Ted’s Montana Grill
5910 W 86th St
Indianapolis, IN 46278
http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com
Ted Turner’s place is known for their Bison heavy menu and American classics. I think that Ted is the number one bison rancher in the country, but don’t quote me on that.
The interior of the restaurant is entirely wood that has hints of old west saloons. There are notes about the tablecloth being 100% recycled, straws, etc.
They start you off with a small bowl of pickles. Pretty tasty actually. They lean more towards the taste of a Claussen than a Vlasic.
The menu is prominently burgers where you can choose beef, chicken or bison for a few dollars more. They also have some entrees as well. Having a gift certificate, we needed to spend $50 for two people so I choose from this side of the menu.
We started off with a crab cake ($11) and a wedge salad with blue cheese ($4). The crab cake was pretty bad. Very little flavor and the crab didn’t taste very fresh. The guac on the plate was more brown than green, it was basically inedible. However, I didn’t want guac with a crab cake anyway.
The salad wedge didn’t offer any surprises, but I found the blue cheese to be pretty tasteless. The bacon bits seemed a little stale and cooked a little too much for my liking.
I ordered the Bison Ribeye ($24) and chose onion rings and creamed spinach. Obviously it wasn’t diet night. The bison ribeye was a little under the requested medium rare, but that was okay. I didn’t feel that this steak was really fresh as something was a little off here and I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
The onion rings were horrible. The breading reminded me of dry cornbread. It didn’t keep on the ring and they were not freshly made. The creamed spinach was the worst item of the night. It tasted exactly like spinach artichoke dip that you can get frozen from TGI Friday’s at the grocery store. I couldn’t eat it…dreadful.
Would I Buy It Again? No. I am finished with Ted’s. Their burgers do not substantiate their price and I would rather go to Outback if I am buying a steak at that price point. The apps and the sides were pretty bad as well. I just can’t find anything that they do better than their competition.
-wibia
Tags: bison, crab cake, Food, guacamole, Onion Rings, pickles, ribeye, ted's montana grill
Oh boy. You broke my #1 rule of eating. Don’t get crab cakes outside of the Baltimore area unless you make them yourself. I’ve broken my rule a few times because a server conned me by assuring that the crab cakes were authentic with no filler. YOU LIE! I eventually had enough crap cakes to institute my rule and I stick firmly to it. My dad visited from Baltimore recently and brought real Maryland crab cakes from my uncle’s restaurant. Heaven. If you want the best crab cake recipe let me know. You’ll be surprised, it’s not rocket science. As for Ted’s I like the burgers, but they are overpriced and the onion rings suck just like Red Robin, which in my opinion is an overpriced burger too.
Good review and glad I read this. I have reduced my red meat eating (just hamburgers, never been a steak fan) and don’t eat burgers that often anymore. I still eat them every so often though, and my wife likes burgers still. I have always been content with Burger King burgers for something “cheap.” If we need cheap now, it is Hardee’s, good burgers for a good price.
In terms of sit down and get served type restaurants, we discovered Dammon’s on the east side. We used to eat there weekly, but have cut back for money reasons. I haven’t been there in a while, and the Holiday Inn changed to a Ramada and is under new ownership, so they may have changed some things. We then discovered Tye Dye Grill and I like their style of burgers: Thin and not so juicy when ordered well done. With coupons, we find Max and Erma’s as well as TGI Fridays good as well…never had a problem with either of them the handful of times we went over the past year.
By far, the best hamburger in the city to me was Charlie and Barnie’s down in the Nat’l City/PNC/Hyatt building. They also used to serve awesome waffle french fries. Not sure if they are still serving the same beef and fries, but they were the best when I worked downtown.
I looked at the pictures before I read your review and determined that this food must have been terrible. All of it, except the pickles, looks discusting. I am surprised, I would have wanted to try this restaurant. I appreciate you saving me the trip.
Is the ribeye glazed with something (almost between an orange and yellow color) or is that really how bison steaks look?
Never been a fan of bison. overated, overpriced, and in steak or roast form, way to lean to taste good( my oppinion). Even the ground bison I have had (it was given to me) was too lean to make a good burger (think 93% lean ground beef). It was ok in spagettie sauce or chille, but who wants to pay 7+ bucks a lb for something you are gonna cook for hours in tomato or other sauce. especialy when good ground chuck is half the price. but every one is different. I dislike turkey breast for being too lean also.
“The creamed spinach was the worst item of the night. It tasted exactly like spinach artichoke dip that you can get frozen from TGI Friday’s at the grocery store. I couldn’t eat it…dreadful.”
This statement is 100% accurate. I went to Ted’s a month ago, and this was one of my sides. Absolutely disgusting.
I disagree with almost all of this post. My steaks at Ted’s have always been delicious. The onion rings are a must every time I go there. The creamed spinach, while certainly being as much cream as it is spinach, is great. I’ve never had a complaint and go as often as my wallet allows. Maybe it helps that I go to the same Ted’s that Beau Turner and Ted himself live nearest and frequent themselves.
@Eric. Just like any chains, there are some good ones and bad ones. I have a feeling that the closest one to Ted is ran pretty tightly.
I cant wait to try this place out!! it will be awhile untill i make it to north florida but when i do i will have to track this place down!
Thanks,
Tyler