Big, lively and boisterous are all words that describe Diamond Knot’s latest restaurant, newly opened in Mountlake Terrace.
Big, as in the restaurant, the TV screens, the beer choices, the fermenting vats , the menu and, especially, the portions.
The ceiling is high, with massive heat and air condition ducts and the floor is cement, both contributing to the industrial feel. One wall of giant windows looks onto huge tanks with a variety of digital gauges. Roll-up glass garage-type doors on the front make one imagine the whole place becoming a fun summer open-air hangout.
The giant entrees, huge salads and ample appetizers contain enough food to share with several people.
The lively servers and staff provided great service in what appeared to be a team effort. A lot of employees paid a lot of attention to diners. It was clear that the employees contribute to the atmosphere and put out the effort to make Diamond Knot a fun place to go. It even looked like a fun place to work.
It’s boisterous, with NASCAR, Olympic downhill racing and hockey all playing on the mounted big screens. The TV coverage, paired with toe-tapping and sing-able rock ’n’ roll oldies, give everyone something to watch or listen to.
I was there with my husband and a friend one drizzly Sunday afternoon. There was a good crowd and it turned out to be a great way to escape the winter blues.
My husband, Tom, ordered and enjoyed one of their craft beers, the Industrial Red. There are 24 beers on the menu at the Mountlake Terrace location as well as a number of wines, by the glass or bottle. The majority of the people were trying out the beer.
The appetizer menu includes jalapeno pepper Knot sticks, brown ale honey o-rings, blonde ale steamer clams , cheesy pulled-pork tots and Knot head nachos. We tried the tater tots ($9).
Diamond Knot covers them with cheddar cheese, adds tender and flavorful pulled pork, then drizzles over a little barbecue sauce and ranch dressing, finally finishing them with a sprinkle of green onions. It came to our table really fast, if not quite as warm as we would have liked it. Nevertheless, it was flavorful, stick to your ribs, beer-absorbing food.
We saw several hamburgers delivered to other tables. These are the kind of burgers that you can’t get your mouth around on the first bite. The “fresh, never frozen” beef burgers are served on freshly made IPA spent grain brioche and run from $10.50 for the fundamental, a classic burger with pub sauce, to $12.50 for the Paul Bunyan, Holy Cheeses! and The Chainsaw.
Their salads are as generous as the other dishes. The 12th Man salad fills a giant plate and includes two triangles of garlic parmesan bread. With dressing served on the side, it is perfect for leftovers. My friend took half of hers home.
Other salads that sounded good include beans, steak and stout; a Thai crunch; and a surf and turf Caesar.
Sandwiches and a big list of burgers fill the menu. They have three stonegrill choices, which are served on a heated stone with side dishes. (I have had these at the Mukilteo location and really like them.)
Additionally, pizza and calzones are offered; fitting the Diamond Knot atmosphere, you can call them ’za and ’zone.
I enjoyed the pulled pork on the appetizer so much that I ordered a barbecue Hawaiian ’zone ($12.50). It had that same tender and flavorful pork, bits of pineapple and mozzarella cheese. They put a lot of cornmeal on the outside of the folded crust, but I enjoyed the texture that added.
Like the appetizer, the entre would have been better warmer. A dipping sauce of apricot Porter barbecue sauce was tasty.
You can make any pizza or calzone “creamy” (they add a layer of ricotta spread as a base) for $2 extra.
Tom ordered Diamond Knot’s version of macaroni and cheese. The Hog Heaven ($13) is a liberal serving of corkscrew pasta, bacon, pulled pork and ham with a housemade cheese sauce, sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked till brown. He loved it, and he had the leftovers twice at home.
Diamond Knot has a children’s menu and, on weekends, breakfast service. I did not see any sign of the early technical problems of a newly opened restaurant, other than maybe the serving temperature of the food. But that minor issue did not deter us from enjoying the big, lively and boisterous experience.
Diamond Knot Brewpub at Mountlake Terrace
5602 232nd St. SW, Mountlake Terrace; 425-355-4488; www.diamondknot.com.
Specialty: Craft beer and pub food.
Hours: 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday.
Vegetarian options: Yes.
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