Looking back on our original post for The Green Diamond, I quickly felt I had been very generous in the first ranking. Part of the problem was I had recently had a really nice soup and sandwich combo there on a bike run before Steph and I went for dinner…dinner wasn’t as good as the lunch but I kinda smooshed them together into a more favorable grade. We had been back once for their lobster-fest, which was mostly a fiasco. Time to try again.
 

We landed after the lunch rush and found a few folks starting happy hour pretty early. We were waited on by a cordial young lady who, when she was around, did an excellent job making suggestions and taking care of us but there were lengthy lags between those times…much to do after lunch I suppose.

We scammed the last cup of chicken potpie soup and a cup of chili, a unique wing combo, a sandwich and a fish dinner. Whew. The chili was pretty average on the spice profile (very safe chili) but it was loaded with ground beef and beans. The beef really required some seasoning in and of itself but it was passable. I definitely prefer more pizazz in chili. The chicken pot pie was rich and very tasty. Much better.

The wings were doused in what they called a spicy lime sauce. Spicy is not their forte. At first bite the wings were boring. If you rolled them in the sauce at the bottom of the basket you ended up with a much tastier citrusy wing but the spice never materialized, at all.
 

Steph’s fish dinner was tragic. The fish was nastily fishy and oily. The breading was devoid of anything but crisp and the bottom of the filets had lost that little bit of redemption to the fryer basket. Dinner is not the way to go.

Our server had recommended the French dip when I asked about the sandwiches and I was delivered a real gem. Toasted bun, prime rib grilled warm with crispy edges, cheese, onions and peppers. Downright tasty. The little cup of jus was gloriously salty and brought the seasoning of the sandwich to a head…deepening the beefiness, bringing out the cheese, flavoring the veg. It was a great sandwich. Get a sandwich and soup. You’ll leave happy. Avoid the dinners like the plague.
 

Green Diamond Grille
and Pub 
 Barberton, Ohio         Date of Visit  08/15/10              http://www.greendiamondgrille.com/

I was treated to this Barberton eatery on a quick lunch trip not too long ago. The soup and sandwich I had that day guaranteed I would be back and we had finally got a chance to make an “official” visit. Realistically, these are three separate places all set in the same building. There is a well appointed sit down restaurant that I have yet to sit in. Raised seating, classy colors, stone fireplace…this seems like a really nice place. There is another section of the property with table and chairs that is dedicated to baseball history with Ted, Babe, Mickey, etc. dominating the walls.
 

Parmesan Chicken
 

This day we tried some things off of the dinner menu to see if they were as good as the lunch offerings. We started with parmesan chicken nugglets which were soaked in a well balanced bath of salty cheese and garlic. I wasn’t going to skip soup, I’m telling you I talked about the Creole Chicken and Rice soup I enjoyed at lunch for days. The options were chili, clam chowder, rice and bean and cheeseburger. The server with a great dose of honesty reported the cheeseburger wasn’t as good as usual so I tried the chowder. I don’t know who does the cooking here but they have a great understanding of depth of flavor. Rich, salty, and every time the spoon disappears it returns overloaded with potato and clams.