability to improvise. In a sea of great culinary voices in town, chef Mendez' is one that I find myself wanting to hear. His is a voice that matters. In short, he speaks my language.

=R=

ronnie, breathtaking pix and a sentiment I share: Mendez is doing some amazing things. So glad I have reservations for tomorrow night (!)

Okay, my first post here! I've been lurking and reading old posts, in anticipation of a ten day stay in September. I thought Carnivale sounded good; their online menu made me drool! All the ceviche and veggie side dishes; I could camp out here. I was worried that it sounded like a chain, and now that it's part of a resto group. So, a few questions...Can one eat at the bar? What are the similar but more widely respected places that some posters have alluded to?

ronnie_suburban wrote:Swan Creek Egg - fried in extra virgin olive oil, Iberico Ham, black truffle

Wow, that hits me right where I live. Beautiful, just beautiful!

Ronnie,

My friends are taking me out for my birthday. I was thinking about going here, as I remembered it seemed loud and boisterous and good for groups vs "date night". I just happened across this thread and appreciate your detailed - as usual - pics and review. I hope they agree to go as I am now drooling all over my keyboard. I wish I had seen it before so we could have chatted about it.

galleygirl wrote:Okay, my first post here! I've been lurking and reading old posts, in anticipation of a ten day stay in September. I thought Carnivale sounded good; their online menu made me drool! All the ceviche and veggie side dishes; I could camp out here. I was worried that it sounded like a chain, and now that it's part of a resto group. So, a few questions...Can one eat at the bar? What are the similar but more widely respected places that some posters have alluded to?

gallerygirl -

I've seen people eat at the bar before. The front area of the restaurant is loungey and people do eat in there. They also have TVs in there, if you feel compelled to watch while chowing down

Hope that helps!

Had an absolutely wonderful dinner at Carnivale tonight. Chef Mendez spent some time with us explaining dishes, and what really impressed me was his…bravado. He explained – with enthusiasm, brio and conviction -- that he went to the Green City Market that morning and saw some arugula he liked (I think it was from Kinnikinnick Farm) and bought it all. Plus he a massive load of peaches. And six types of basil. Then, back in the kitchen, he set to figuring out what he might do with all the cool stuff he found. This approach seems like the ideal way to follow the “buy local for your restaurant” model: check out what’s on offer; buy it; then develop recipes around what you have. Most any other way (like going to the market with a predetermined menu in mind) seems guaranteed to force you to buy non-local, non-optimal stuff.

• The arugula became a pureed chimichurri for the butterflied filet – a very fine green note to tender steak with excellent texture, served rare. Usually, it seems chimichurri is rough cut, but this was smooth, with requisite vinegar, chili and garlic, a kind of low-fat counterpoint to luscious grilled meat.

• The peaches made an appearance in a sauce with habanero for a ceviche of tuna, bass and salmon – a superb combination of sweet and hot. Many of the chili-laced dishes we had contained a lot of flavor and heat that comes and goes in a flash, with a lasting warmth but no tongue-numbing burn.

• The basil turned up everywhere, in a kind of modified Caprese salad of cherry tomatoes, Spanish goat cheese and basil-infused EVOO…and finally in a scoop of basil cream that sat beside a mound of tres leches covered with blueberries.

I have a lot of admiration for what is being done at Carnivale.

Side note: I asked Mendez about goat, which I feel is poised for a major presence in Chicago restaurants, and he said he bought a bunch about two years ago and “couldn’t give it away.” I’m hoping that with Izard’s upcoming Drunken Goat (which will feature the namesake animal prominently) that local eaters will become more comfortable with goat-based entrées. It seems the general prevalence of goat cheese may have softened the market for the actual meat of the beast.

Based upon the recent wave of positive posts, we headed back to Carnivale on Saturday night and we were happy we did. The highlight was the jamon w/ swan creek egg and truffle oil. It wasn't on the menu but we asked nicely (thanks LTH!) and were rewarded. Chef even came out to make sure we were enjoying- and we certainly were. Coincidentally I had the Prosciutto dish at Avec on Friday, one of my favorites that I have had numerous time, and while vastly different the dish at Carnivale hit my personal sweet spot a bit more. Kudos to chef!

The rest of the meal was very strong- guac rocked as usual, fish tacos garnered a second order for the ladies, churrasco was split nicely for us, and the squash blossoms were a fun, creative take on poppers.

I have to admit, I had been turned off to Carnivale over a year ago by mediocre service and food that seemed to be secondary. This was disappointing as I live in the area. We were very glad we went back on Saturday and look forward to a returning again soon.

chico

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Swan Creek Egg - fried in extra virgin olive oil, Iberico Ham, black truffle

I'm all for gilding lilies, but I do wonder if the richness of the yolk and the olive oil would overpower and hide the fatty, creamy Iberico ham. Did it hide the Iberico? If it had been swapped for a lower-quality serrano ham would you have been able to tell? For some reason it just looks like too much to me - fat on fat on fat.

