A couple of years ago, Loop lunchers were crying in their steins of Berghoff Dark when they heard announcements about the impending closing of the Berghoff, the 107-year-old institution that held liquor license number one. Fortunately, there was no need for spilled tears, as daughter Carlyn Berghoff transformed the dining room into a banquet facility, preserved the bar and expanded the familiar rich, wainscoted confines for her contemporary German-inflected spot 17 West.

Like the original, 17 West looks like God's tavern with its glinting panes of stained glass, and it still hosts the usual grizzled and dapper regulars. These days, though, it's a mighty clean, well-lit place, with sparkling plate glass windows and a modern TV inset into the wood above the room. There's a healthy collection of tables behind the bar where famished shoppers and local workers gather. On the eclectic updated menu, Shrimp and scallop strudel and Alsatian onion and apple soup sidle up to more traditional German reubens and wienerschnitzel.

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Nagrant