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Ted's Montana Grill
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
22 reviews for Ted's Montana Grill
2.5 stars.
Most of this half star rests on dreams, dreams that the collection of burgers on this menu are delish (the remainder of it rests on the hopes that this can one day be a ROTD). What I ordered was not delish: the plank salmon. Uber oily, somehow, and served with a horsey sauce that, where I come from, only goes with roast beef. The mashed potatoes induced yawns (and not just cuz of all the carbs) and the green beans were straight out of the Degrassi cafeteria.
The service was good, and the price for my meal was a bargain: $15 for a salad or soup plus choice of entree (salmon or steak and maybe one other forgettable option). This was basically standard wedding food.
2.75 stars.
Bison Burger: $Moist, Delicious, and Covered with Cheese.
Bartender and 10 Cane Pour: $More Than Generous.
Hostess: $Utterly Clueless.
Country Green Beans: $Crisp, Bright, and Unsalted.
Waitress: $Sweet and Accommodating.
Red Beans and Rice: $Solid.
Atmosphere: $Uh, No.
Eating in the Suburbs: $A Laughably Guilty Pleasure.
Cost of Meal: $Amazingly Low.
Playing Hangman on Construction Paper Table Cover: $Priceless.
IMHO: You will pay a bundle to eat a great burger in a so-so environment.
(+)Pro's & (-)Con's:
+Great for bison burgers
+Huge topping selection
+Upscale interior
+Professional, well presented staff
-Pricey for just a burger
-Not really a 'warm' feeling to the restaurant
# of Visits: 2
My Experience:
So what's up with the paper straws? Statement about the environment? Cost-cutting? Stand-out feature? In any case I felt like I was drinking from the end of a completed lollipop...
I have only had and therefore can only recommend the buffalo burgers. They are expensive burgers, but they have always been tasty and well prepared. There is also a great variety of interesting topping combinations to choose from.
The staff is unremarkable, although they do present themselves in clean uniforms and have a certain level of professionalism. The facility is clean with an upscale feel, yet that doesn't do much for the ambiance.
Definitely not a fan here! I ordered a salad the second time I went there for with my work crew. It wasn't good! It had absolutely no taste and the quality of ingredients was poor. The service was quite bad too; apparently there was a 55 top on the other side of the restaurant, but that doesn't excuse poor service.
Ate at this place again last night and my previous experience was confirmed - "Ted's Dirty Montana Grill."
Apparently, the patriarchy/oil oligarchy/military industrial complex has imposed it hegemony on us for years via busboys (obviously a very inappropriate term in itself). Much as we must resist efforts to impose a hydrocarbon-based society on us via the use of petrochemical "straws" - so must we refuse the "bussing" of dirty tables. The bussing of such tables is: 1) insidious; 2) prolific; and 3) effervescent.
I'm pleased.....very pleased that on my many visits to Ted's I have never seen a busboy, much less a busboy bussing a table. Instead, these menial tasks have been delegated to the waiters and waitresses, who are obviously young adults in need of a life-changing experience and since they are not in Zambia in the Peace Corp., but instead at a restaurant outside a movie theater and between the beltway, a storm drain/river and a street named after a member of the patriarchy/aristocracy (Duke), this experience will have to do. Kudos to Ted and his brilliant and forward-looking thinking on this subject. Unfortunately, since the waiters and waitresses are waiting on tables, there is no bussing and on every visit, I've had the opportunity to eat dinner next to a dirty table.
Otherwise, I like the Bison Burgers, although mine was overseasoned last night. Fries are a crispier version of the 5 Guys variety (natural). I've never eaten anything other than a burger, so that's my disclaimer on the food.
