PALM Steakhouse at the Swissotel

I just visited Palm Steakhouse situated in the Swissotel on Wacker and was extremely impressed. I'm usually pretty wary about hotel restaurants but it was my friend's treat so there wasn't a choice. However, I was extremely surprised at how good the steaks were. They're actually a small chain that started out in NYC.

Having only relocated back to Chicago after 5.5 years in NYC, I was pretty surprised that I've never heard of Palm there. Of course, Palm didn't match Luger's but it still serves a fine steak. I would actually say it's one of the best steaks I've had here besides at Morton's and at Joe's Stone Crab.

Expect to spend about $50/person. BTW, just don't get the sauteed spinach; it was too salty. Everything else was fine though. Try the clams casino- baked clams with a slice of bacon on them.

sinos wrote:They're actually a small chain that started out in Chicago.

Pretty sure the first Palm is the one on Second Ave. around 44th St. in NY where all the newspapers that once existed in NY had their headquarters. Reporters and comic strip artists and such hung out there, as well as at other steakhouses in the neighborhood (like Bruno's Pen and Pencil) that no longer exist.

There's also a Palm Too across the street from the original. Don't know when that came online, but it goes back to the early eighties at least.

The second outpost of the Palm, I'm pretty sure, opened up in West LA on Santa Monica Blvd., also sometime in the late seventies or early eighties.

I actually knew it was started in NYC but for some reason I typed Chicago. Sorry for the typo.

There's another Palm at the Northbrook Court mall. They are offering a "Family-Style `Special" dinner for 2 or 3 which is an outstanding deal at $62 (was $59 in the previous thread at http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6872 )

See http://www.thepalm.com/index.cfm?fa=p&pid=173
for the full deal

Okay, maybe my searching skills aren't up to snuff. Or maybe there really hasn't been a post on The Palm since then. (Yes, yes, I know. There are lots of scattered references; I am not looking for a mention in passing. I'm looking for a dedicated review.) I know it's very pricey. But we were just given a card for substantial $$ off and are wondering if the food is worth it. There hasn't been a post on this thread in five years or a post on the Northbrook branch in six years. Surely someone has been and can offer words of wisdom. Right?

There hasn't been a post on this thread in five years or a post on the Northbrook branch in six years

There is a reason for that - I find no evidence that the Northbrook Court Palm is in existence any more. It isn't listed on either the Palm site or the NBCourt dining directory. Sorry.

I can't report on any branch in Northbrook but my last visit to the Palm at the Swissotel (maybe a year ago or more) was meh.

I personally find the atmosphere very off-putting. It's not at all intimate and I found it very uncomfortable. The food was steakhouse expensive but not nearly as appealing to me as what you'd get at Smith and Wollensky or even Morton's. The steak was fine. The lobster was fine -- nothing was bad -- but in a town filled with good to great steakhouses, there are many I'd prefer over the Palm. The service was fine as well. If you've got yourself a gift certificate that's significant, then you will have a decent meal but I doubt it will transport you. But it might be a savings over another steakhouse, which these days...is good.

I wish I could be more enthusiastic but frankly -- it left little impression on me. Meh.

The Northbrook Palm closed a while ago. That space is now occupied by the Claim Company. When my friend passed the bar in 2008, I took him to the Palm at Northbrook Court for dinner. Overall it was somewhat of a letdown and was a bit expensive for what we ordered.

I do remember having a great meal at the Swissotel Palm on New Years Eve in the last 10 years.

earthlydesire wrote:...my last visit to the Palm at the Swissotel (maybe a year ago or more) was meh.

I would say the same, to my own consternation. The times before that were everything I wanted. I get to the Swissotel Palm about once a year, either with the guys for lunch or with the family for dinner. Until the most recent visit (which, like yours, was about a year ago), I got roughly the same no-nonsense, seasoned-pro vibe there, and experienced the same high level of food, as at the Palms in NY and LA. But this last time, I got a subtle sense of condescension, as if the staff considered the whole restaurant to be full of rubes and suckers, and the now-no-better-than-OK quality of the food was sadly congruent with that impression. Hopefully that was a temporary downturn that the place has already recovered from. Reports from people who have visited more recently will be useful in determining this.