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There was a time when high-end dining was restricted to starlets, their poodles, and dynastic politicians. Break the crystal ceiling with today’s Groupon: $50 for $100 worth of lush culinary creations at Lockwood Restaurant, located in the iconic Palmer House Hilton Hotel. Polish your dinner shoes and break out your most fanciest of pants to stroll through the stunning lobby's chill ivory and gold details, past the impressive lobby bar, to the elegant dining room for a dining experience that combines superior service and ambience with gourmet gusto. The perfect spot for a pre-show dinner, Lockwood is the premier destination for those trying to woo their dates with a full-on pocket-handkerchief and cufflinks dining experience.

The neutral color scheme and flattering lighting inside Lockwood give patrons a Hitchcockian gauzy-lens look, surrounding all in a halo of refined satiety. Executive chef Phillip Foss routinely changes the menu to keep your palate excited by the best flavors of each season. Start your decadent dinner off with the tamarind-and-espresso-lacquered pork belly ($12) or grilled baby octopus ($14), and tempt your taste buds with muscovy duck breast and leg rillette (with country bread, wilted lettuces, and whole grain mustard, $28), blanquette of veal osso bucco (with potato puree, porcini, and gremolata, $36), or Hawaiian bass and lobster (with cauliflower ravioli, porcini, spinach, and lobster coral sauce, $38). Dine on high-quality, old-school meat and potatoes with a juicy prime rib eye delicately cooked to your liking (with broccoli rabe, wild mushrooms, and potato gratin, $48). Finish your evening with a velvety chocolate bath (with molten cake, veloute, and raspberry ice cream, $12) or celebrate fall with an apple tarte tatin (with star anise ice cream and salted caramel, $10).

The friendly servers at Lockwood are happy to acquiesce to your demands, though they will tactfully refuse to spoon-feed you with airplane sound effects. If you're allergic to silverware but still want a luxurious meal, indulge in a burger made from the most pampered cows on the planet. The Kobe burger on a pretzel bun (with fig-peppercorn sauce, truffled chips, and market greens, $24) comes with your choice of toppings, including a sunny-side-up egg, wild mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese, or, for an extra $18, sautéed foie gras. In addition to delicious dinners, Lockwood dishes out gourmet breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea.

Reviews

Centerstage Chicago raves about the delicious food and stunning scene:

• Walk through the Palmer House Hilton's freshly restored lobby (characterized by soaring ceilings, murals dotted with fluttering cupids and artfully arranged white roses), and try not to desperately crave a Manhattan when you pull up a chair at Lockwood's island-style bar. There's something about being in one of the city's oldest and most storied hotels, in a restaurant that's named after Lockwood Honore (brother of Bertha Palmer, a celebrated Gold Coast socialite of decades past) that makes you want to party like it's 1899. – Jennifer Berg, Centerstage Chicago

Yelpers give Lockwood 3.5 stars, Citysearchers give it four stars, and OpenTable diners give it four stars too:

• ...we found the service excellent (one server for each of us, and no hovering) and the food a fine balance of the new with the traditional. When's the last time you were served a brandade? Or sweetbreads? Both appeared in our meal, and neither seemed stodgy. – c2810, Citysearch
• All of the server staff and the wine steward had intimate knowledge of the menu, including all the ingredients and preparations. As someone who loves to cook, I asked alot [sic] of questions, and they didn't hesitate to answer all of them. – dschooler, Citysearch