One aspect of Stoney Brook Grille will change each time you visit: the specials. However, one aspect that is not going to change: customer service. Co-owner Simos (SEE-mohs) Kontos has been dedicated to outstanding service ever since the restaurant opened in January 2009. Beginning its 12th year, Stoney Brook Grille is intended to be “Manhattan in Branchburg” with its décor and cuisine, yet a neighborhood restaurant where every patron is treated like family. The restaurant is even run by a family; Mr. Kontos’ daughters Ioanna and Katina work with him.
Extremely focused on his clientele, Mr. Kontos seeks to give them top-notch service. “I’m here every day, 100 hours a week, to make sure the customers are taken care of and that my employees have everything they need to succeed. I don’t leave things to chance.” By extension, he ensures his employees have the right attitude. “Valuing each customer for who they are is very important. A lot of our staff is younger, so I teach them about doing the right thing for our customers.”
Mr. Kontos attended Stevens Institute of Technology and worked for AT&T for 22 years before following the family tradition of working in the restaurant industry. He purchased, renovated, and changed the name of what was New Orleans Family Restaurant. To do so, he consulted a map of the area, wanting “something that would relate to Branchburg.” The name of a nearby street, Stoney Brook Road, was appealing: “Stoney” for its implication of sturdiness, strength, and being unbreakable; “Brook” for the reference to water, renewal, and freshness.
He is proud of the restaurant’s scratch kitchen, overseen by Chef Felipe Calyeca. “We also cook a dish only when a customer orders it,” Mr. Kontos states. The kitchen offers different specials every night. “I have a European background, but I didn’t want to open an ethnic restaurant. We have American cuisine with a European and Southwestern fusion. This lets us be creative. I like to change things and keep things interesting for our customers to give them a different experience every time.” The main menu changes every few months to rotate seasonal dishes.
Popular items include Jambalaya, French Dip (roast prime rib with caramelized onions and provolone cheese), Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad, and Mediterranean Chopped Salad. Among the soups, customers gravitate toward Egg-Lemon, Crab Meat and Corn Chowder, and French Onion (the latter prepared with Swiss, provolone, and parmesan cheeses). The kitchen uses only certified Angus beef.
Along with its main menu, Stoney Brook Grille presents Prime Rib Wednesdays and an award-winning Sunday Brunch that, depending on when you dine, could feature Greek, Asian, European, or South American cuisine. Happy Hour is a daily occurrence (for several hours), and children eat free for dinner Sunday-Thursday (one free meal for each adult entrée). The restaurant also caters and can host your next party—you can choose or customize a package to meet your budget. “We recognize that every customer’s situation is different,” Mr. Kontos says, “and we’re all about the customer.”
Greg Waxberg, a writer and magazine editor for The Pingry School, is also an award-winning freelance writer.