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If you've never been to Diamond Market in Market Square, then this title might not make much sense to you, or even appeal to you. However, if you've ever had a hangover, of if you're hungover right now, or if you enjoy a Bloody Mary, or if you just like reading about food, then read on.
Market Square is one of those hidden gems, like how Bryant Park is to Manhattan. It's this little oasis where the city is a little bit quieter yet still has a great amount of life to it. My Content Manager and I took the bus on a sunny Saturday afternoon to Diamond Market Bar & Grill, which has a prime location in Market Square. Though it wasn't warm enough to have a table outside on the sidewalk and sip on a cold beer, it was ideal weather to sit in the heated "outdoor" seating area and sip on a Bloody Yetti, equipped with two televisions and great natural lighting.
What the heck is a "Bloody Yetti," you ask? It's 32 oz. of homemade Bloody Mary, garnished with homemade beef jerky and bacon, and of course celery. They say the best way to cure a hangover is to keep drinking, so that's exactly what I did... and I wasn't mad about it.
As you can tell from my appearance in this picture, my hangover was REAL. Which is why I couldn't wait to dive into the food, though I basically had a meal in the Bloody Yetti. First, we were served the best-selling soup, which was a Sherry Crab Bisque. I had my hands full and was overwhelmed by the drink the size of my head, but the soup is the perfect choice for a cold, snowy Pittsburgh winter day.
In between being brought out dish after dish of amazing food, Brian, the general manager, talked with us about the process of how Diamond Market operates. It's a family business, and this was evident through the close-knit owners, friends, and family all enjoying their Saturdays at Diamond Market, laughing and catching up. This reminded me of being in my own home and spending time with my family, and this was an aspect of the restaurant I really enjoyed. Brian also told us that he comes up with a lot of the recipes, such as the daily sandwich specials, which all look mouth-watering.
The first dish we had was the "Pittsburgh-made Potato and Feta Pierogies," which was topped with a heaping of feta cheese (one of my favorites), olive sour cream, and caramelized onions which I couldn't get enough of.
The next dish hit the spot for me because it was everything I love on a plate: bread, meat, and cheese. They call this the "Engagement Grilled Cheese" because, according to Brian and some of the owners, this grilled cheese is so good that you'll want to marry whoever you're eating it with. Fun fact: people have actually gotten married over this grilled cheese! Maybe next time I'll eat it, it'll give me a boyfriend? (Kidding but not...) Anyways, this grilled cheese is made with parmesan-crusted country bread and stuffed with cheddar, swiss, and cambozola cheese and can include bacon if you want it to (which you better). It's served with a tomato puree for dipping. I was in grilled cheese HEAVEN.
If you know me, you know I have a thing for pastrami, especially when it's between two pieces of bread. My people at Diamond Market knew this, which is why they whipped me up their Reuben, which is made with Montreal-style pastrami that takes about a week to make. To be honest, you can get me to do just about anything by bribing me with a reuben. Theirs comes pressed with sauerkraut, swiss, and chipotle remoulade in between two locally sourced pieces of rye bread. I could have eaten three of these if I had more than one stomach, that's how good it was.
It must seem like these dishes are never-ending, right? Well they basically weren't but my Content Manager and I weren't mad about it. As you all know, burgers are my thing, so they brought us one of their best-selling burgers, the Steakhouse Burger. This comes equipped with Applewood bacon, bleu cheese, black pepper, balsamic marinated tomatoes, lettuce, and parsley mayo. The mayo and tomatoes made this burger because they added a sweet yet herb taste to the perfectly cooked meat, while the bacon was just amazing because I love bacon. To feel better about ourselves, we ordered the Cobb salad to get our ~greens~ in.
If you like what you see, or you like a family-owned atmosphere, or you are just really intrigued by a bloody mary the size of your head, then make the drip to Diamond Market and see what this "comfort food tavern" is all about!
Address: 430 Market Street, Pittsburgh, PA
Website: http://www.diamondmarketgrill.com/
Instagram: @diamondmarketpgh
Recommendations: Bloody Yetti, Pierogies, Reuben
XOXO,
Hungrygrl