Beers at The Berghoff
I was recently introduced to a beautiful food blog written by a girl named Gemma, otherwise known as the Part-Time Pro Bono Baker. It was all the more thrilling to read because she was writing about Illinois! And she had just returned from six months travelling around Europe and Asia! And she had met my friend Michele while she was in Paris! The similarities stacked up until I just couldn't resist it anymore, so I emailed her to see if she might like to meet.
She came up with the brilliant plan to sample subs at a place called Fontano's in the Loop, and afterwards to head over to The Berghoff to down a few beers. Until yesterday when it closed for good, The Berghoff was Chicago's oldest restaurant and served heavy Germanic fare like knockwurst and schnitzel. I hadn't been there since I was little, but Gemma had visited a number of times recently and said that their bar was a good place for a girl to read a book or two without having to fend off sleazebags. Indeed, it is a rare establishment that can boast of such a thing.
I made the boneheaded decision to walk from the train station over to Fontano's, which meant that my toes and face were completely numb by the time I arrived, late, at the restaurant. The subs were robust and delicious, but the most thrilling moment came when a woman arrived to pick up two sandwiches that each measured at least six feet long. I begged her to let me take a picture, and I have to say that I consider this to be one of my all-time classic Chicago shots:
See, that's why I love it here. There aren't many cities where you can find a woman willing to pose with her giant subs with nary a moment's hesitation.
The Berghoff's bar was filled with broad shoulders attached to broad men shouting in a broad Midwestern twang. (I read in the New Yorker recently that the Chicago nasal "a" sound is the most rapidly spreading dialect in the country, and is currently heading west along I-55 towards St. Louis. Isn't that weird? I think its point of origin may have been The Berghoff.) I was interested to learn that both Gemma and her boyfriend had attended a small, wacky, liberal liberal arts college like mine. We played the namegame for a bit, which went something like this:
John: "Did you know Nick? He played Ultimate."
Me: "Hmm, everybody played Ultimate at Oberlin."
John: "He was one of the few white guys that didn't have dreads."
Me: "Keep going."
John: "He didn't wear pants."
Me: "Again, you're going to have to narrow it down."
Hanging out in the bar, hearing Gemma and John's crazy tales of Russian railway travel and chatting with tipsy businessmen on their lunch breaks reminded me how much I feel at home in this city, even though I may continually whine about the weather ...
Stranger: "Why don't you take your coat off and stay awhile?"
Me: "I can't, I'm freezing to death."
Stranger: "Where you from?"
Me: "Here."
Stranger: "Oh. Weird."
So even if The Berghoff has to die, I'll continue to pronounce my nasal a's - and keep my parka on - with pride.
She came up with the brilliant plan to sample subs at a place called Fontano's in the Loop, and afterwards to head over to The Berghoff to down a few beers. Until yesterday when it closed for good, The Berghoff was Chicago's oldest restaurant and served heavy Germanic fare like knockwurst and schnitzel. I hadn't been there since I was little, but Gemma had visited a number of times recently and said that their bar was a good place for a girl to read a book or two without having to fend off sleazebags. Indeed, it is a rare establishment that can boast of such a thing.
I made the boneheaded decision to walk from the train station over to Fontano's, which meant that my toes and face were completely numb by the time I arrived, late, at the restaurant. The subs were robust and delicious, but the most thrilling moment came when a woman arrived to pick up two sandwiches that each measured at least six feet long. I begged her to let me take a picture, and I have to say that I consider this to be one of my all-time classic Chicago shots:
See, that's why I love it here. There aren't many cities where you can find a woman willing to pose with her giant subs with nary a moment's hesitation.
The Berghoff's bar was filled with broad shoulders attached to broad men shouting in a broad Midwestern twang. (I read in the New Yorker recently that the Chicago nasal "a" sound is the most rapidly spreading dialect in the country, and is currently heading west along I-55 towards St. Louis. Isn't that weird? I think its point of origin may have been The Berghoff.) I was interested to learn that both Gemma and her boyfriend had attended a small, wacky, liberal liberal arts college like mine. We played the namegame for a bit, which went something like this:
John: "Did you know Nick? He played Ultimate."
Me: "Hmm, everybody played Ultimate at Oberlin."
John: "He was one of the few white guys that didn't have dreads."
Me: "Keep going."
John: "He didn't wear pants."
Me: "Again, you're going to have to narrow it down."
Hanging out in the bar, hearing Gemma and John's crazy tales of Russian railway travel and chatting with tipsy businessmen on their lunch breaks reminded me how much I feel at home in this city, even though I may continually whine about the weather ...
Stranger: "Why don't you take your coat off and stay awhile?"
Me: "I can't, I'm freezing to death."
Stranger: "Where you from?"
Me: "Here."
Stranger: "Oh. Weird."
So even if The Berghoff has to die, I'll continue to pronounce my nasal a's - and keep my parka on - with pride.
posted by cindym at 1:09 PM
6 Comments:
Yippee!!! Please please please let the Chicago "a" replace the St. Louis "a" asap. It is bad around here. People seem to think that highway 40 is prounounced "I-farty." Maybe a sixth-grader finds that funny, but it makes me want to scream (though not as loudly as when I hear "warsh").
Berghoff is closing? Yikes! I hope they keep the place at O'Hare open. It's the only reason that makes that airport tolerable. I guess next time I'll have to ask you to make a delivery to me. I'll be at Gate 23, as usual...
Greetings fellow Berghoff lover!
There is a link to this post at The Berghoff Memorial Blog. If you would like it removed, please let me know.
The Berghoff Memorial Blog is a place to share stories and memories of this beloved eatery. The Berghoff may be gone, but it will never be forgotten.
Cheers and auf wiedersehen.
http://berghoffmemorial.blogspot.com/
I'm so sad to hear that Berghoff's is closing. I tried snails there as a kid and I've always thought of it as the start of my eating adventures.
The giant sub picture turned out great! That woman looks so happy, and indeed she should be. I had a great time. Let's do it again someday.
Oh, and David, from what I have heard the O'hare location is staying open.
What a great post! See, Dorothy, there really is no place like home. And, about those "A's" -- think they might head south? Unfortunately, we need all the other vowels too.
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