Carnivale Restaurant | Chicago
We’re all foodies at Calvert Street Group and our travels around the country offer us the opportunity to sample some of America’s most unique cuisines. Often when we return from a business trip, our weekly staff meeting begins with a restaurant review. For that reason, we plan to share some our favorite restaurants with you in our newsletter and we hope you’ll return the favor by sharing some of your must-visit restaurant recommendations from your travels around the country.
I’m going to kick off our spotlight with a brief note about the restaurant Carnivale in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. This colorful, Brazilian-influenced restaurant evoked a celebration for our group as soon as we entered the door. We were joined by a pair of college students, one of which was celebrating a birthday with one of Carnivale’s signature cotton candy martinis. In fact, the wine and cocktail menu is impressive as are the grilled steaks. I can recommend the Brazilian churrasco (pictured) but there are plenty of lighter and more vegetable-focused entrees as well (the Tacu Tacu comes highly recommended). Desert features a delicious chocolate covered ice cream shaped like a cigar and delivered in a cigar box.
The waitstaff was very attentive and we enjoyed striking up a conversation with the manager. Of course, it probably didn’t hurt the festive atmosphere when a young man dropped to a knee and proposed to his fiancé at one point and the entire restaurant applauded. She said yes.
WRITTEN BY MARK DRURY
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AU CHEVAL
A diner-style bar and restaurant with a passion for eggs, Au Cheval elevates traditional diner fare. Guests can indulge in dishes ranging from chopped chicken liver and roasted bone marrow, to traditional sandwiches, egg-focused entrees, and the signature cheeseburger. The bar program showcases strong, classic cocktails including the Horse’s Neck, Vieux Bonal, and Hemingway’s Daiquiri. A robust draught beer list offers a wide range of neighborhood, domestic, and international selections. The dimly lit restaurant, pulsating with a vintage reel-to-reel soundtrack, features dark leather booths, dark wood paneling, and a zinc bar wrapped around the open kitchen.
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LOU MALNATIS PIZZERIA
Nothing says "Chicago" like a deep dish pizza, and no one does deep dish like Lou Malnati's. Our Chicago-style pizzas are 9 inches, perfect for two adults, and are available in Cheese, Gluten-Free Cheese, Sausage, Gluten-Free Sausage, Pepperoni, Gluten-Free Pepperoni, Veggie, Spinach, and Crustless varieties. Shipped nationwide from Lou Malnati's in Chicago.
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RPM STEAK
Located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, RPM Steak is an updated take on the classic steakhouse and features nearly two dozen different cuts of beef sourced from the finest butchers across the globe.
