Having celebrated its centennial in 1998, The Berghoff is a Chicago landmark and its 20-foot ceilings, checked linoleum floor, and sepia photos of old Chicago make you feel like you've stepped back in time. The Berghoff holds Chicago liquor license no. 1, issued at the close of Prohibition, and it still serves its own brand of beer. This is old-school dining -- some of the dark-jacketed waiters seem almost as old as the building.

While the menu rotates seasonally, classic German favorites are always available and promise the most dependable dining experience (when I asked the waiter if he recommended one Mexican-inspired dish on the daily specials menu, he shook his head disapprovingly, then cheered up when I said we'd take Wiener schnitzel instead). The Berghoff serves hundreds of orders of Wiener schnitzel every day, plus bratwurst, sauerbraten, corned beef, and the like. Because some of us have arteries to worry about, the third and fourth generations of family management have added some lighter fare in the form of salads, broiled fish, and vegetarian dishes. The Berghoff also holds a popular Oktoberfest celebration each year in mid-September that spills from the restaurant out into the street.