I do love the menu, however. Next time you visit, check out the prices on the various burgers. They all vary by $0.10 or so up or down. Completely random and without any sort of correlation (one price is bison and the other beef). There are like 30 burgers, but here is a snip:
Spikebox Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeños & bacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.69 . . . . . .11.29
NewMexico Monterey Jack cheese, Anaheim green chili peppers & guacamole . . . . . . . 12.39 . . . . . .10.89
George'sCadillac Barbeque sauce, Cheddar cheese & bacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.69 . . . . . .11.29
Green & Hot Guacamole, jalapeños & Monterey Jack cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.89 . . . . . .11.39
Swiss& Mushroom Swiss cheese, mushrooms & sour cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.79 . . . . . .11.29
I don't usually write reviews for chain places but I was staying at a hotel down the road and went in for dinner. What prompted me to write a review was the service....slowwwww....which was surprising considering the place was maybe a quarter (if that) full. Not that the service wasn't friendly but I was sitting at the bar and it took quite a while to get my first beer and it took a year and a day for me to get my bill...
Besides that, the food is what it is...had a Ribeye Bison Steak and like most chain steakeries, it was a bit too fatty and they couldn't get medium-rare right. If you've never had bison before, it's nothing revolutionary...maybe slightly sweeter than regular beef and supposedly better for you (I guess because those bison are always running around instead of standing around like those lazy cows).
My friend hyped up the bison burgers and the onion rings at this place. Our standard for onion rings is Popeye's onion rings. Both the bison burgers and the onion rings were disappointing.
I had the kitchen sink bison burger which had sauteed onions, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. I must say that the fried egg is not utilized enough in burger dining. When the burger came, the burger came as three piles; the lettuce and tomato, the sauteed ingredients, and the burger with the egg on top. It was annoying to have to scoop everything onto the burger. The burger itself was ok, but nowhere near the quality of Ray's Butcher Burgers. The onion rings are way too large for their own good. I felt as though I were biting into an onion. I generally prefer them smaller. The pickle dish was not remarkable, although we had to request them.
We had great service. Drinks were refilled promptly and food was brought out in a timely fashion. The waiter checked on us frequently.
However, several things annoyed me about the restaurant which are more of personal beefs than anything else. First off, the eco-friendly nature of the restaurant gets on my nerves, everything from the huge "recycled" stamps on the brown paper tablecloths to the inefficient paper straws. The paper straw crapped out after 20 minutes of being soaked in iced tea. After dining here, I want to become one of the villains on Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Screw Ted Turner's ecofriendly steakhouse. Also, there was no happy hour. I'll find someplace else to enjoy a cheap frosty beer with a plastic straw.
Good, quick, casual but not fast food, homey restaurant. Have been to Ted's more times than I can count. Good burgers, good chili, etc. I love the blue cheese wedge salad and the cedar plank salmon. Just good, decent food when you want a quick, casual meal but want it on the nicer side. Bonus for all you Southerners- they have sweet tea!!!!! And they have real cokes out of the bottle, plus you can order vanilla or cherry cokes that the bar will make for you. Yum!
I have to admit the service is hit or miss. The professionals are there during peak hours, and they know what they are doing. The trainees seem to run the floor and kitchen in off-peak times. The pros are as fast as one might expect from an extremely busy restaurant. The trainees have little to do but aren't any faster than the pros.
At any rate, the (beef) burger is probably the best burger in Northern Virginia. It is juicy, tasty and oh-so-perfect. The bison is a little dry. Most of the Blue Plate Specials rock the earth.
So I love the food, and I am a regular. But I have complained to the manager about the service.
To bastardize the lyrics from a current pop song,
Waitas be slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow...
Yeah, while I enjoy the fact that these guys strive to be environmentally friendly, serve low-fat buffalo in just about anything, and have a cool throw-back bathroom, the service was just absolutely slow. Not to mention that we couldn't understand a word that our waitress, Yadira, was saying, it made for a very interesting meal.
Foodwise, I enjoyed the sliders since they use biscuit as the bun. However, despite the tastiness of the sliders, my pot roast was incredibly salty - i actually had to mix it with my mashed potatoes to bring the saltiness down. But it didn't stop the fact that I was thirsty the rest of the day as my body is now retaining tons of water that the coffee is purging out. I'll be back - but I'll stick with a burger instead.
