New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Craig (KJ6BCM), Sat Dec 31 2011, 04:32PM

SCM Member Van tipped this place off in the Liquor License thread in this forum. Thought I would start a new thread just for this place. (Thank you Van for the tipoff). It is located between La Montana and Triangle Market on Moonridge Road (the old Bit N Spur and Way Back When location).

I just got a little card from Triangle Market announcing their New Years Eve Party tonight that starts at 5pm. They also say on this card they will be open for Lunch and Dinner 11am to close every day except Wednesday.

The card says: Dining Room with Contemporary Comfort Cuisine. Tavern Bar and Lounge with Flat Screen Televisions and Specialty Drinks.

Sound interesting and I am looking forward to trying them.

Their Website: [Click Here]

SCM Member Van posted the menu below on the other thread here (thank you Van):

APPS

Sweet Potato Fries, parmesan and sage



Crispy Calamari, Warm Tomato and Spicy Lemon Sauce



Warm Artichoke Dip, Goat cheese and tortilla chips



Old School Tots, Creamy cheese sauce and tabasco



Diamond Sliders

Angus Beef and 3 cheeses



Tomato Bisque

Garlic Bread and Basil



Bison Black Bean Chili

House Made Cornbread, Jalapeno Butter



Baby Green Salad

Carrot Ribbons and Hosemade Ranch



Classic Ceasar Salad

Garlic Croutons and Aged Parmesan



Warm Spinach Salad

Applewood Smoked Bacon and Sherry Dressing



Tavern Pies/ or Tavern Pizzas



Caprese

Fresh Tomato, mozz cheese and garden basil



The Hangover

Spicy chorizo, Jalapenos and Maui Gold pineapple



Black DIamond

BLend of 3 cheeses, Black Truffle Oil



White Boy

Roasted Garlic, ricotta cheese, crushed chilli



Entrees



Blackened Chicken Fettucinni

Roasted Peppers and Artichoke Cream Sauce



Penne Pasta Primavera

Market Vegetables and Basil Pesto



Spagahettinni Bolognese

Rich Meat Ragu and Garlic Bread



Half Roasted Chicken

Garlic Spinach and Lemon Pan Sauce



Grilled Salmon

Olive Oil Vegetables



Black Diamond Rainbow Trout

Citrus Fennel Breadcrumbs



Braised Beef Short Ribs

Onion Strings



Apple Brined Pork Chop

Apple and Bacon Hash



Baseball Cut Top Sirloin

Overstuffed Potato



Sides

Sea Salt Fries

Parmesan Spinach

Overstuffed Potato

Cheesey Polenta

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Olive OIl Vegetables

Mac N Cheese

Apple Fennel Slaw



Sweets

Bittersweet Chocolate Brownie

Housemade Vanilla Ice Cream



Vanilla Creme Brulee

Raw Sugar Crust



Whipped Cheescake Mousse

Oatmeal Streusel and Mountain Berries



Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Bourbon Anglaise



Apple Tart

Puff Pastry and Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Ice Cream

Sweet Potato Fries




Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Around The Lake, Sun Jan 01 2012, 06:34PM

I think it is dinner time at the balck diamond (do you think the name has to do with the resorts calling the hard runs Black Diamond Runs ?)

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
abomb, Mon Jan 02 2012, 06:36PM

they aren't opening for lunch until thursday, right now they are just opening for dinner at 5. i was disappointed because their menu looks real yummy!!!

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
BootsNBridles, Tue Jan 03 2012, 08:32AM

Menu sounds wonderful! I hope their chef lives up to the expectations!!

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Gutter Duster, Wed Jan 04 2012, 02:19PM

Looks great, sounds great...but has any one tried it yet?

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
UncleBill, Thu Jan 05 2012, 01:31PM

Some would say it's unfair to judge a so-called "upscale restaurant" by the burger they serve, but if you're nervy enough to charge $11 for a burger, it better be a damn good one. I'll admit that the one I had for lunch today was pretty good. Cheddar, bacon, and arugula instead of lettuce. There are two things about it that impressed me: The menu made no claim that the meat was Black Angus, a pretentious claim that no longer has any meaning; and it was actually cooked medium just as I had specified. But was it worth eleven bucks even with the decent fries that came with it? C'mon, gimme a break. No burger is worth eleven bucks to me unless you prove it was ground meat from a free-range steer.

