Today's groupon is $50 for a $100 coupon to Lockwood. Pretty good deal IMO.

I was just about to post this myself. Just bought one.

I used my Groupon this past weekend for a holiday dinner with friends - my first-ever visit to Lockwood - and I thought the experience was pretty mediocre.

To start with, our particular wait person was a bit impersonal . . . almost robotic . . . and fulfilled the minimal role of taking our order, bringing us food, and little more.

As for the food, nothing really stood out as begging for my return. Laughing bird shrimp cocktail with various dipping sauces (including a very creative liquid sauce encased in a pastry round) was beautiful to look at, but suffered from hard-as-a-rock shrimp and ultimately did not deliver any unusual flavors.

A crab salad appetizer was tasty enough, but not particularly memorable.

The skirt steak with macaroni and cheese was the best of the entrees. The skirt steak was a beautiful and juicy medium rare, although the mac & cheese was a little on the bland side.

A take on duck a l'orange suffered badly from room temperature, overcooked duck. The accompanying sauce was very nice, but it hardly mattered.

Rabbit ragout with ricotta gnocchi and La Quercia guanciale suffered from dried out rabbit, although the rest of the dish was pretty flavorful.

Desserts were decent. The chocolate bath featured a silky smooth molten chocolate cake, which while not hot, was certainly delicious. I also thought the chocolate brownie was quite good.

Given the quality, prices seemed steep. The Groupon helped, but the average entree price was about $30. If I find myself in the Loop again for dinner, I'll likely look elsewhere.

We had bought the groupon last year intending to try the Palmer House for afternoon tea during the holiday season (the lobby area outside Lockwood where tea is served is pretty festive), but we changed our minds about trying the tea service after sitting in the uncomfortable chairs for a few minutes. So then we decided to use the groupon for Victor's birthday, which was Saturday evening.

On the whole, the meal was rather disappointing. Finding the wine list pretty steep, we each ordered a very dry martini. Victor's (gin) was acceptable to him; mine (vodka) was not--must've been half vermouth at least. I sent it back and asked for a vodka on the rocks. Our waiter was stiff and perfunctory; he seemed perhaps to have too many duties and we felt like he blamed us for it.

For appetizers, we ordered wild mushrooms and a Caesar salad. The mushroom dish had more prosciutto than mushrooms, and more egg-soggy toast than prosciutto OR mushrooms. Not quite as advertised (one hopes that a dish called "Wild Mushrooms" will feature a big pile of mushrooms rather than two tablespoons of fungi and a big pile of wet bread). Flavors were not pronounced in any case and the Caesar salad was, if anything, more bland.

Main courses were salmon accompanied by lardons and roast chicken accompanied by three kinds of squash (and more lardons). The salmon was decently cooked but not really enhanced by its accompaniments; the roast chicken was dry.

Did I mention we were both terribly hungry? We really wanted to like our food. We did enjoy the chive butter that was served with the bread. For dessert we chose creme brulee and tarte tatin, both of which were OK, but nothing to cheer about.

An unremarkable meal about which we would have been really angry if we'd paid full price. We don't plan to return.

I know that Chef Foss reads LTH, and I hope that he is following the thread, even with some pain. It is clear from his participation here that he cares about cuisine, but it is also clear that Lockwood is settling into a level below which he should wish. Given this, I wonder whether the Palmer House or the Hilton chain is providing Chef Foss with the support that he needs to run a two-star restaurant (much less a three star restaurant). The Palmer House (and the Chicago Hilton) had always been satisfied with mediocre restaurants, and perhaps their attitude has not changed. I would love for Lockwood to succeed, but it appears that some work is necessary.

I have a side-question: are the kitchen staffs at these large hotel establishments unionized? If so, they could be at a competitive disadvantage versus the "independents." Just curious....

I do & with pain when the comments are anything but superlatives. Unfortunately these criticisms are part of what comes with running a kitchen. And though these are challenging times for most restaurants in or out of the Hilton chain, I will not use that as an excuse for any shortcomings from our kitchen. Besides, when guests are spending their hard earned dollars, nothing matters to them aside from getting a value for their money whether that's McDonald's, Alinea, or Lockwood. Whether or not I have the right support behind me is inconsequential. Besides, the true test of a great leader is that the job is being done right even in their absence. With that said, the items in question on the prix fixe menu we sell in vast quantities and are generally well received. Are they the most exciting items we do? No. They are geared more to our budget traveler who is looking for simple and familiar fare.
That said, there is no excuse for the chicken to be dry or a caesar to be lackluster and I would welcome the opportunity to make it right with the guest who feels it could have been better. If the guest would like, I can be contacted at thepickledtongue@gmail.com in hopes of being given a 2nd chance.
As a chef, it is difficult to gauge the depth of each review that I read, and a reader should also take both good and bad write ups with a few grains of salt. In general, this forum is much more reliable for a chef/reader than some of the others.
I will be the first to say that not every item that leaves the kitchen is perfect in conception and/or execution. There is a lot behind the scenes here, but it's not an excuse. That said, when I believe a dish has seen its best day, I remove it from the menu - as the chicken is about to be re-vamped as the best squash is behind us.

