Table for Four

At Carnivale — 702 West Fulton Market

By Jess, Sam, Amy and Katharine

The Basics

Where you’ll find it: Downtown in the Warehouse District. The former location of Drink.

When it’s open: Sunday-Thursday, 5-10:30 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 5-11:30 p.m. The lounge is open Sunday-Thursday, 5-10:30 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 5 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Reservations: A must! Unless you want to awkwardly lurk by a group of people eating in the lounge, waiting to snag their table (which is exactly what we did). 312-805-5005.

What you’ve heard: It’s quite the scene, a great place to people-watch.

Visual Aids

First impressions: Chic, impressive, accommodating. ... The ushers opened our cab doors for us and escorted us in under umbrellas. They treat their customers, VIP style. ... Very lively. Somewhere you would want to go if you were in an upbeat mood. ... This was a very hip place for the nouveau-riche of Chicago. I could tell it was going to be a very good meal. It seemed very high-class.

The atmosphere: It’s not an intimate dining atmosphere, but it’s very fun atmosphere. It’s good to go with friends if you want to be in sort of an active environment. The bright colors were very inviting and festive. ... It seemed like a late 20-something crowd. I thought it was trendy, colorful and upscale.

The Experience

At your service: They didn’t acknowledge us at first because they didn’t realize we were eating while sitting in the lounge. Once our waitress figured out they could take us seriously, the service was good. ... The waitress was very helpful and knowledgeable, because I had a lot of questions. I didn’t feel that we were neglected, even though we were younger, and it would be easy for us to be sort of pushed aside.

Get your drink on: An extensive wine list, with bottles from Spain, Chile, Argentina and the U.S. A total of 48 different kinds of tequila, 18 brands of rum, specialty Latin drinks like mojitos and margaritas and a host of after-dinner favorites.

Menu variety and prices: Perfect mix of Latino and continental cuisine. It seems like the chef starts off with something basic, like steak, and spices it up with something like blue-cheese bacon salsa. ... I thought the prices were typical for an upscale, trendy restaurant. ... The prices seemed pretty moderate — not outrageous, but definitely not cheap. ... It’s the best dessert menu I’ve ever seen.

Description of what you decided on: Five scallops — not enough, but I think that’s how it is at most restaurants. The garlic spinach was really good. ... The beef turnover. I don’t usually like beef, but I really like pastry. I actually ended up liking it. It had a little kick to it, but not too much. The salad was the best part of my meal besides dessert. ... Roasted salmon with lobster-pumpkin sauce. The salmon was flaky, and the sauce was a perfect balance of lobster and pumpkin, which seems difficult to achieve with two such distinct flavors. ... Chicken with kind of a spicy sauce. It came with potatoes and vegetables. Very, very flavorful. ... We tried four desserts: rice pudding with figs, warm chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate cake with fried bananas and pumpkin flan. ... The dessert was amazing.

Something that caught your eye: It seemed like all the men in there wore sunglasses. And the really high ceilings in the dining room. ... The crowd that was there. It seemed like an up-and-coming, hip crowd. It wasn’t a very “college” feel, which was nice for a change. ... The gigantic abstract paintings. Also, the walls are covered with fashion photography with half-dressed supermodels. It’s kind of hard to miss. ... The main room was huge, and a lot different from where we were eating. It was really colorful.

What you’ll tell your friends: I already told a lot of my friends about it. It’s a really fun restaurant, really great food. If you’ve got money, go. ... I would tell them to go there for a special occasion, and definitely make reservations. I would go on a Friday or Saturday night when it’s more lively and exciting. ... One of the best meals I’ve had since I’ve been at school. ... Get decked out and go. ... I can’t wait to go back when they have live music, which I hear is coming soon.

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