Adding gourmet ingredients to a meal makes a commonplace activity feel special, much like brushing your teeth with a sparkler or withdrawing money from an ATM while wearing a ski mask. Spicy up a mundane day with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of gourmet dinner fare at the historic Webster House. Snuggled soundly in the Crossroads Arts District, Webster House grants its dinner guests exciting next-door proximity to the materializing Kauffman Performing Arts Center.

Once upon a time in 1885, Webster House was a schoolhouse, a fact evident in its striking red-brick edifice, turreted roof, peaked bell tower, and in the large caches of bourbon concealed in the teacher's-lounge walls. But today the musty aromas of paste and chalk have been replaced by the mouthwatering perfumes of Executive Chef Charles d'Ablaing's fresh, seasonal dinner menu (served Wed. through Sat. from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.), and the former school rooms have been remodeled to provide charmingly elegant themes to the dining experience.

Savor some wine in Webster House's dark, intimate Library Bar, where the librarians bring you fresh drinks but will still scold you bitterly if you spill any on the books. Or, transmogrify into Jessica Tandy in the antique-strewn Rose Room by gobbling down some fried green tomatoes with creamed spinach and tomato chutney ($7). The sautéed salmon comes with red-pepper jam and sides of gruyere mac 'n' cheese and rice-flour-fried french beans ($23). Heavier appetites will gravitate toward the savory prime-beef tenderloin coated in a black-truffle demi-glaze and served with yukon-gold potato crab puffs, roasted cippolini onions, and asparagus ($32). 

Desserts are also a chef's specialty, so unzip your stomach and make room for decadent sweets ($6).

Webster House also features a store stuffed with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century antiques, many of which are available for purchase. Concierge service is also available—personal shoppers will select a gift in the store, wrap it, and place it on your table as a surprise before dinner (not included with your Groupon). Reservations are highly recommended, so call ahead or write your request 100 times on Webster House's blackboards.

Reviews

OpenTable reviewers give Webster House an average of 4.4 stars, and 82% of Urbanspooners recommend it:

• Quaint restaurant that has a short but outstanding menu. Food from every section of the menu was well-portioned and delicious. – OpenTable reviewer who dined on 12/31/2010
• The food was delicious. The fried green tomatoes are a "can't miss" appetizer and the beef tenderloin was perfectly cooked and equally tasty. – Andy, Urbanspoon