The restaurant itself has some good ambience. Gone is all the gimmicky crap that adorned the Way Back When. It feels more woodsy. Reminds somewhat of the Bit n' Spur. There's no locals discount at this time.

I was right about Papa Jack's and Illuminato Italiano. I gave them no chance for survival. The Black Diamond Tavern, on the other hand, might be around a while.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Silver, Thu Jan 05 2012, 05:23PM

I really don't get it. Why do these restaurants keep opening that charge so much. Has anyone learned that these type of restaurants fail the minute the tourist are gone. The locals just wont pay up for tourist prices. Wouldn't it better to be packed all year long as opposed to just during a few months a year. They never learn.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
UncleBill, Thu Jan 05 2012, 06:49PM

I doubt there are enough locals to support all the Valley independent restaurants even if the menu prices were considerably lower and the quality of food and service were consistently good. It's just a tough place to operate a restaurant, especially if you're not located in the Village or at least in the public eye somewhere along the boulevard in Big Bear Lake.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Around The Lake, Thu Jan 05 2012, 08:19PM




Over 17000 full time locals is not a bad start. if you have good food at a fair price, and have the service where the server shows they care and looks at you in your eyes You will make it. But the one good thing they have going for them is that they do not have rent the building belongs to them. FYI They are getting ready to open the 2nd Black Diamond Tavern at the beach to.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
BootsNBridles, Thu Jan 05 2012, 09:37PM

That place is a great location if they are smart enough to adjust menu and prices to local needs. My pet peeve is new owners of established successful eateries who come in and change everything- menu, prices, ambience. Why pay for an established name if you really want to just start over? Mandoline Bistro was one that went that way. And sadly I'm thinking maybe La Montana's might be next. The last time we were there the fish tacos were so bad we sent them back TWICE and declined a third attempt.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
UncleBill, Fri Jan 06 2012, 07:55AM



17,000 full time locals? Interesting number. Who counted?

Using the currently popular 1%/99% concept, that leaves 170 people to support the many independent and more expensive restaurants on the hill, and 16,830 to support Pollo Loco, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr., and the like.

I suspect that opening a second restaurant simply doubles the headaches, not the chances for success.




Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
L18Flyboy, Mon Jan 09 2012, 11:38AM

There was an interesting article about the restaurant on BigBearGrizzly.net:

[Click Here]

Sounds like they intend to adjust the menu as necessary during the various seasons to handle
the changes in clientele and produce throughout the year. I'll look forward to trying it
on the next trip up.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
MtMan, Mon Jan 09 2012, 01:30PM

Went here for lunch this weekend. I had the 3 cheese pizza and wife had the fish and chips. Pizza was pretty tasty with a very thin crust. 12 bucks worth for the pizza? Well, maybe. Fish was very good, not a lot of batter, chips were a little undercooked which we did tell our waiter. Not many fries with the order either.

Creme Brulee (spelling?) was great but not worth 9 bucks, in my opinion.

Overall, a lot pricey. We will try them someday for dinner but probably will wait awhile. Nice atmosphere and the staff is pretty attentive.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
BootsNBridles, Tue Feb 21 2012, 05:45PM

Went here for Valentine's special- entree, salad, dessert, glass of champagne for $35 per person. Food was EXCELLENT! Really really good! Salads were huge and had a variety of ingredients. The pesto pasta I had was probably the best pesto I've ever had- even in Italy. The salmon we ordered was cooked perfectly. Veggies accompanying the entrees were very nicely done and quite flavorful. The desserts were good but a bit disappointing- not on the order of the other food- double choc brownie with ice cream just so so and cheesecake souffle so full of berries and oatmeal crumble that it lost the cheesecake flavor. Service was fantastic at first- but then we were kind of forgotten. Took 20-25 min from the time we finished our entrees until we got dessert, and we wouldn't have gotten it then but we flagged down the water guy and had him snag our waiter. We saw our waiter during that 20 minute wait- but he never even looked at our table. Bah Humbug to him. Both owners were there and very attentive. We understand they are just getting it going and are happy to make allowances. At these prices we will probably save our visits for special occasions though. (still- the memory of that flawless and fresh pesto keeps urging me to go back sooner!)

