My mom, little sister, and I all share birthdays in January. We decided to do a three-for-one birthday lunch at the Berghoff in the middle of the month to take care of all of us and make it into this Chicago institution before it closed. Luckily, we made reserverations about 2 weeks ago, so we were able to bypass the ridiculously long line out front (it stretched around the block and down Dearborn when we got there). For our party of six, we were given 5 menus and asked to share, because “people have been stealing the menus”.

My mom and I both ordered the Hefeweizen (dreamy, nutty, and superb!), and teased Matt when he had the audacity to order an iced tea. I decided to venture away from my consistent favorite, corned beef, and order something completely away from my norm; The Jaeger Schnitzel – pork scallopine in a sauce / gravy made from Jaegermeister, mushrooms, and applewood smoked bacon. Thank god for adventurism! The pork was tender, and the sauce (more mushroom-based than Jaeger-based) was so savory that you could just scoop it up with bread and feel like you were eating a steak. My mom ordered the same, and we proudly proclaimed that we won the ordering contest with our dish. We’re a little bit competitive in my family.

We tried to get some Berghoff gear as we were leaving (namely some beer steins), but they were all out of stock. They let us know that goodies will still be available for sale on their site, but it just doesn’t seem the same.

If you are planning on making your way out there for a good meal before they close February 28th, set aside a nice chunk of time, They are no longer accepting reservations at all. As we were leaving, there was a woman inside the lobby waiting to be seated who had been in line since 10:30am. We left at about 1pm.