Perhaps I'll have to head on down to Carnivale for dinner (I've never been) and find out for myself...

-Dan

I can assure you Mr. Mendez has been buying Iberico de bellota hams weekly. It is the real deal.

Carnivale also ran a special of Iberico pork collar a few weeks ago, he said it was just ridiculous (good).
Chicago is the first city to have the Iberico fresh (uncured) meats available in the U.S., It has been popping up on menus recently as specials. Schwa is the first to put it on their regular menu, as if we needed another excuse to go there.

If you want more info on the Iberico Pig and Fermin the producer you can visit, www.embutidosfermin.com or if I spelled that wrong you can go to www.jdymeat.com and there is a link under "featured partners"


Dave

jdymeats wrote:I can assure you Mr. Mendez has been buying Iberico de bellota hams weekly. It is the real deal.

Sorry - I didn't mean to imply that they were swapping it, I was simply wondering if under a runny egg and olive oil if you'd still notice the flavor and texture of the Iberico ham. It was a question of the diner's perception, not the chef's integrity.

-Dan

Sorry Dan, I didn't mean to infer that either. I just like to see myself talk sometimes. I'll shut up now.

Cheers,
Dave

ronnie_suburban wrote:


Swan Creek Egg - fried in extra virgin olive oil, Iberico Ham, black truffle
I'd seen chef Mendez' message on Twitter about this dish, so I was very pleased when he sent it out for our table. It was as good as it sounds/looks and we were clanking forks as it disappeared rapidly.

R=

wow what a great looking dish, thanks for sharing ronnie.

dansch wrote:I'm all for gilding lilies, but I do wonder if the richness of the yolk and the olive oil would overpower and hide the fatty, creamy Iberico ham. Did it hide the Iberico? If it had been swapped for a lower-quality serrano ham would you have been able to tell? For some reason it just looks like too much to me - fat on fat on fat.

There's a sweet and funky perfume to the Iberico, which matches up very well with the olive oil and eggs. I didn't think it was obscured but that's just my take on it.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

dansch wrote:I'm all for gilding lilies, but I do wonder if the richness of the yolk and the olive oil would overpower and hide the fatty, creamy Iberico ham. Did it hide the Iberico? If it had been swapped for a lower-quality serrano ham would you have been able to tell? For some reason it just looks like too much to me - fat on fat on fat.

There's a sweet and funky perfume to the Iberico, which matches up very well with the olive oil and eggs. I didn't think it was obscured but that's just my take on it.

=R=

It's a rich dish, no doubt about it, and I was surprised at how clearly even the subtler flavors came through. Though it seems like a lot on top of a lot, but it does work.

Based on Ronnie's report (and other positive posts), we're taking my niece and her boyfriend to Carnivale to celebrate her 21st B-day Saturday night. At first we planned to take her to sicteen, but thought the vibe at Carnivale would be more in keeping with the occasion. I'm very much looking forward to my visit. I'll report back.

stevez wrote:Based on Ronnie's report (and other positive posts), we're taking my niece and her boyfriend to Carnivale to celebrate her 21st B-day Saturday night. At first we planned to take her to sicteen, but thought the vibe at Carnivale would be more in keeping with the occasion. I'm very much looking forward to my visit. I'll report back.

I think you're making the right call. I like both places, but Carnivale is much more festive (also hipper) and I think would appeal more to your young niece.

jdymeats wrote:Carnivale also ran a special of Iberico pork collar a few weeks ago, he said it was just ridiculous (good).
Chicago is the first city to have the Iberico fresh (uncured) meats available in the U.S., It has been popping up on menus recently as specials. Schwa is the first to put it on their regular menu, as if we needed another excuse to go there.

Thanks for the info, Dave. I posted about Schwa's pork dish on that thread. It was phenomenal. The best pork I've ever had. If the same stuff is available at Carnivale, I will make a point of getting there right quick. (With a one-year-old at home, right quick probably means sometime in the next six months.)

I had an excellent first visit to Carnivale last night for the Casa Noble dinner.

crrush wrote:I may be too un-slick to feel comfy in the sequined tube top/metro crowd...

This is most definitely me. I had also stayed away because I generally avoid spaces that large and restaurants with gift shops and buzzers. However, I've become increasingly interested in Chef Mendez's food based on what I've sampled at different events and what he's written online about local eating. I've also lately become very curious to learn more about larger, flashier operations like Carnivale that have demonstrated real dedication to local, seasonal ingredients.*

Here's the menu from last night. Given the quality of the food and the opportunity to sample the Casa Nobel tequilas, it was a steal at $45.