Abe Lincoln said, "You can please some of the people some of the time, and you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." And Bob Dylan said, "I'll let you be in my dream if you'll let me be in yours."
To be in each other's dreams, I certainly recommend any participant on this site to let me know when you are in. I don't care if you write about it or don't; or even if you write about how I whore myself for a good review. As many of our guests don't really give much thought to their food, it's nice to know when I have guests in house who do.

teatpuller wrote:I have a side-question: are the kitchen staffs at these large hotel establishments unionized? If so, they could be at a competitive disadvantage versus the "independents." Just curious....

Yes.
I could go into great detail about all of this, but I am in a tight place right now since I just came back from a suspension for holding somebody accountable in a public manner.
We have done a lot of good here with a team that had little other than bar & grill experience prior to Lockwood, and I am as proud of that as anything else we've done here.

phillipfoss wrote:I am in a tight place right now since I just came back from a suspension for holding somebody accountable in a public manner.

I imagine that you have given some thought to opening or transferring to a free-standing restaurant. Although that would not help Lockwood, it would allow you to cook as you wish, create your team, and have temper tantrums in the kitchen. (Let us not name names!).

We know you are giving it your all!

I am hereby announcing that we will be visiting your restaurant soon (cue L2O drama... I jest, I jest! )

Here's hoping for an outstanding dinner

I’ve got certain preferences: spicy over subtle, sexy over elegant, Janet over Chrissy. I don’t care too much if it looks great – I want it to smell great, feel great and taste great. After my first visit to Lockwood, I thought the restaurant was too much Don Shula, not enough Mike Ditka. But chef Foss is finding a groove now, and he’s exhibiting a style much more to my liking. jesteinf and dansch joined me for dinner this week, and I thought everything we had looked and smelled a way that said “eat me!” rather than “admire me”. So, eat we did, stuffing ourselves with enjoyable dish after enjoyable dish described below, thanks in part to Chef Foss’s generosity in sending out some starters on the house, and an “intermezzo” of terrific sweetbreads with fantastic, generous shavings of black truffle.

Fig and balsamic glazed Dutch pork belly with rapini ravoilo, black trumpet mushrooms, black garlic, and a sunnyside up egg.
Sometimes a chef just nails the perfect set of flavor combinations, and I think that happened here. The glaze tilted toward the sweet side, which might otherwise have turned me off, but here that’s exactly what was needed to balance the strongly bitter rapini. The earthiness of the mushrooms along with the relatively subtle hit of acid from the balsamic brought the dish into even greater harmony. The textures in the dish – succulent, tender pork, mushrooms with a bit of pleasant chew to them, and well-made, al dente pasta – were almost as good as the flavors, with perhaps one miss: the yolk in the beautiful sunnyside-up egg was cooked a little harder than I would have preferred.

Crab Apple – jonah crab meat wrapped in granny smith apple with macadamia nuts and lavender honey
I liked this even if it didn’t excite me as much as the pork belly. The apples had been sliced so thin that they were translucent, so one could see right through them to the strong-flavored, very tasty crab. This was a fun dish to look at and eat.

House cured duck prosciutto, leg rillettes, frisee salad, mandarin orange, tea gel and more
The thinly sliced cured duck breast was a beautiful combination of ruby-red, flavorful meat and melt-on-your tongue white fat. This was another dish of great flavor and texture contrasts, with the crunchy frisee dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette, soft and sweet mandarin oranges that I believe were cooked confit-style, and a really interesting, unsweetened (or so it tasted to me) gelee made from smoked lavender tea leaves. That somewhat harsh gelee definitely wasn’t something I’d want to eat on its own, but I thought it worked remarkably well with the rest of the flavors in this dish.

