TED’S MONTANA GRILL
Address: 2200 Crystal Drive, Suite A, Arlington, VA 22202
This past Monday, I got the opportunity to fly into Washington, D.C. for a job interview. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it, but while on the approach to Reagan National Airport, the view out the left side was spectacular. In one look, you could see the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Reflection Pool, and Capitol Building. If you looked out the right window, you could get a great view of the Pentagon. During the trip, I got the chance to meet aerospace and mechanical engineers from University of Washington, University of Texas – Austin, University of Michigan, and even some fellow Purdue Boilermakers (who I didn’t know before going on the trip). With the interviews concluding right at noon, three of the other candidates and I decided to go grab a bite to eat. While walking down the street, we were feeling pretty carnivorous, so we stopped into Ted’s Montana Grill.
The interior styling of the restaurant definitely gave me the saloon / “Wild West” feeling, complete with stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls. It wasn’t until about midway through our meal that I looked up to see a giant bison head staring back me (yikes!). The four of us took a good look at the menu before even starting to decide what to get. We asked the waitress what she recommended since none of us had ever been there before, and she essentially recommended anything bison, which is the place’s specialty. All four of us opted for different bison burgers (we took a little time deciding between 20 different options), and all four of us didn’t regret it at all.
I wasn’t really sure how bison would end up tasting (this would be my first time trying it), but I actually liked it quite a bit. It’s a lot leaner than beef, so after finishing the burger, I didn’t feel greased up inside at all (a definite positive, considering this was the middle of the day and I just had a hefty burger). I went with the burger called the Kitchen Sink (depicted in the first picture above), which was a ground bison patty topped with American cheese, grilled ham, smoky bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms, and a fried egg over easy. Wow, was it delicious. All of the flavors came together, with the smokiness and crunch of the bacon adding a great depth of the flavor to the well-seasoned bison and the fried egg really sealing the deal. This Kitchen Sink and another burger that I had at Red Robin have been the only two burgers I’ve had with a fried egg on top, but man, it sure is delicious!
Let’s now take a look at the Ted’s Montana Grill Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Bison Nachos **
Tortilla chips covered with bison chili, tomatoes, onions, jalapeño peppers, and Pepper Jack cheese.
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Shrimp Skewers
Grilled shrimp skewers seasoned with salt and pepper, served on toast.
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** Kitchen Sink Bison Burger **
Ground bison topped with grilled ham, bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms, melted American cheese, and a fried egg.
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** Red Rock Bison Burger **
Ground bison topped with melted Pepper Jack cheese, jalapeños, cilantro, onion straws, and Z-Sauce, served on ciabatta.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Ted’s Montana Grill:
Food: 5 / 5
There is so much variety on the menu, and if the burger that I had is an indicator of how good their food is, they are really doing something right.
Atmosphere: 5 / 5
The decor serves as a great tribute to the theme of the restaurant. The place was bustling during the lunch hour, but not overly so.
Service: 5 / 5
Our waitress was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about various aspects of the menu.
Price: 4 / 5
For the price, I would definitely recommend this place more for dinner, rather than lunch. The food is really great, but the value (and amount of food that you can probably finish) will come more during the evening hour.
Overall:
19 / 20
(95%)
Categories: Restaurants, Virginia
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