BAD SERVICE!!!
our server was terrible. It took him 30 minutes after delivering our drinks and us asking him 3 times to give us STRAWS. :(
The food was good. I had the crabcakes and I loved them, delicious. The others in my party had burgers and seemed to enjoy them. I would have tried the bison if I ate red meat. Prices were reasonable.
One thing that was appealing to me is that Ted's is considered a "green" restaurant using solar power and even cardboard straws. I was disappointed with the service though.
I will admit that the service here is inconsistent, but don't knock the food! I go so often (sometimes twice in a week) that I have memorized the nightly specials. Everything is fresh and tastes home made. I love the bison burgers and the steaks, the roast pork special on Thursdays, and the roast turkey on Sundays. Friends rave about the meat loaf and the crab cakes.
Other reasons this is a favorite are the classic decor and the fact that it is smoke-free!
I've had nothing but great experiences here. I took a bunch of Japanese business men here and they loved it! I ordered a steak salad, medium rare, and the steak strips were very pink and moist.
On weekends, this place is packed for the movie theater across the street. I like getting a drink here before a movie, although sometimes it can be too packed for that. Weekdays, no problems getting a seat anywhere and service is fast, they always kept our drinks topped off.
Went for dinner last night 12/31/2007. Minimal wait, but there seemed to be confusion and chaos about who was seating people and managing the wait list.
Server was terrible. I hope it was just a matter of him being new and not knowing what he was doing, but I doubt it. He was slow. Painfully slow. So, slow we missed the movie we'd hoped to see at the near by theater.
Wine came to us in spotty glasses that I hoped were clean. We sat near the bar and noted the bartender seemed to spend most of his time hitting on the pretty gal at the end of the bar. As did several of the male wait staff. Several of the female wait staff were clearly frustrated by how slow the bartender was at filling their orders.
The food was mediocre. I had the chicken fried chicken, which was done properly but didn't taste of much of anything. Seasoning would have helped. My dinner companion had the brick chicken and it was terrible. Think over cooked to the point of being chicken jerky. The potato was so over cooked that I literally couldn't cut the skin with a steak knife. We could have up armored a Humvee with that thing. We would have complained, but our waiter pretty much abandoned us by that point. We had to go up to the bar and ask for glasses of water, since our waiter never brought them, even after being asked twice.
This location of Ted's is in serious need of some adult leadership and management. It's got a great location, right near a movie theater but they are doomed to failure if they can't get better staff. I won't be going back anytime soon that's for sure.
I go to this Ted's quite frequently, since it's near work and home. I have to give 3 stars because, while I usually get good service and decent food, my experiences there have been dotted with lackluster meals.
I usually go for one of their bison burgers. I always order it medium, but it will sometimes come more towards well done. I'm pretty easy to please though, so that doesn't bother me too much. Every once in a while, I'll go with one of their Blue Plate Specials. Once again, the quality is usually on, but lacks consistency.... it seems to be this places mantra. I haven't had bad service there, but have heard others complain. The bartenders are pretty prompt and courteous.
The food prices are a little higher than you would expect for the selection and quality of food.
I would recommend.... but not highly. Recommend.
I was all about the hype when Ted's Montana Grill moved into the Eisenhower Ave / Hoffman location about 2 years ago. But since the very first time we ate there the food has been pretty atrocious and service not far behind. If you want your steak rare, medium rare, medium.... it doesn't matter, you are going to get it medium well.
My girlfriend ordered a steak and asked for it medium rare - something any moderately good steak restaurant could do, right? Well after sending it back once because it was well done, the second steak came out the same..... and only after the second time it came out was she delivered her side orders. So needless to say we asked the couple we had invited to this dinner outing to please eat and not wait on us. After all was said and done we spoke with the manager about the food being overly cooked, he apologized and gave our table a round of completely stale cookies.
