Meat and potatoes lay the solid foundation for any worthwhile meal, food pyramid, or caveman show-and-tell. Taste the time-tested crowd pleaser with today's Groupon at The Public Landing Restaurant in Lockport. Choose between two options:

• For $10, you get $20 worth of gourmet fare and drinks
• For $150, you get $300 toward a private banquet with a minimum of 35 guests.

Housed in the historic Gaylord Building, which dates back to 1838, The Public Landing Restaurant synthesizes American and Italian recipes to create a gourmet menu of comfort cucina served in a romantic, spacious limestone warehouse. Dinner appetizers of flash-fried calamari ($9.95) and crab-stuffed shrimp ($11.95) cure coastal cravings, while romano cheese-encrusted asparagus sticks tap out drum rolls ($7.95). Gnocchi caters to gastronomic ghostwriters who desire to author their own entree with a choice of three sauces, meats, and quill feathers ($14.95+). Kitchen czars broil, blacken, sauté, or bake one of five fish entrees ($21.95) and carve into a variety of meats, such as the apple cider-glazed pork tenderloin ($19.95). Luncheon plates, served with soup or salad, stock stomach cabinets with ample portions of seafood, meat, starches, veggies, and pasta ($14.95). Cap a gourmet odyssey with a dessert, such as the caramelized basket, an edible crate overflowing with Godiva white chocolate mousse, fruit, and strawberry gravy ($9.95).

Hold a banquet outdoors or in one of Public Landing's private rooms, including a veranda that overlooks the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Specialists sculpt custom event menus, with luncheons and brunches starting at $15.95 per person and dinners starting at $19.95 per person. Public Landing pours vintages by the cup or bottle, offering red, white, and sparkling wine as well as champagne, so tipple a glass in the eatery's historically significant setting that once served as the construction depot for workers digging the 96-mile-long canal.