Marrow-crusted sturgeon with pulled osso bucco
I had read about this dish, and it was one of the reasons I wanted to return to Lockwood. It sounded great, and it was. Sturgeon is a very meaty, flavorful fish – probably one of a small number that could handle this meat-centric preparation. The crust that topped the fish was earthy, beefy and very rich, and that sat on top of even richer pulled shank meat that was further enriched with some more marrow mixed in. This was about as heart-stopping a fish dish as you’ll find, and it made me very happy.

Rabbit ragout with ricotta gnocchi, La Quercia guanciale, pickled carrots and wilted greens
With so much good stuff in this dish, it might be surprising that my most vivid memory is of the carrots. The pickling must have been very subtle, because I didn’t notice it – instead focusing on how sweet they were, and reminiscent of those early spring carrots I crave. The rest of the dish was quite good – the rabbit especially moist and flavorful - but I did have a quibble – the guanciale was cut into larger pieces than I’d have liked, and its very strong flavor overwhelmed a couple of bites until I started taking more care in cutting and allowing only a tiny bit on the fork with the rest of the ingredients.

4 preparations of Southern style pork with bourbon-cola BBQ sauce
In some ways, this dish is just a layup. I mean, it’s popular cuts of meat (ribs, ham, tenderloin, shoulder) with a sweet bbq sauce made out of Coca Cola – what’s not to like? One could see something like this appearing at Jim Bob’s Fine Steaks & Chops in Wichita, Disney World Family Fun BBQ Restaurant, or on the next Applebees menu. But I’m happy to report that Lockwood did a way better job with it than any of those people could. The collards were especially outstanding, having picked up plenty of flavor from the dark, caramelized glaze that had been scraped from the ham (a delicious, subtly spiced specimen imported from Verona). Those grits – from Three Sisters farm – were wonderful too, and only good chefs understand that it’s worth seeking out such a fine product, even when much cheaper, readily available ones would likely be appreciated nearly as much by the masses.


We had a few desserts too. There was a nice oozy chocolate cake with some very well-made raspberry ice cream. There were lychees encased in lychee jello and served with lychee sorbet that I thought was just a little too bitter, and there was a vanilla-roasted pear with a terrific almond cookie/ cake thing, and brown butter ice cream that had an off-texture. These desserts didn’t wow me, but they were tasty ends to the meal.


I think dansch is going to post pictures of the dishes we ate. I hope he does, but the real goods are in the smells and tastes at Lockwood, which I encourage people to experience for themselves.

It's encouraging to hear that the chef is trying to make a go of it while working under the constraints of a hotel restaurant. While I doubt I'll make a special trip to Lockwood (I keep wanting to call it Lockwood Castle R.I.P.), there will come a time when I find myself stuck at the Palmer House and I'll eagerly be knocking on Chef Foss' door.

I don't have time right now to post any detailed thoughts, but since Kenny posted his I wanted to at least get the photos up.
(click the images for a larger version)

House-churned butter, roasted garlic, chive butter


House-cured Duck Breast & Leg Rillettes – Smoked Jasmine Tea Gelee, Satsuma, Frisee


Pork Belly – Rapini Raviolo, Farm Egg


Crab Apple


Sweetbreads with Truffles and Brussels Sprouts


Marrow Crusted Sturgeon – Pulled Osso Bucco


Rabbit Ragout with Ricotta Gnocchi


Four Preparations of Pig
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66194581@N00/4273244558/sizes/l/
My apologies to the chef for this horrible photo. He has a much better one on his blog.

Lychees in lychee gel with lychee sorbet


Chocolate "Island"


Pear with cake and brown butter ice cream



I'll come back and post my remarks on the food itself when I've got some time.

-Dan

For me, the standouts of this meal were the duck prosciutto appetizer, the sweetbreads, the sturgeon, and the rabbit. The sturgeon was probably my favorite as it had just a perfect combination of flavors on the plate. I usually don't order sturgeon because I've had a few bad experiences with restaurants cooking it poorly, but this piece of fish was cooked absolutely perfectly.

There were definitely some highs and lows to this meal, but overall I really enjoyed it. I definitely admire what Chef Foss is doing, especially given the constraints of working where he works. Should Chef Foss go out on his own one day, I would be very excited to try what he has to offer when "unfettered".

Headed to Lockwood this weekend. Is there a good place to have a drink first that is close by? Is the hotel bar nice?

Jean Blanchard wrote: Is the hotel bar nice?

Sadly, no. I mean it's in a beautiful lobby and all, but the bartenders are relatively clueless and the offerings are far from exciting. Not sure what I'd recommend nearby though. Maybe The Gage, but it can be a little too hectic in there for me. Certainly better drinks and bartenders than The Palmer House though.

