text: I dare you to think about The Diamond without also thinking of The Penguin Seriously go on try You cannot The situation that went down at the end of The Penguins last life turned into that big hubbub which rolled nicely over into hype hope and hyperbole of how The Diamond would save us all forever or at least for lunch and dinner Time passed The Diamond doors and shutters stayed frustratingly closed even though we KNEW something was going on I think by the time they posted on their Facebook page on Valentines Day the hint that this would at long last be THE week of arrival for our bluehued savior the line was forming from the front doors down to Elizabeth nnI was lucky enough to be one of the chosen few to attend a preview night before the opening so I could go forth and spread the word of Brian Jimmy We were the first in the door on Wednesday night and I got that nervous feeling like I would had too much coffee and snuck into a movie I ordered the legendary Full Hemi and fried pickles is there any way to start this food affair without a burger and I was reasonably pleased The burger was a bit different most noticeably that it held together Everything else about the food was just like I remembered The Penguin I snuck in again on Friday on the official opening day and had an experience much like I used to get midday at that legendary dive sitting up at the bar counter and chatting aimlessly with someone from a much different walk of life from us PlazaMidwood hipsters while I noshed on yes another burger I caught a glimpse into the kitchen in back and made eye contact with my neighbor one of the cooks he gave me a perfect look of exasperation and mimed pulling out his hair Opening day and week and month at the Diamond was in no way a walk in the parknnI heard and read quite a few reviews of really bad service in those first few weeks Honestly I am not too surprised the place was in such a panic in the beginning there that I am sure the staff had absolutely no clue how to keep up That does not excuse the bad service which there probably is but I can understand being overloaded operationally It is rough and I really do hope that they can get it under control There is so many new things on the menu that the staff though experienced from the bird has to learn how to manage a whole new level of complexity in the kitchen They will get it eventually The hype did not give them much time to get up to speed before they became The New Place To Have Lunch and Dinner for everyonennIve branched out a bit on the last few visits and I have found many things on the menu that were decent to great The meatloaf was okay a little crunchy for my tastes the sides were awesome especially a killer mac n cheese and the fries were a heck of a lot better than the Penguins bag potatoes nnSee there I go again Talking about the Penguin How can you notnnThe real aha moment I had was my visit last night with Danielle I got a Small Block with bacon cheese old habits die hard and she ended up with the Po Greek Boy platter My burger was the best I would had there yet I think they are starting to get the hang of the new recipe and the fried pickles were exactly as crisp as I hoped for But then I took a bite of the Po Greek Boy and it was like a switch flipped in my head This was an awesome new flavor to me lamb patty with tzatziki sauce and some fixins on a bun Maybe you have had it but I definitely never had and my taste buds did that little happy dance you would see in cartoons I suddenly could not wait to try the new ideas that Brian Jimmy mixed up for The Diamonds menu Service is rough right now yeah but this is an experienced crew that took a crummy dive and turned it into a legend I would not be surprised if we see more fivestar reviews months or years down the road So as I chewed and savored the Po Greek Boy aftertaste I reached my thesis statement for this review words with which I hope you will swirl around in your mind as you contemplate The DiamondnnThe greatness of The Diamond lies not in the nostalgia and revival of its past the greatness of The Diamond lies in the promise and potential of its futurennSo chew on that I will be back