German eatery with 21st century flair opening in South Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Bringing a different food profile with a high level of service at an economical price to South Lake Tahoe are the goals of Himmel Haus owners and employees.
German food with American and Californian twists will be coming out of the kitchen of the old Christiana Inn starting July 6.
The correct glass is used for each beer at Himmel Haus. Photos/LTN
While schnitzel is on the menu, the breading is pretzels.
Truckee Sourdough Bread Company is creating a pretzel bun specifically for Himmel Haus.
The signature dish is a hamburger of sorts, but it’s made with pork instead of beef. It is made with three types of pork – ground bratwurst patty, grilled Black Forest ham and bacon.
“Each pork has a different flavor profile,” chef Josh Bushnick said. “We didn’t want to just do a hamburger.”
Besides interesting twists on traditional German food, the bar is stocked with imported beer from Germany – including from the world’s first brewery that opened in 1032. The nuns are still crafting this brew in the old style with just four ingredients.
Most of the beer vendors also supply a special glass for their particular beer to be poured into.
“Our goal is to be one of the top three restaurants,” owner Matt Eastling told Lake Tahoe News while sitting at one of the communal tables last week. (Zak Latzka is the other owner of the restaurant.)
In large part that will be Bushnick’s responsibility because he is the chef. He has more than 25 years of experience in the service industry. Using the freshest, most organic ingredients is the plan.
Local wood was used to build aspects of the bar area.
It’s the tables, though, that will also set this eatery apart from others in the area. Much like a Basque restaurant where strangers sit together, the same will be at Himmel Haus.
While work still needed to be done last week on the interior – like installing the 12-foot television screen in the bar and tweaking a few other things, the historic restaurant at the foot of the Heavenly’s base lodge is ready to throw its doors open. Expect plenty of Olympic coverage to be shown on that TV.
About 15 people will be employed at the restaurant. The ratio of full time vs. part time will depend on how busy the establishment is. Everyone on the front end of the house is local.
This location has had its ups and downs. When it was the original Christiana Inn it was hopping – one of those dining establishments that had to be visited on any trip to Tahoe. Plus, it was popular with locals. But it eventually closed.
Linda Catron remodeled the building, bringing everything up to code. She reopened it in 2007 under the same name. The renaissance didn’t last long.
Then came Jens Dressler who had been the chef at Blue Angel Café. He bought that restaurant and renamed the Saddle Road eatery Fallen Angel, opening in December 2010. He skipped town a few months later owing several people money and to this day has not had charges filed against him.
But Eastling isn’t concerned about the most recent history of the building, as the newest tenant he is confident the area is ready for something new.
Besides good food and unique beers, the owners want education to be part of the experience. Eastling said he wants to connect people to the food and beer. On a monthly basis vendors will be brought in to discuss the finer points of beer, or there could be a cooking class or some other lesson to be taught.
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Notes:
• Address – 3819 Saddle Road, South Lake Tahoe
• Phone – (530) 721.7230
• Opening – July 6
• Hours – Tuesday-Wednesday 4:30pm-midnight; Thursday-Saturday 4:30pm-2am.
The “Chris” was my first job in Tahoe back around 1978! I was a waiter in several So. Cal. upscale restaurants and and hoped for a waiter position but then someone had to vanish unexpectedly to get hired as a waiter. Just ask Billy Ramsey, A L Benett, Randy Gore ,Angel Austin and a bunch of others about the hey day at the “Chris”!! I did get hired as the wine stuard and learned a lot about wine then because we sampled many a bottle and the cellar was huge!
Years later the cozy ambiance was trashed with a lot of work and money to make it look like a city hotel restaurant! Just one of the reasons it flopped. Every local that remembers those long nights up there has hoped for a revival and so do I . If I spreken z deutch or even spelled it correctly I would certainly say best of luck and keep it fun and fair with consistent food quality and great service like we had back in the day.
Actually Kae, those Weiss Bier drinking vessels pictured are glasses. “Steins” are the .5 and 1 ltr mugs, made of a special grey-toned clay, thus the title “Stein”. Prost!
Ein prost. Ein prost. Der Gemuchlikeit!
This is really persnickety and pedantic, but that’s the kind of guy I truly am. Gemuetlichkeit (also spelled Gemütlichkeit) is a “feminine” noun and the definite article is “die” not “der.” In written German, nouns are capitalized, and thus “Ein Prosit,” meaning “a toast.” Note spelling of Prosit. And it is “In Gemütlichkeit.”
Now, about beer vessels. At least in southern Germany, where I lived, a 1-liter mug is usually called a Mass (Maß). In general they are called Krüge (singular: Krug) or Humpen (both singular and plural). Yes, Stein means stone, and many mugs are indeed stoneware, but it is not common to call mugs/tankards “Steins.” And yes, in America they are often called “Steins.”
Another note. The Weihenstephan brewery, in the Munich area, is generally considered the oldest brewery, (1040) and it is not staffed by nuns. I fail to find any reference to a brewery staffed by nuns that is anywhere near as old as 1032. If the reference is to the Reutberger brewery, it has not been in continuous production throughout its history, which began in the 17th century. Therefore, we need some specific citations to support the assertion that nuns staff the world’s oldest brewery.