Kennyz wrote:

Jean Blanchard wrote: Is the hotel bar nice?

Sadly, no. I mean it's in a beautiful lobby and all, but the bartenders are relatively clueless and the offerings are far from exciting. Not sure what I'd recommend nearby though. Maybe The Gage, but it can be a little too hectic in there for me. Certainly better drinks and bartenders than The Palmer House though.

The loungue there is a very nice setting though.

teatpuller wrote:

Kennyz wrote:

Jean Blanchard wrote: Is the hotel bar nice?

Sadly, no. I mean it's in a beautiful lobby and all, but the bartenders are relatively clueless and the offerings are far from exciting. Not sure what I'd recommend nearby though. Maybe The Gage, but it can be a little too hectic in there for me. Certainly better drinks and bartenders than The Palmer House though.

The loungue there is a very nice setting though.

$15 for the worst Old Fashioned I can ever remember having. Not a bar I'd recommend, even though the setting is nice.

=R=

If you wanted to try something trendy, the Wit isn't too far...State and Lake. Or you could go the opposite direction , literally and figuratively, and hit Miller's Pub

The Wit Hotel
201 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 467-0200


Milller's Pub
134 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 263-4988

Jean Blanchard wrote:Headed to Lockwood this weekend. Is there a good place to have a drink first that is close by? Is the hotel bar nice?

I enjoy Rhapsody, usually before symphony, which is somewhat close by. Decent list of wines by the glass and decent cocktails, not artisan cocktails, but decent.

65 East Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60603-6102
(312) 786-9911

www.rhapsodychicago.com

boudreaulicious wrote:Or you could go the opposite direction , literally and figuratively, and hit Miller's Pub

Milller's Pub
134 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 263-4988

I stopped by Miller's for a Manhattan last Friday. Bartender was absolutely superb in an old school way: attentive, always there the second I wanted him (for more water, check, etc.), and made a decent drink (for $8.50, pretty much a deal). And he wore a neatly pressed shirt and tie, which I'm only slightly abashed to admit made a difference.

David Hammond wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Or you could go the opposite direction , literally and figuratively, and hit Miller's Pub

Milller's Pub
134 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 263-4988

I stopped by Miller's for a Manhattan last Friday. Bartender was absolutely superb in an old school way: attentive, always there the second I wanted him (for more water, check, etc.), and made a decent drink (for $8.50, pretty much a deal). And he wore a neatly pressed shirt and tie, which I'm only slightly abashed to admit made a difference.

Old school baby...gotta love it. Miller's is the real deal

ronnie_suburban wrote:$15 for the worst Old Fashioned I can ever remember having. Not a bar I'd recommend, even though the setting is nice.

=R=

To clarify, I'm referring to the Lobby Bar at the Palmer House, not Lockwood.

=R=

Now, I'm wondering if you can get a decent cocktail at Lockwood? Is it best to stick to wine?

Has anyone been in and tried the daily Asian carp preparation yet? I'm curious to see what people think.

Kennyz wrote:

Jean Blanchard wrote: Is the hotel bar nice?

Sadly, no. I mean it's in a beautiful lobby and all, but the bartenders are relatively clueless and the offerings are far from exciting. Not sure what I'd recommend nearby though. Maybe The Gage, but it can be a little too hectic in there for me. Certainly better drinks and bartenders than The Palmer House though.

FYI -- there are at least two bars in the Palmer House: The lobby bar, and Potter's. I haven't been in Potters in over a year, at the time the drink menu was somewhat ambitious, but not to my taste. Other's mileage will vary.

SSDD

SSDD

AdmVinyl wrote:Has anyone been in and tried the daily Asian carp preparation yet? I'm curious to see what people think.

See Phil Vettel's review of it: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/ct-play-0422-vettel-asian-carp-taste-20100421,0,5902531.column

I ate at Lockwood this past Tuesday night. The service was very slow, and at an hour (8:30 seating) when the restaurant was not particularly crowded. Most of the food arrived not particularly hot (despite the use of serving domes over the dishes); I consider that probably the result of the consistently slow service, and not a food problem. Other than the serving temperature, the food I had was reasonably good. (I had the mussels as an appetizer, and ordered a double portion of one of the appetizers, a scallop and short rib combination, as an entree.) All in all it was okay, but does not merit a return visit.

Chef Foss has left the building.

nsxtasy wrote:Chef Foss has left the building.

It was inevitable.