An early morning……got my body out of the bed at 4AM this morning…..UNUSUAL for me to get up this early!!! We left at 5:20AM and arrived in Glen Carbon, IL to pick up Andrew Gipson and his fiance, leaving there at 7:30. We were in downtown Chicago by 11:40 and after checking in the Comfort Inn and Suites just two blocks from Michigan Avenue…..I parked the car in the garage, we got settled in, and then left for a walking tour of the Miracle Mile. It is such a wonderful city…and the city center/downtown is so vibrant and full of energy and wonderful aromas and so much to gawk at….buildings and people!!! I/WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We went in several stores…..mostly selling furniture/furnishings for the home. I then called The Berghoff to see see what time would be good to get there. HA….they said if we arrived after 4pm we would find ourselves standing in line for 2-3 hours……outside.
So…off we went back to the hotel to freshen up and change clothes. We then hailed a cab and went south on Michigan to get to The Berghoff. Wellllllll………upon arriving we saw this humongus line of people…….and finally found the end of the line around the corner on another street. The restaurant is in the middle of the city block……sooooo, you can see how long the line was. Soon it began to drizzle and then…..rain!! But, thinking ahead as we had done……we had the trusty little umbrellas that we had brought on the trip. Sooooo….we stood……and stood…..and then took a few steps…..and stood and stood. Then some street musicians began to play their horns…..in the rain…..so we did have live music to entertain us. Two hours and fifteen minutes after getting out of the taxi we arrive at the door to The Berghoff!! By this time the 1st Lady and Laura had gone across the street to a Walgreens Drug to get out of the rain and get warm…..so when we did get to the door I ran across the street and brought them back to the line.
We then stood inside in a line for another 20-30 minutes before we were seated. We had chatted with others in the line during the lengthy wait…..and two of the three people in front of us were from Kansas City…and had flown into Chicago this morning….just to eat dinner at The Berghoff!! The other gentleman had come from South Carolina to have dinner. Then as we talked with others, an older couple had arrived by train this morning from Washington, D.C……just to have dinner here and then were returning tomorrow to D.C.!!!
We were seated and ordered mugs of their wonderful home made brew….I LOVE the dark beer…..soooo good with tastes of caramel in it. I order Sauerbraten, and the other three all had variations of the Schnitzel…..both veal and chicken. For an appetizer I had a pear salad with blue cheese crumbles in it……wonderful….omg it was good!!!! Andrew had two different types of bratwurst with saurkraut and wonderful hot potato salad on the side. Oh…..they served the most wonderful home made breads with the beer…….just sooooo damn good!!!! The entré was more than worth the almost three hours of waiting…..plus the drive up here………what wonderful food they serve.
We took pictures inside and then others wanted me to take their pictures and email to them. Everyone we visited with was sooooo sad to know that this would be their last time to eat in this fabulous Chicago eatery……a 107 year tradition!
To top off the meal we ordered apple strudel with ice cream on top………fantastic!!!! Andrew and I order hot coffee……..it is soooo dark and rich….very much a European coffee. As we had dessert, a German band with a great tuba player began to play in our room of the restaurant…..dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing. It just added to the sparkle and excitement of the evening there……..WOW!!!!
As we left…..the line was longer than ever…we never saw the end of it around the block. Good think we arrived at 3pm……who knows how long we would have had to wait……but never mind the time spent standing…….it was an evening of the most fabulous German cuisine in a marvelous German setting with great Bavarian music.
We then decided to walk off the heavy meal…..and found ourselves walking back up Michigan and to the hotel. We decided to walk a bit more and went to a couple of other Chicago restaurants to look in on them……..The Rainforest Café….the Hardrock Café, and the newly redone two story McDonald’s with specialty coffees and gelato being served there. A quick trip to Starbucks for a nightcap cappaccino and it was back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation.
A day that we will long remember…..both with memories of the wonderful food and for the sadness of knowing that this great restaurant will no longer be open after Feb. 28th. If any of you can get there to eat………do it. You will be rewarded with having enjoyed a little part of the history of Chicago’s outstanding, excellent restaurants.
Sooooo, with a full stomach…..and a couple of aching feet, I will close and as always……
LIFE IS GREAT!!!!! And….I hope it is for all of you, also!!! Get to The Berghoff Café!!!!
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