AKRON, Ohio – Stirling restaurant in Akron has earned second place in Cleveland.com’s Top 3 Places to Eat and Drink in Summit County. The restaurant has built its identity around an intimate dining room, changing monthly menus and creative cocktails.
For owner David Glenny, Stirling is the culmination of a career in restaurants that began when he was a 14-year-old dishwasher.
David Glenny, Founder and Owner of Stirling which is located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, in AkronYadi Rodriguez
After working in the industry for years, he founded Bricco restaurants, opening the first in 2003 in Akron. He grew the business to six locations, then sold them all in 2019. He had expected to scale back to a couple of restaurants but ultimately sold the entire group to one buyer.
“I wasn’t old enough or rich enough to retire,” Glenny laughed.
He returned to waiting tables and bartending while considering his next move. Eventually, he settled on a long-held ambition: opening a small, upscale restaurant in his hometown of Akron.
“I decided that Akron needed another upscale place, a smaller intimate place,” he said.
Stirling opened at 1288 Weathervane Lane in the Liberty Commons, where new owners were working to revive the development. Glenny said the developers approached him about becoming the first tenant.
Stirling is located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, AkronYadi Rodriguez
The restaurant seats about 55 people, with 10 tables and 10 seats at the bar. Glenny worked with an architect to create a dining room that feels intimate, with tables spaced to give diners a greater sense of privacy. The interior combines dark, masculine and rustic elements with softer surfaces and fabrics to help control noise.
The name Stirling comes from Glenny’s middle name. It also means “of the highest quality,” a fitting aspiration for the restaurant he describes as his dream project: hosting friends for dinner every night.
One of Stirling’s defining features is its rotating menu. Rather than making occasional adjustments to a standard lineup, the restaurant builds each month’s food and beverage offerings around a theme.
The idea evolved from Glenny’s original plan to replace dishes as ingredients sold out. Over time, it became an opportunity for the kitchen to explore different cuisines, including Asian, French and seafood-focused menus.
One holiday menu took inspiration from a 1980s office Christmas party and featured Caesar salad, oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail and lamb Wellington.
Twice a year, Stirling brings back some of its most popular dishes in a “best of” menu, giving regular customers another chance to order favorites.
BEET TERRINE – goat cheese mousse, orange, fennel, beet cashew puree, balsamic from Stirling located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, in AkronYadi Rodriguez
The changing selections still follow a basic structure. Each menu includes a soup, a salad, a vegetarian entree, seafood and meat dishes. Depending on the theme, diners might also find game or pork. Three desserts are made in-house, and two featured cocktails are designed to complement the monthly menu.
The wine list changes, too. Stirling typically offers three white wines and three reds by the glass, with selections chosen to pair with the food. A separate library list features higher-end and unusual wines, allowing the restaurant to offer special bottles without maintaining a large inventory. That list is reprinted daily.
Stirling, located at 1288 Weathervane Lane in Akron, uses these unique books as check holders. Guests can leave notes about their visits inside, creating a collection of memories and messages from diners.Yadi Rodriguez
The menus are labeled like chapters in a book. Stirling’s literary theme also appears in the small leather-bound journals used to present checks. Customers began writing in the journals, giving them a life beyond their original purpose.
Cocktails are named after notable literature and the restaurant’s menu numbering reflects its own story: “Book 3, Chapter 5,” for example, marks its third year and fifth month.
For regulars, the monthly reset offers a reason to return.
“My loyal customers won’t miss a month,” Glenny said.
David “Tig” Tigelman, Executive Chef of Stirling which is located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, AkronYadi Rodriguez
Chef David Tigelman, known as Chef Tig, leads the kitchen. His culinary career began about 30 years ago, when he was a 15-year-old dishwasher at Crestwood Country Club.
“I knew pretty instantly I wanted to be a chef,” he said. “The culture was fun and I love cooking.”
After studying at the now-closed Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh, Tigelman worked at restaurants including Ruth’s Chris, Harbor Inn at Portage Lakes, Crave and Nuevo. He also worked as a personal chef for Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers players and started a catering business focused on intimate dining experiences in clients’ homes.
Tigelman joined Stirling after its original chef left during the restaurant’s first three months. He initially expected to fill the role temporarily but stayed.
DUCK TWO WAYS – seared breast, confit hefeweizen crepe, beech mushroom, bacon apple chutney, duck broth from Stirling located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, in AkronYadi Rodriguez
He works with Glenny on menu themes and pricing, then develops dishes with the kitchen team. Glenny gives the chefs room to experiment, while the group works together on ingredients, cuts of meat and presentation.
“We’re doing something really unique to the city and we do it at a high level,” Tigelman said.
That approach extends to desserts, which change monthly. The restaurant has no pastry chef, but one of its servers operates a homebaking business and sometimes contributes desserts.
Chef’s Trio of Cheese – (pictured Kokoborrego, Taleggio, and Alp Blossom cheese) apple brandy mostarda, honey comb, balsamic fig jam, sea salt crackers and crostini from Stirling located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, in AkronYadi Rodriguez
Stirling also rotates its cheese plate selections, which may include sheep’s milk, cow’s milk and cheeses with seasonal or distinctive flavors. Accompaniments can include balsamic fig jam, apple brandy mostarda and local honey from Urban Honey Bee in Doylestown, Ohio.
Bar manager Kayla Hawk works with the kitchen to create drinks that complement each month’s food. She makes her own syrups and infusions and sometimes uses unexpected ingredients, including corn in a piña colada.
Between Two Fires – Silver Tequila, dry curaçao, urban bee ghost pepper honey, tangerine, Giffard passion fruit, red bell pepper float
From Stirling located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, AkronYadi Rodriguez
One of her signature drinks, Between Two Fires, finished in the top 30 in a U.S. bartending competition. The cocktail inspired the creation of ghost pepper honey used in the drink.
Hawk also offers a Casino Royale experience, in which guests give her a few clues about their preferences and she creates a cocktail tailored to their tastes.
“People give me some information,” Hawk said. “People are willing to expand their palates with something new.”
Cocktails change seasonally, while mocktails are also an important part of the menu. The bar carries nonalcoholic ingredients such as Pathfinder, a nonalcoholic amaro, alongside spirits and specialty bottles.
A list of after-dinner pours includes vin santo, sauternes, grappa, port and house-made limoncello.
PORK TENDERLOIN – coffee rub, cocoa chili butter, stewed pigeon pea, fried cabbage from Stirling located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, in AkronYadi Rodriguez
Stirling serves dinner five days a week and is closed Sundays and Wednesdays. The restaurant does not offer happy hour. Wednesday closures allow the team to schedule special events, including occasional live jazz performances.
The restaurant can accommodate parties of up to 10 and also offers full buyouts for gatherings such as board meetings, holiday parties, weddings and retirement celebrations.
For Glenny, the restaurant’s changing menus, carefully considered dining room and creative kitchen all serve the same purpose: creating a place where diners have a reason to come back and discover something different.
Stirling is located at 1288 Weathervane Lane, in Akron (330) 701-9303. They are closed Sunday & Wednesday.
Dining and Cooking