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Gutter Duster, Fri Feb 24 2012, 09:19PM

Went here tonight. As others have said it was a little pricey...but the food was good. The wife and I had the short ribs and the other couple had the burger. The said it tasted great. I asked about the price on a Filet that they had marked "Market Price". response was $38. We had no problem with the waiter or others, in fact they were quite attentive. The beverage was good and the pour (amount of booze) was better than I expected. We spoke with the waiter and asked if they were planning on maybe having a "LOCALS NITE", he said that there has been discussion on the subject, but nothing has been decided. I will recommend this place to friends, but expect to pay in the area of $50+ for 2. Really not that different than going to Madlon's, Peppercorn, Evergreen or a regular dinner at the Cap'n Anchorage...my 2 cents...

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Juliann, Mon Mar 12 2012, 10:51AM

We went here Saturday night with another couple. Great food! I ordered their warm spinach salad and the waitress mentioned it was quite large and maybe I'd like to share it with husband. Same for other couple with their classic caesar salad. The divided salads were plenty to eat, each in its own separate bowl.... and our spinach salad was very good.....as was their caesar. Each of the guys had the 'apple brined pork chop' and each liked it very much. I had the blackened chicken fettuccini and actually would have liked more sauce on it but the taste was good. My friend had the spaghetti bolognese and she found it a bit sweet for her taste. Service was great, no problem at all. The restaurant can get noisy on the bar side, so recommend you sit on the other side where there are many booths.... even if the hostess suggests you sit on the bar side ( I was weak). Band starts usually at 8 or so.... They're good but if you want to talk, you don't want to be on the band/bar side. We'll go there again : ) Btw... the place was packed... be sure to make reservations. 909 366-0871

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
chekkasan, Wed Mar 21 2012, 08:03PM

How much are the bloody marys?

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
chekkasan, Wed Mar 21 2012, 08:07PM

So sounds like we need a socal mtn event here. My spring break is April 6-13. Who's interested for those dates? The mountain should be closed by then right?

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Craig (KJ6BCM), Wed Mar 21 2012, 09:19PM

Sounds good to me Chekka!!!

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Ernest T. Bass, Fri Mar 30 2012, 10:33AM

We (wife and I) went last night, she had the Tomato Bisque
Grilled Cheese and Basil, I had the Braised natural Beef Short Ribs, so we walked in the door and had to wait 15 seconds to get a table, table was clean and ready, waiter came over and introduced himself and asked if we had any questions and told us about the menu and what he thought was the best on it, service was very good and attentive food was ok for my wife the grilled cheese was not melted and a little on the cold side but the bisque was very good, the short ribs, while not a large order, was a good size to finish at the table and but not have left overs to take home, the smashed potatoes were very good under the ribs and the ribs were hot, juicy and delicious.
Cost was normal for a good dinner and we will be going back to try other things on the menu, it will be changing soon with the season we hear so we may wait and see what the spring/summer menu is.

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Mtn.goat John, Fri Mar 30 2012, 03:32PM

Okay, I'm not eating here. Just look what they did to Ernest.



Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Ernest T. Bass, Fri Mar 30 2012, 04:15PM

Oh haha, you know I haven't been that way since the Desoto went under........................

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Dave™, Fri Mar 30 2012, 08:12PM



We'd (2) be available, Chekka...

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
BootsNBridles, Tue May 29 2012, 07:45PM

Drove by one evening this weekend because we heard they have jazz. It was later evening. They were CLOSED. The sign out front said they were open until 1am. It wasn't even close to that time. Does anyone know how they are doing? are they closing? stuggling? it was just an aberration and normally they are open? We hope they are staying!!

Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
rjmannex, Wed Aug 15 2012, 03:39PM

...we frequent the Black Diamond because we like the people and the foods pretty good too! They are now open every day and also have happy-hour specials!!! If you haven't been there yet...give it a try!


Re: New Black Diamond Tavern (on Moonridge - the old Bit N Spur / Way Back When location)
Mountainlover, Fri Dec 28 2012, 09:30PM

We go to the Black Diamond quite often and have NEVER had a bad meal. I wish their music started earlier though.. it seems when we are up here.. we find ourselves eating early..... BTW.. they have the BEST short ribs EVER!!