'People waited in line for hours to eat one last time at the Berghoff."

Oh, the hype and hoopla attached to the news that the Berghoff, the grand dame of Chicago restaurants, was closing. That was in February 2006, after 107 years in business.

That was then; this is now. The Berghoff never left the building. It's still doing a fine business. Yes, there was the idea of an added name: 17 West (and that's a quick-service, sandwich/bar arrangement carved out of part of the original dining room). And there's still the quick-service cafe downstairs (there was a line waiting for sandwiches one day when I dropped in for lunch). In the main dining room, the atmosphere is pretty much the same as it always was. The wood tables are as they were, the lights, the overall feel. Of course, the vested waiters (sporting their union badges) are gone. Time marches on.

The menu has been pared down a bit, and out of respect to its name I still classify the Berghoff as a German restaurant. I do, even though the interesting dishes that peppered the menu, say, 20 years ago are gone: Bismarck herring, roast loin of pork, German pot roast and a fine choice of seafood dishes. Some dishes made the cut. You can still get Wiener Schnitzel, sausage, sauerbraten and a mixed grill. There are mini brats and knockwurst and a nice assortment of side dishes. But woe is me when it comes to seafood (whitefish is about it on the regular menu). And the lunch special one day was a joke. "Halibut spanikopita deconstructed?" What's that about? "Orchetta (sic) pasta with rock shrimp"? Woe is me. If you can't spell it, can you cook it?

OK, enough of the woe. If you tiptoe through the Berghoff menu and stick with some of the classics, you will be duly rewarded. For example, a lush and delicious Alsatian onion and apple soup that was rife with the flavor of onion and apples and a crouton slathered with Muenster cheese. Delicious.

Another appetizer that won me over was the potato pierogi: four plump, lightly pan-fried beauties stuffed with mashed potatoes (the real deal) with an accompaniment of a chive-accented sweet potato salad.

The Wiener Schnitzel wasn't the best I've ever had, but I devoured it nonetheless. The breading on the veal was light, the veal (a generous portion) itself tender from one end to the other. "Tradition with a twist," the menu notes. The "twist" being it is served with a pile of "Berghoff chips" (which were excellent) and a combo of very tasty green beans, asparagus tips and strips of red bell pepper.

Sort of interesting was the "Berghoff beer-battered and dipped cod." The cod was not a fillet as such, rather strips of cod. Not great in appearance, but the beer batter was light and the cod was very fresh-tasting. The accompaniment of fennel and fruit slaw was actually quite good and inspired.

Another tradition with a twist was the sausage trio. Now we're speaking German. Grilled bratwurst, steamed knockwurst and smoked thuringer were dispatched with gusto. The "twist" part here was the marinated artichokes.

Don't miss two of the sides. The red cabbage was great. The potato pancakes were mini in size and excellent. Skip the spaetzle; it was terrible.

Two desserts are a must to try. The apple strudel was excellent: Light and flaky pastry wraps lovingly around tender, nicely spiced Granny Smith apples. A drizzle of caramel sauce added to the enjoyment.

The strawberry-rhubarb pie was quite good. Not a slice, but a rather large portion shaped like a pot pie, the good crust rose up around the filling of strawberry and rhubarb. The balance was off (more rhubarb needed), but not too far off. A knob of vanilla ice cream got plopped atop each of those creations.

Pat Bruno is a free-lance writer, critic and author.