With new Mesa restaurant, a studio head returns to his roots

Before Don Salter opened a recording studio in Mesa four decades ago, he and his brother John ran the sandwich shop Bitter Creek Grill. Even while running Saltmine Studio Oasis, Salter didn’t stop making his popular cheesesteaks. He recalls serving them to stars like Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne and Cassidy while they logged late-night sessions.

“In the middle of the night, you couldn’t get food anywhere,” Salter says. “I take pride in taking care of people.”

Now, the studio founder is sharing those eats with Valley diners once again, at Diamond Don’s Legendary Steak & Spirits. The restaurant sits in front of the studio on MacDonald Drive, just south of downtown Mesa’s Main Street.

Keeping the restaurant open until 1 a.m., Salter aims for it to become a go-to spot for night owls.

“We’re trying to be the late-night kitchen for real food, because that’s our hours in the recording studio business,” Salter says. “We’re feeding ourselves and our artists, and opening up the world to our downtown community.”

What’s on the menu?

The food menu is built around “trendy, snackable food” that’s fast and portable, Salter says.

Cheesesteaks are Diamond Don’s signature sandwiches. The Don is the owner’s sandwich recipe from Bitter Creek Grill – a name inspired by a song on the Eagles album “Desperado,” which Salter played on repeat on an 8-track when he arrived in Arizona in 1974. The sandwich is a “classic cheesesteak,” with thin slices of steak, grilled bell peppers, sweet Maui onions and sauteed mushrooms, all topped with tomatoes and choice of provolone or American cheese and tucked into a hoagie roll. There’s also an East Coast-inspired version with just steak, onions and American cheese or Cheez Whiz.

“We made the best cheesesteak then, and we humbly believe we make the best cheesesteak now,” Salter says.

Other food options include pizza, wings, a smashburger, Wagyu hot dogs and loaded cheesesteak fries. In time, Diamond Don’s will expand its hours to serve lunch and grow the menu with additions like Wagyu steak.

The drinks menu features classic cocktails and several mocktails, whose names, like CTR (in this case, shorthand for Choose the Raspberry, as in raspberry iced tea) reference Mormon culture. Mesa was founded by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Salter says the names are a nod to the community the restaurant resides in.

“We are a-little-rusty Mormons ourselves,” Salter says. “We’re a full-fledged bar of options for alcohol as well as non-alcoholic drinks.”

What’s the vibe?

The restaurant is compact, with about 1,000 square feet for dining at purple booths or the bar. Crystal chandeliers and disco balls hang overhead. A DJ keeps the vibe upbeat with energetic EDM. Gold-painted slats with hieroglyphic-esque symbols adorn the ceiling and a sarcophagus is placed against a wall. Egyptian-inspired art and furniture likewise decorate the corners of Saltmine Studio Oasis that aren’t packed with equipment, instruments, platinum albums or photos with musicians. 

The fluted walls of Diamond Don’s haven’t been fully bedecked yet, but there are two framed albums on display by Lil Wayne and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

“We actually recorded ‘Lollipop’ here for Lil Wayne, which went to diamond status,” Salter says, referring to the recognition when a song or album sells 10 million copies.

The milestone earned him the nickname Diamond Don, bestowed by his son Zach, who performs and produces under the name Velvet Cash. Salter’s nickname – and a logo depicting him in a fedora pulled low, playing a curvy Rickenbacker guitar – now headline a stucco building, inviting people in for food and music.

Diamond Don’s opens to a massive oasis-like courtyard with a large stage that will play host to concerts and events. The restaurant and its companion venue can “fill a void” in Mesa, Zach Salter says.

“We’re trying to bring more youthful late-night energy,” he says.

Diamond Don’s Legendary Steak & Spirits

42 S. MacDonald Drive, Mesa