Remembering that every restaurant has an off night we have given this place a couple of more chances and they have always left a bad taste in our mouth, either figuratively or literally. Its a shame because they do have a unique niche with the Bison meat.
For the price you pay and the quality of food that you get. This place is not worth my time!
Been there on several occassions, all of which the service was horendous and the food "ain't all that" (as I like to say).
The burgers tend to be one of the few good things on the menu and their quality is pretty consistent.
With that being said, stay away from anything else!
I just want to know, has anyone else ever had their clam chowder? I have had it twice and both times it was actually sickening! The first time I ordered it, it actually tasted like cleaning solution. I asked the waiter if I could have something else, and he just looked at me, and tried to charge me $1.50 for getting something else! However, I'm a firm believer in calling over the manager for both things that are superb (if it be food or service) or things that SUCK! Anyway, I decided to give the clam chowder one last chance on a recent visit and big surprise, it tasted like MR CLEAN!
Enough ranting, if you are looking for a superb Americana meal in this area, I say you are better off with Ruby Tuesdays or the Steak place next door. I won't through away my money on Teds anymore
Great Burger option...
IT WAS HUGE!!!
My burger was called "everything but the kitchen sink" and it was fantastic!
It's nice to be able to order a healthy meal that's not a salad!
I agree with some of the other reviews that this place is overpriced. I've noticed that the employees seem to try to act the part, but just end up looking ridiculous. (We asked a manager for A1 sauce and when he brought it to the table, he presented it to us as if it was a bottle of fine wine!)
However, I love that I can go to a restaurant and order something other than salad and not feel guilty. Ted's has all of their nutritional info on their website and they even have an eating guide that gives people tips (like order your steak to be prepared without butter). I've learned that bison is nutritionally one of the best meats out there - super lean and full of protein - even more so than chicken or most fish! If you choose your sides right (again ask for them without the added butter) you can get a delicous meal that's not loaded with fat.
Every time I go, I order a bison steak. The first time, I got a bison Kansas City Strip and my boyfriend ordered the bison ribeye. My strip steak was so-so, and my boyfriend's ribeye was super tough and pretty gamey tasting. (It was our first time eating bison, so we thought that was just how the meat is supposed to be.) Thankfully, we returned to give the place another try. I ordered the bison tenderloin and fell in love. It was your classic delicious tenderloin - thick, juicy, flavorful, and delicious. I was so sad when it was gone!!
If you're looking for a good value, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for an interesting restaurant with decent variety and health-conscious options, this is a good place to go.
p.s. Skip Ted's overpriced desserts and go next door to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream.
Absolutely terrible. I will never go here again. Had to wait 15 minutes before anyone greeted us at our table. Ordered two burgers that took 35 minutes. They came out lukewarm with the wrong buns and side orders. The waiters seemed like space cadets. All of them just floating around while one pregnant waitress seemed to be doing most of the work. While it looked like other tables were enjoying their time, my friend and I got the worst service I've had in a while.
Odd that so many other comments mention slow service. We go here often and have never had a bad or slow server.
A tip - if it is two of you, eat dinner at the bar - the service is especially quick, and the bartenders are great.
We love the paper straws!
The half sour pickles they bring to the table are the best I've had outside of NYC. I'd love to buy some to take home.
What's really nice? They have a wonderful vegetarian option of four different vegetables, all of which are fantastic - make sure to get the squash casserole - it won't disappoint.
The salt and pepper onion rings are fabulous, even heated up the next day.
I believe "the key" to getting good service at this restaurant is to come on the weekend and during a holiday because my family and I had pretty good service when we ate there over the July 4th weekend. I especially liked sitting in a semi-private room (we had the room with the curtain) since we had 3 small kids who enjoyed making alot of noise and playing with their food. It was great sitting in this room since we didn't feel like we were disturbing anybody else. Overall, the food was average and the service seemed good.
