Editors Note: This past weekend, The Skinny Pig took a bad fall down some steps and broke her jaw. She cannot eat solid food for 6 weeks, and because she’s feeling extra generous (or maybe it’s the medication), she will be giving away a gift card to Ted’s Montana Grill to one of her readers. As an added bonus, Ted’s is a big supporter of No Kid Hungry, a charitable campaign that is determined to help end childhood hunger, and when the lucky winner uses their gift card, The Skinny Pig will make a donation to No Kid Hungry. Everybody wins. Also The Skinny Pig is referring to herself in the third person because she can. And because Vicodin. How do you win? Check out my Instagram page and locate the Ted’s picture of the bison burger with the American Flag sticking out of the bun (above!) – the winner will be randomly selected from the “likes”. So if you didn’t like already, get on that! Easy enough, right? Godspeed. And read the review below…
Ok so…you know by now that I’m not much for chain-style restaurants. They’re usually a bit cheesy and not great in terms of food. However, there are a few places that hold a certain sentimental value, in which case I will make the exception. Ted’s Montana Grill in midtown is one of those places.
When I had my first job, it was essentially across the street from Ted’s on 51st and 6th. I used to frequent there on Friday’s with my old friends and just completely pig out. I’m talking burgers with bacon, BBQ sauce, ranch, onion rings on top, etc. The dishes are hearty, and every time I would go, I would pretty much fall asleep at my desk afterwards. It was great. So when I got approached with the new Brunch menu, I figured it was perfect: finally Ted’s can serve a meal where it’s not frowned upon to fall asleep after! So, we laced up our rain boots on that miserable Saturday afternoon, and saddled up to Ted’s. Bloody Mary’s with bacon were served promptly, and they were delicious. I’m a big Bloody fan, so adding bacon to it is just going right for my heart.
The brunch menu is a pretty large selection of artery clogging goodness (the way it should be), so we had some trouble deciding. First we started with the crabcake appetizer, which didn’t look like much, but it tasted very good. Nice big chunks of crab, and good guacamole served alongside of it. The food here wasn’t meant to be photographed, but I promise it tastes better than it looks.
We settled on the burger and the huevos rancheros for our main courses. The burger was…insane. Honestly, it could have been cooked better (too well done), but it was still tasty. And messy. It was a bison burger topped with short rib (yay meat), horseradish cheddar cheese, mushrooms and horseradish sauce. Served with fries and an American Flag toothpick sticking out of the bun. Like, what else is there to say about that? Well done.
I’m not a big huevos rancheros fan, but I liked this one. I think it was missing something…maybe peppers? Again, I’m no expert on that, but it was still very good. Over-medium eggs served on top of fried tortillas, with black beans, avocado, tomato, queso fresco, salsa verde, and sour cream. Mmmm. I want that again with a big Bloody Mary on the side.
And speaking of on the side, we got a side of bacon. Because obviously. It was called “smoky bacon” but it tasted a bit sweet to me, almost like candied bacon. Not saying that’s bad, but it wasn’t what I expected. You could put bacon on a shoe and I’d eat it.
Overall I will say that this place isn’t for everyone – it’s a heavy meal and it’s in a touristy area (near Rock Center). That said, if you’re in the area with a friend and you’re famished, I’d recommend it. Plan on a nap after, and you’ll be good to go.
Ted’s Montana Grill
110 West 51st St (btwn 6th and 7th)
Website: Ted’s Montana Grill
