Ward 426 closes for good

[Robin Garr]

Sad news, posted by Chef Shawn Ward:

Ward 426
Today we have decided to close our doors for good. It has been an incredible few years. We are very happy to have had the opportunity to present you all with creative plates, drinks, and friendly staff. We sincerely thank you all for your support over the years!

Another loss for the Louisville dining community. We've only been there a couple of times but we did enjoy it whenever we were there. I may be thinking about the wrong restaurant but I think it was 1 of the ones that Dean was involved in to some degree time under if that's part of the reason is closing?

We only went once, and that was maybe six months ago. It was a place that we had on our "let's try it" list for some time. We loved Shawn Ward's food at Jack Fry's.

We had an early reservation on a Saturday night. Only a couple tables occupied when we got there. Our server, who seemed very sweet and personable, was totally clueless, and the service was glacial. The room slowly filled up and was full when we left.

I can't tell you anything about the food because it was the "service" that got all of our attention.

[Robin Garr]

Another loss for the Louisville dining community. We've only been there a couple of times but we did enjoy it whenever we were there. I may be thinking about the wrong restaurant but I think it was 1 of the ones that Dean was involved in to some degree time under if that's part of the reason is closing?

To be honest, Mark, I don't have any inside information, but I always had the impression that this was Shawn's gig, and Dean and the others were there (or maybe not even physically there) to offer support. Remember, when it opened, Dean was still running both Corbett's and Equus, so it wasn't like he could spend all his time at Ward 426, and I don't think Shawn would have needed him to.

I do have to say that I liked it okay and never had an experience quite as disappointing at Mike's, but none of the two or three times we went were really memorable for food or service. Jack Fry's 2.0 it was not.