I enjoyed everything so much it is somewhat difficult to pick out favorites, but the tuna with aji was a superb first bite. It definitely redeemed seared tuna in my mind after my disappointing experience of the ahi tuna with black mole at Topolobampo-Frontera last week. The duck with chile cascabel and cochinita were also entirely enjoyable with their excellent puree accompaniments and overall textural contrasts (though I was less enamored with the corn puree than my friends--I think I've been conditioned to inferior corn, so the puree seemed almost too sweet for me, especially with the cascabel on the plate).

I wanted to like the dessert a lot, and I did appreciate that it was relatively un-sweet. Honeycrisp just isn't my favorite variety of apple, especially at this time of year when I keep 5-6 non-Honeycrisp varieties of apples in my refrigerator at all times. I appreciated though how unadulterated the flavor of the apple was in the dessert.

Overall, I was really impressed by how smoothly the dinner ran. The portion sizes and pours were right on, and I was also struck by the temperature of all of the dishes, which seemed perfect across the board (this is probably my bias against big restaurants; I think I expect to get cold food given the distance it has to travel from the kitchen to my table). This is all to say that I walked away from this meal feeling very good--comfortably full, nourished and like I had enjoyed and learned about some fine tequila.

I remain daunted by the prospect of eating in the main dining room with the tube top crowd, but I will definitely be returning to Carnivale. The food is very, very good, and I like Chef Mendez's attitude toward local eating, which strikes me as very accessible and reasoned and driven by taste and the experience of the food.

*Hearing Rick Gresh from Primehouse earlier this week at the Locavore Town Hall meeting made me even more curious.

{Edited to correct spelling}

I'm interested too, though it's hard to get past the Vegas-level zaz.

I guess I'm surprised that someone who appears to approach ingredients so thoughtfully would have blue marlin ceviche on the menu. Most of the charters I've seen or used in FL, Mexico and Central America (i.e., informed fishermen who depend on marlin being there to catch, photograph and release) consider it off-limits as an eating fish (which is not the case for a bunch of other delicious off-shore critters).

http://www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org/Glo ... f_Billfish

JeffB wrote:Most of the charters I've seen or used in FL, Mexico and Central America (i.e., informed fishermen who depend on marlin being there to catch, photograph and release) consider it off-limits as an eating fish (which is not the case for a bunch of other delicious off-shore critters).

That's always been my understanding as well, due to the high incidence of cigutera. Marlin ceviche is something I'd never order.

stevez wrote:

JeffB wrote:Most of the charters I've seen or used in FL, Mexico and Central America (i.e., informed fishermen who depend on marlin being there to catch, photograph and release) consider it off-limits as an eating fish (which is not the case for a bunch of other delicious off-shore critters).

That's always been my understanding as well, due to the high incidence of cigutera. Marlin ceviche is something I'd never order.

I don't know anything about the marlin situation or cigutera, but I'm curious now. I just sent Chef Mendez a message asking why he chose blue marlin for last night. I'll post if I get a response.

Jeez, lots of fish are endangered. Suspect the issue with marlin is more related to it being a source of income for charter fishing boats.

Edit: To be clear, I'm not the sustainability police. But my point was based on a source. Disagree, debate, whatever. But dismissing the point out of hand based on speculation? I don't get it.

Edited to be nice(r).

Maybe it is from the Hawaiian fishery, in which case it is not an endangered species (more speculation).

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/S ... x?s=marlin

Lots of assumptions being made.

Hey, maybe it's tilapia. That happens with grouper and snapper all the time.

But seriously, now the assumptions are based on fact. Thanks for the link. What you found jibes with the marlin site's point that there is conflicting evidence about the Pacific population. However, I tend to agree with your implied point that the Monterey Aquarium is more likely reliable (or neutral) than a cause-specific site (though the Marlin site has references).

I guess in this day and age where chefs tell you where the pig grew up and what the hen ate before she laid the egg, adding "Hawaii" to the description would be useful (if that's the provenance -- if not and we don't know where it came from, I think the problem I raised is unchanged).

JeffB wrote:I guess in this day and age where chefs tell you where the pig grew up and what the hen ate before she laid the egg, adding "Hawaii" to the description would be useful (if that's the provenance -- if not and we don't know where it came from, I think the problem I raised is unchanged).

Along that vein, I had a meal (outstanding, pics and such to come) at Bar Charlie the other day, and the chef was very careful to note several times that the bluefin tuna was from Australia.

I guess more my poorly made point was that A LOT of the fish in restaurants is or may be from endangered fisheries. Ugly fish need lovin' too.

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