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Robin Garr

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Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Robin Garr » Wed Feb 12, 2020 9:42 am

Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

Diamond's spicy Mexican elotes come in a generous portion of three full corn cobs.
Image

I’m generally a bit skittish about restaurants that offer a mix of different world cuisines that extend well beyond the chef’s personal DNA. How can one chef master so many culinary arts?

So I wasn’t sure what to expect when Diamond Street Grub & Hops came to town last summer: Its international menu draws randomly from the street-food traditions of an edible United Nations.

Opened last July in the space that had housed Mellow Mushroom (and, for years before that, Dutch’s Tavern). Diamond Street Grub & Hops is sibling to the nearby Diamond Pub & Billiards. Jared Matthews, owner of both establishments, also owns St. Matthews landmarks Lou Lou Food & Drink and Equus & Jack’s.

Diamond Street Grub stands out, though, not only for its array of 40 craft-beer taps (plus more modest selections of liquor and wine), but for its selection of three dozen dishes, all chef-built riffs on international street-food fare.

Chef Dustin “Che” Stevens’ bill of fare is affordable, ranging in price from $4 (for individual street tacos made with your choice of chicken, pork, steak, or fish) to $15 (for a tuna poke salad, street grub burger, or London fish and chips). A short but appetizing Sunday brunch menu, mostly Mexican-accented with a couple of Mediterranean excursions, featuring nine entrees from $10 to $13).

We dropped in for lunch and had the place largely to ourselves. Let’s face it, the St. Matthews strip is a nightlife destination, but that’s all right. ...

Diamond Street Grub & Hops
3922 Shelbyville Road
709-5133
http://diamondstreetgrubandhops.com
https://facebook.com/foxleerestaurants

Robin Garr's rating: 84 points.

Noise level: We dropped in for lunch and had a quiet room to ourselves. Come back during the evening when the St. Matthews strip is hopping, and it will be another story. (Average sound level was 70dB, the sound of quiet conversation.)

Accessibility: The restaurant and restrooms are accessible to wheelchair users except that most bar seating is on high-top tables.

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/diamond-street-grub

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
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Dan E

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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Dan E » Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:21 am

I like Diamond Street, but primarily due to beer selection and proximity to my home. I do think the food is pretty good, but I likely wouldn't choose it as a destination if it wasn't so close. Their ramen is a fairly solid rendition that I enjoy, and i like the drunken noodles as well. the chicken bulgolgi is nothing like chicken bulgolgi, but still tastes good. good burger, solid wings
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by RonnieD » Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:25 am

Wow. I was highly skeptical when this went in. I have never been overly impressed with Diamond's bar food next door (but being a direct competitor for years I'm going to allow for bias), so I wasn't sure that this was going to be much different, but it sounds like they are really hitting the mark over there. I probably would have allowed my bias to keep me from cracking the door, but based on this review, I am far more likely to give them an honest look.

Thanks Robin, for helping a pig-headed grump be more open-minded.
Ronnie Dingman
Chef Consultant
The Farm
La Center, KY
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Robin Garr

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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Robin Garr » Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:38 am

Dan E wrote:I like Diamond Street, but primarily due to beer selection and proximity to my home. I do think the food is pretty good, but I likely wouldn't choose it as a destination if it wasn't so close. Their ramen is a fairly solid rendition that I enjoy, and i like the drunken noodles as well. the chicken bulgolgi is nothing like chicken bulgolgi, but still tastes good. good burger, solid wings


Accurate. :mrgreen: It's good, not great (except maybe for the beer), but "good" is worth celebrating on the strip.
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Robin Garr » Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:41 am

RonnieD wrote:pig-headed grump

Is that anything like a dog-faced pony soldier? :lol:

Seriously, see Dan's post and my response above: It's good. It's fun. Excellent beer. To be honest, you could probably get better ramen at Ramen House, better elotes at Guacamole, etc. Same premise as Ramsi's. But I liked it and would go back.
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Nathaniel C » Sun Sep 20, 2020 6:34 pm

I think they've removed the "Diamond" from their name and are now just "Street Grub & Hops."

I hate to kick a restaurant when they're down (and they're all down in this environment), but... Tried the chicken fried rice here the other night. It was very bland. Reminded me of something I, knowing little, would make for myself, going off a recipe, and then end up having to add a bunch of hot sauce and other spices to in order to make it palatable. This is the second bland meal I've had there. The cheesy bacon and cheese fried rice at District 6 next door is many times better.

Insofar as COVID goes, the only things they seemed to do right were having the garage doors open, having hand sanitizer available, and offering plastic utensils. My paper menu had obviously been reused many times. Patrons in the game area (not eating) weren't wearing masks, they seated two people at the bar (which I don't think is presently allowed), and there were two intoxicated, maskless twentysomethings congregating at the bar (my understanding is that congregating at the bar is also discouraged), talking to the bartender, and loudly singing along to the 1990s hits playing on the stereo at 6:30 on a weeknight. I gave it multiple tries, but I don't think this is the place for me.
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Robin Garr » Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:09 pm

Thanks for the report, Nathaniel! I would guess that the deleted Diamond might reflect an ownership/management change, and that could certainly seem likely to come with changes in the kitchen. Sorry to hear it, though. We were pleasantly surprised with our meal last February. :(
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Rich S » Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:02 pm

(Diamond) Street Grub & Hops is closed, according to the new edition of Food & Dining magazine. I walked by at lunchtime, and while there's no sign on the door, the chairs and tables inside are gone. I don't know when it happened; the most recent Google review is from two months ago.

I'm surprised that this place and the Ainsworth, both in the heart of St. Matthews, could close with so little publicity. It makes me wonder if there are a lot of other closed restaurants that we just haven't heard about yet.
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Robin Garr » Thu Dec 09, 2021 3:44 pm

Yeah, Covid and the related economy are really changing the scene, and to be honest, a lot of owners who have to close feel bad about it and would probably rather just leave than take questions. It's rough out there. :(
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by GaryF » Fri Dec 10, 2021 4:40 am

Rather than close with no explanation, Jared Fox Matthews posted this heartfelt notice on the restaurant's Facebook page on Oct 5

"With a heavy heart we have decided to close down Street Grub & Hops in St Matthews. This project was an exciting one for us, but we just couldn't overcome the obstacles that have come our way. The pandemic and loss of our partner were just to much for us to overcome with this particular project. The hardest part of shutting down a business is telling our employees which have become family to us. We are blessed to be able to offer them positions in our other projects, but still never easy. We thank everyone who supported us over the last couple years. Please continue to support live music, eat local, and love Louisville businesses- Jared Matthews.
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Robin Garr » Fri Dec 10, 2021 5:31 am

Thanks, Gary.
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Re: Around the world on a plate at Diamond Street Grub

by Nathaniel C » Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:50 am

Rich S wrote:I'm surprised that this place and the Ainsworth, both in the heart of St. Matthews, could close with so little publicity. It makes me wonder if there are a lot of other closed restaurants that we just haven't heard about yet.

They were both located in the Bermuda Triangle area of St. Matthews, where restaurants are known to inexplicably vanish without a trace.

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