Luxe Legacy: Akron Dining Icon Ken Stewart’s Grille

There’s no mistaking the caliber of Ken Stewart’s Grille. An Akron mainstay since its opening in 1990, its attentive servers and sophisticated meals make it one of the area’s finest dining experiences.

But as you enter, you know that this isn’t just any white-tablecloth establishment. Leopard print carpeting greets you, and colorful portraits of cowboys line the walls. Celebrating over 35 years in business, the Grille is a labor of love.

“I’m a cowboy at heart,” Stewart says, sporting his trademark colorful glasses. “In Aspen, Colorado, every Wednesday night, I’d ride bareback bucking broncos.”

Stewart is a cornerstone of the Akron dining scene. The owner of three restaurants — the Grille in Akron, plus Ken Stewart’s Tre Belle and Ken Stewart’s Lodge, both in Bath — he strikes one as charismatic yet focused, zeroed in on what makes a restaurant experience memorable. Servers at his establishments must know every item on the menu and how each is prepared.

“One reason we are successful is I hire really, really good people,” he says. “I’ve got an eye for what’s good.”

Born in Akron, Stewart grew to love restaurants at an early age.

“My dad would say, If you order it and don’t like it, get something else but at least try it,” Stewart says. “As a result, I experimented with a lot of different items and food.”

The Grille’s lunch and dinner menus offer lofty options, from Alaskan king crab legs (market price) to Ossetra caviar ($95), served with crème fraiche and house-made chips — as well as more casual bites such as fried pickles with chipotle tartar sauce ($13) and sauerkraut balls ($15).

Order the table-side Caesar salad ($17) — it’s crafted using Stewart’s mother’s recipe. At your table, fresh garlic is minced in the bowl, then anchovies are minced and lemon is squeezed over the fish. Mustard, olive oil, Worcestershire and a touch of Tabasco are used to make a paste, and Parmesan is added. Seasoned and baked croutons absorb the dressing, while torn hearts of romaine are tossed in the mixture until covered. The salad is topped with grated Parmesan.

“It’s the old-school way,” Stewart says. “Some of the older restaurants in New York … they always make the salads table-side.”

Also try the yellowtail hamachi sashimi ($22).

“We make sure it’s really chilled, and we slice it razor thin … and then put micro-planed raw jalapeño on top. … And then we have it lightly dressed in a ponzu yuzu sauce,” he notes. “It checks all the flavor boxes.”

For a sumptuous main course, order the A5 Japanese wagyu rib-eye (market price). Distinctly, the wagyu arrives white with red marbling. It’s served sliced with roasted clove garlic and a soy-based sauce.

“The fat, which is where all the flavor comes from, is so delicate that if you put it in your hand, the steak actually starts to melt,” Stewart says.

The Grille’s wine selection and signature cocktails include the lavender 75 ($22), crafted with Empress gin, lavender, lemon and champagne. Stewart’s favorite cocktails? A margarita and a cosmo.

Today, all three of Stewart’s daughters, Carley, Hailey and Lindsey, are involved in the business — taking an Akron icon into the next generation. It feels good, Stewart says, for his name to represent so much. But he’s nowhere near resting on his laurels.

“I never think I’ve got it made, or I’ve made it. I like to operate like we’re one meal away from going out of business,” Stewart says. “That’s what keeps our feet to the fire.” //CG

1970 W. Market St., Akron, 330-867-2555, kenstewartsgrille.com