Feeding frenzy

It's 10:15 on a Friday night, and Carnivale is living up to its name. Bartenders are busily shaking mojitos to quell a five-sparkly-top–deep crowd, while hostesses endure insults as people complain loudly in their faces. My reservation was for 9:30pm, and I'm just now being led through an overflowing dining room to a table.

"Sorry about that long-ass wait," the hostess says over her shoulder as she shows us to our seats. Her candor, combined with the ably concocted margarita in my hand and the bowl of chunky guacamole that quickly arrives at my table, is enough to evaporate any irritation.

It's hard to feel annoyed at Carnivale, where the giant, 400-seat room has an infectious celebratory feel to it. Designer-owner Jerry Kleiner painted bold, Mardi Gras colors on the walls in thick stripes, placed an 80-foot-high, 2,500 bottle wine rack overhead and hung framed photographs of Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell in early-'90s couture in almost every room. It's enough to make you want to slip on a cone-shaped bra and sing "Express Yourself" on the balcony.

But the energy and detail that was so carefully put into the design of the place is precisely what the food is missing. The pupusas, stuffed with a rich and tangy combination of oxtail, cheese and refried beans, were thin, and they'd clearly been left on the grill just long enough to warm up, then snatched away to make room for the next order. The ropa vieja fared better. Served on coins of fried plantains, the juicy, tender meat exemplified what good nuevo Latino food can be: a successful twist—almost an improvement—on the original.

Other menu items were generally solid. Mini whitefish tacos were garnished with a lively tartar sauce, and the salad of fresh red and yellow beets, spiced walnuts and thin slices of Manchego cheese hit the spot. The braised short rib was overly fatty but otherwise cooked well, and a filet of salmon was equally well executed, gaining some spicy-sweetness from an ancho-barbecue glaze. Less successful were a slightly dry pork shoulder and a mushy empanada—textural issues that sank otherwise flavorful dishes.

But while the food mostly exhibits nice flavors and presentation, it is merely satisfying. Like a good movie with a bad ending, there's lots of potential, but it's not enough to wow you. With a little more love, the whitefish on those tacos would have a delightfully crunchy exterior, and the empanada would flake apart. But love takes time, and that's something this kitchen doesn't have. Someday Carnivale's crowd will thin out and the whole operation will have time to breathe. The irony is that only then will the food have a chance at greatness.

Carnivale
702 W Fulton St at Union Ave (312-850-5005) Bus: 8 Halsted, 65 Grand. Open: Dinner. Average main course: $20.