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German restaurant opens on Main Street

Meister Haus features full line of German beers, German cuisine and live entertainment.

Staff photo by Greg Lynch Chris Meister (left) and his father, Jim, are partners in the newly opened Meister Haus German Lodge Bar.

ENLARGE PHOTO

The Meister Haus German Lodge Bar recently opened on the west side of Hamilton.

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Chelsey Levingston, Staff Writer Updated 2:45 PM Saturday, February 5, 2011

HAMILTON — Chris Meister wants to make his first restaurant a bar you want to eat at by offering equally good drinks and food.

Meister’s approach is a trio of live entertainment, a full line of German beers, and homemade German cuisine. Meister Haus German Lodge opened Tuesday on West Main Street. It’s in the former location of Tumblweed Southwest Grill, which he said was vacant four years.

“Nobody’s hit the niche and brought a German restaurant to Hamilton, at least in my lifetime,” Meister said.

The German-themed eatery speaks to Meister’s roots. He has 10 years of experience working at fast-food and independent restaurants before he became a loan officer. Then he lost his banking job in the poor economy.

The German part comes from the Hamilton High School graduate’s family heritage. His grandfather Stan was a first generation Meister from Germany.

Marilyn Collmer, manager of BizTech Center, remembers when Meister, 33, came for help making his dream a business plan.

“I think he is a qualified entrepreneur,” Collmer said. “And I think it’s a nice unique opportunity for people to take advantage of German cuisine.”

Original recipes on the menu include a Lubber Reuben sandwich named for Meister’s girlfriend Angie Lubber. There’s also homemade beerwurst with meat bought from Hammanns Butcher Shop in Fairfield, homemade beer cheese and potato salad. His favorite menu item is a traditional German Schnitzel, a type of fried meat.

To go with the European fare is German beer such as original, wheat and dark versions of Hofbrau Brew, Erdinger and Spaten, the makers of Oktoberfest.

For music, Meister said he’s lined up bands Dixie Highway on Feb. 12 and 26 and Naked Karate Girls on March 12, among others.