A dish featuring tacos and rice from CK’s Cantina and Grille.
Times Leader File Photo
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CK’s Cantina and Grille is a true family business. Eli Kyttle, the matriarch of the Kyttle family, is one of the restaurant’s owners, along with her husband of 39 years, and her son, Cody.
CK’s started as an ice cream stand in a shack near the current-day restaurant in Dallas. For years, the ice cream stand grew in popularity, and a menu blossomed alongside it. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas and a number of other genuine Mexican dishes were on the stand’s menu. And when a new customer would come by with a recommendation or a customized dish, the list of options would expand.
That was the launching pad for a full-blown restaurant, what we now know as CK’s Cantina and Grille, to open. The restaurant is the winner of two Best of Back Mountain awards: Best Mexican Food and Best Take Out.
The former category is a point of pride for Eli, who is of Mexican heritage. When the full restaurant opened, a bunch of new menu items were added.
For Eli, the approach to cooking these dishes was and is simple.
“Anybody can make anything,” said Eli. “Just get the basic ingredients and make it your own.”
While Eli has contributed greatly to the Cantina and Grille menu, the dishes they serve come from a number of sources. Some of the items come from old family recipes, while others were established by Cody and other chefs.
CK’s does its best to give back to the community, an aspect of the business that makes Eli emotional. They’ve set up a scholarship, bring food to the community tree lighting, and participate in a number of events that take place throughout the Back Mountain region.
“Whatever they need, we’ll do,” Eli said of helping out those in the community.
Giving back outside of the restaurant is a big part of the CK’s business model, but it’s also important that the three owners carry their weight within the restaurant. That means that at least one of the owners is coming in at 8 a.m. and not leaving until after 10 p.m. This makes for some long days, but the respect of the community makes it all worth it.
“We try our best. We give it 110-percent,” Eli said. “It takes my son, it takes my husband, it takes myself to do everything. One person couldn’t do it.”
The little things that happen in those early hours of the day, from preparing the sangria to making sure the restaurant is clean, have resulted in the high form of community respect that is being named one of the best in the Back Mountain.