Former Hofbrauhaus transitions into new restaurant, 1105 Main

Dec. 5, 2018 | Jordan Houston
jordan@thereminder.com

Hofbrauhaus owner Joe Stevens and his wife Liz transformed the former American-Bavarian restaurant into a new American Eatery with an Italian influence. The new restaurant is called 1105 Main and is now open. Liz’s two sons, Eric and Alex Waldman, have also joined the operation. From left to right, Alex Waldman, Liz Stevens and Eric Waldman.
Reminder Publishing photo by Jordan Houston.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Once considered a West Side staple, the bright red “Hofbrauhaus” sign no longer sits atop the building located at 1105 Main St. Instead, a fresh coat of olive green paint decorates the exterior of the building, signifying a new beginning – the former Hofbrauhaus owners wanted to take the design of their remodeled restaurant in a new direction.

In April, Hofbrauhaus owner Joe Stevens and his wife Liz decided to close their beloved American-Bavarian restaurant in order to catch their breath and “shift gears.” Liz previously told Reminder Publishing the couple never planned on retiring, but reimagining their restaurant’s concept instead.

“We're getting tired and we’re getting older. The restaurant industry is changing – white tablecloth and fine dining is falling by the wayside,” said Liz. “We just found that, no matter what we did, the Hofbrauhaus has a big stigma where people think it’s really expensive, stuffy and formal – so it became increasingly harder for us to get the younger crowd. Everything has a life cycle, and this type of restaurant has a life cycle. It has reached its end.”

The Hofbrauhaus had a long-standing tradition in Western Massachusetts. Established in 1935, the restaurant brought a “taste of Old Bavaria to New England.” The staff dressed in classy modern attire, the beer was served in steins and the European atmosphere was coupled with traditional Bavarian architecture.

Now, the pair has re-opened the restaurant under a new name, 1105 Main, and revised its menu.

1105 Main incorporates Italian and American-style foods, with entrées under $25, and offers a rotating beer and wine menu featuring local brews. Although the couple originally planned on transforming the restaurant into a smoke and game house, Liz said they decided to keep their menu broad.

“We wanted a totally different restaurant, with a different menu and different everything – not a lick of German. We feel we’ve accomplished that,” she said. “We did not go totally smokehouse or anything, mainly because we didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves again into just one type of food. We made the menu a little smoke-centric, but it really is a nice mix of everything.”

Liz and Joe also added a professional-grade smoker on the restaurant’s patio, which is capable of doing 120 pounds of meat at a time, she explained.

Some of the menu’s items include smoked bacon with maple-pecan glaze; salmon-filet with black beluga lentils, horseradish sauce and tomato-chipotle salsa; smoked bone-in beef short-rib, pickled vegetables and crispy leeks; and lasagna with wild game Bolognese, béchamel ricotta and parmesan.

While the couple chose to keep a majority of their staff on-board, Liz’s sons, Eric and Alex Waldman, are also joining the team.

Eric, who was been cooking since he was in high school, will accompany Joe in the kitchen. He has culinary experience working in private clubs and restaurants in New York City, and played a major role in curating 1105’s new menu.

“Our goal with designing the menu was to offer diversity. We wanted to offer some interesting things people maybe haven’t seen out here and introduce some new flavors,” said Eric. “We tried to get something on there for everybody. I think the structure of the menu encourages people to try and share a number of different things.”

Alex, on the other hand, will be working on the opposite side of the restaurant as 1105’s front manager.

With experience in waiting tables and working in the kitchen, Alex gained his managerial expertise by working his way up at a New York City financial technology company. Starting in customer service, Alex was later promoted to a team leader, – working as a liaison between the company’s offices in Israel and Hong Kong.

“I learned to manage my own time and a lot of different responsibilities – but most importantly, I learned to manage people,” said Alex. “It was very fulfilling and a great role to have. Eventually, I just felt there wasn’t much more to grow within the company. The timing worked out where the Hofbrauhaus was closing and I decided it was time for a change. I decided to join the group and move up here as well.”

Both Eric and Alex expressed they are looking forward to working with their family.

1105 Main is open for lunch and dinner from Thursday to Sunday.

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