Calling all bison eaters: There's a new
ranch in town to saddle up to.
Ted's Montana Grill just opened its doors
along the new restaurant row in Schaumburg, serving
up a menu of comfort foods just in time for Chicago
winters. But at the top of its list of favorites is
100 percent, slow-roasted, naturally raised bison steaks,
burgers and even meatloaf.
"We offer fresh, homemade food on a daily basis,"
said Matt Sheidy, Ted's general manager. "We hand-cut
our steaks in our on-site butcher shop and we bring
in everything fresh daily. We have no freezers except
for our ice cream."
Sheidy's favorite item on the menu is
the bison meatloaf.
"It's a very lean, healthy, very
clean and sweet-tasting meat," Sheidy said. "But
it's not the main thing we're doing. Making food in
small batches is our specialty."
Ted's is named after its owner Ted Turner, CNN broadcasting
pioneer and one of the largest ranchers in the U.S.
with 14 ranches in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska,
New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Dakota, along with LongHorn
Steaks restaurateur George McKerrow. Ted's Montana Grill
prides itself on bringing a little bit of Montana to
its more than 42 locations in 17 states from Colorado
east to New York, including one at The Glen in Glenview
and a third Illinois location planned for Naperville
next February.
Visitors to Ted's will first be struck
by the "very manly" look to the restaurant,
with its early 20th Century architectural design, mahogany
paneling, pressed tin ceilings, pendant lighting, and
walls lined with private booths each with their own
vanity mirrors. The horse portraits by Joseph Mallord
William Turner are also a nice touch, as are the homemade
Snickerdoodle cookies on display in glass cake plates
that invite a bite by bar patrons.
But it's the tender Springer Mountain
Beer Can Chicken basted with rosemary, garlic, Anchor Steam
Beer and the 11-ounce Kansas City strip steak of bison,
which cuts like butter, that may be among the biggest
hits on the menu.
According to Ted's, "bison is nutritious,
lean, rich in iron and considered a healthy alternative
to other meats. Bison contains less fat, cholesterol
and calories then beef or chicken." It's also the
choice for many who are health conscious.
But for the bison-cautious, the menu also
features Harris Ranch premium beef, a hormone-free,
organic meat from California, for its 19 different types
of burgers and prime rib plus 16 different types of
chicken grill sandwiches, cedar plank salmon, pecan
crusted trout or a choice of veggies. Blue plate specials
are also a hit, particularly the barbeque bison short
ribs on Saturdays. A choice of sides includes creamy
garlic mashed potatoes, heavily breaded onion rings,
green beans, vine-ripened tomato and onion salad and
more. Ted's also features a kids menu with pot roast
and meatloaf. Desserts are modest including cookies
and apple crisps. The price range for the average tab
for two is $60.
"We're glad to be here and we're
looking forward to serving Schaumburg," said Sheidy,
a Tallahassee, Fla., native who is counting on Ted's
comfort foods to get him through his first Chicago winter.
Worth noting, Ted's Montana Grill is "eco-friendly,"
with menus printed on recycled paper. No plastics are
used and soft drinks are served in recyclable glass
bottles. The restaurant is entirely non-smoking -- so,
sorry Marlboro cowboys.