Feasting Friday: Diamond Knot Brewery

Sizzling hot stone + raw steak + great beer = the perfect Feasting Friday.

I had a night out with the girls on Friday - as we made out way up to Whidbey Island for Maria's 40th Birthday Extravaganza. Conveniently located at the Mukilteo ferry terminal is Diamond Knot Brewery, which I've been dying to try for forever.

Diamond Knot has something called 'Stone Grills.' They are basically a sizzling hot stone with a slab of raw meat or fish on top. You choose the meat and then cook it how you like it. The only other place I've tried this was at a restaurant in Copenhagen that I took my tour groups to for the last 10 years or so.

The deal with these stones is, they are granite (food grade) and heated to 750 degrees. The hot stone is set into a porcelain platter and your raw food is placed on top. They had various seafood options and cuts of steak, but once I saw a rib eye on the menu I knew what I would be ordering.
There is a little technique involved. First, you need to season the meat. They have not applied any salt nor pepper. Then, if you like your meat rare just keep the steak whole. The more well-done you like it, the smaller you cut the pieces. The stone stays hot for a good 20-30 minutes. The serving platter they use for the hot stone is rather ingenious. We moved the veggies to the side while the steak cooked. Then, once the steak was cooked we moved it to the side and put the veggies on the hot stone and enjoyed the perfectly cooked steak.

As much as I love a rib eye, I think the steak cooked too quickly to fully inject the meat with all that flavorful fat. It was delicious, but I think next time - and there will be a next time - I will order one of the other cuts.

The pub has a great vibe. There are lots of people coming and going, since many are commuting on the ferry. They serve bowls of peanuts, you just throw the shells on the floor. There is a handy flavor chart for their beers on the chalkboard - dark to light on one side and malty to hoppy on the other.Diamond Knot makes a great IPA - called their 'Industrial' IPA. It packs a punch though at 8.6% alcohol. I definitely had an industrial headache in the morning.