Famous Chicago Berghoff Restaurant Closing- Bad news

[NNN0LHI]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BERGHOFF_CLOSING?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

CHICAGO (AP) -- For generations, diners with a craving for apple strudel or a stein of cold German beer have sidled up to the bar at The Berghoff Restaurant, which is closing after 107 years in business, its owners announced Wednesday.

"We share the sadness that many feel about the closing of the restaurant," Herman Berghoff, 70, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Jan, said in a statement.

"It's been an honor to be part of the fabric of Chicago," he said, but the couple "feel that now is the right time to start a new chapter in our lives."

The restaurant's history is intermingled with Chicago's. It was such a downtown staple that after Prohibition ended in December 1933, the city issued The Berghoff Liquor License No. 1.

Herman Joseph Berghoff, a German immigrant, and his three brothers began brewing Berghoff Beer in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1887, according to the restaurant's Web site. Six years later, he sold it to fairgoers at The Chicago World's Fair, and in 1898 he opened a cafe to showcase the beer, which sold for a nickel.

[Laelth]

1. That is sad.

I've had several fine meals there and have enjoyed them all.

-Laelth

[patsimae]

2. First Marshall Field's

Now the Berghoff.

[ThingsGottaChange]

3. I had the best glass of wine there

I never got the name of it. This was about 25 years ago. I was just amazed at how good it was.

[nickgutierrez]

4. Damn.

I loved that place - visited it a couple of times while I lived in Chicago. Good food, great staff, and yeah, good beer.