Have you Hurd... What Happens when The Mouth of the South Meets Big Sky Country?

I am not sure I can say I am a huge fan of everything about Ted Turner, aka The Mouth of the South.  However, I am at least of fan of his foray into the restaurant scene.  Ted's Montana Grill has been around the Columbus area for quite a while, but only recently opened a location in the Easton area.  In the earlier years of Ted's existence here in Columbus, my wife and I frequented the restaurant near the Polaris Fashion Place mall.  It wasn't too far from home and the traffic & parking (at the time) didn't seem quite as bad as Sawmill Road or the Arena District.  When that location closed, Ted's sort of fell off our radar. Unless we were looking for a place to eat before a trip down to Nationwide Arena for hockey or a concert, it was safe to say we would never even think about eating there.  It was not because we didn't enjoy the food, service, and atmosphere.  There was just not a convenient location for us.  With the opening in Easton, they are definitely back in the game.

I am not sure if being close to Costco was part of the appeal when Ted's was scoping out real estate for a new restaurant, but I think it was genius.  As many times as we visit Costco in a month, I am pretty sure our number of visits to Ted's will be steadily growing.  There is a lot to like about this particular one too.  The dining room is a bit more open than the others around Columbus.  Even when the dining room is somewhat busy, it still feels like a nice quiet place for dinner.  With my steadily worsening hearing, that is a BIG PLUS.  Just ask my wife.  Anywhere we can go that she doesn't have to repeat everything that she says and the service staff too is an oasis of peace and harmony.  Parking is convenient and it is on the fringes of the other craziness at Easton, not too far from the freeway.  Isn't that what you call a win, win, win???

Two pieces of shortcake
+ two scoops of vanilla bean Haagen Dazs
 + fresh strawberries and whipped cream
= PURE DECADENCE

This is our second visit since they have opened and I am sure there will be more soon.  I'll be sure to share updates as I methodically work my way around the menu.  I feel like they have made some changes recently.  There were a few items on there I hadn't seen before.  The reason we made this trip was to take advantage of an offering on their summer dessert menu. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!!  I am not talking about that crappy spongecake you get at most (if not all) of the ice cream parlors in town that they simply call shortcake.  I am not naming names, but you know who you are.   -dark scowl-  I AM talking about a real honest-to-goodness rich and buttery sweet drop biscuit of shortcake.   Served in a tower configuration with Haagen Dazs vanilla bean ice cream, fresh strawberries, and fresh whipped cream.  When we visited earlier in the summer, by the time we heard about the dessert feature we had already eaten too much and had to pass.  It was not an understatement to say it nearly killed me to leave without having any.  Thankfully, we made it back in time.  It was just like I dreamed it would be.  If we had been alone in the restaurant, I would have licked the plate clean.  Those that know me well, know I really would too.  -chortle- Since the menu doesn't turn over until the end of this month, you can still head over to Ted's yourself and share some with your sweetest.  If I happen to be there with my sweetest when you visit, just don't ask me to cut you in.  I am happy to share with my wife, but that is where I draw the line.  At least when it comes to strawberry shortcake.  -sly grin-

In case you were wondering, yes, we did enjoy some entrees before dessert.  I opted for the Montana Breakfast beef burger (minus the bun) with salt & pepper onion rings.   My wife decided to go for the gusto and ordered the George's Cadillac bison burger.  I think Ted has her snowed.  -wink, wink- She really likes the bison.  It is only slightly more than the beef, so either way it will not break the bank.  Might as well get what you want, right?   Doesn't seem to matter whether it is beef or bison the burgers are juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection.  The enhancements are always spot on.  Cheese was melted to an ooey-gooey deliciousness and the extra meats were hot and a little crispy. YUM!  I thought the spicy tomato relish was a nice touch for the Montana Breakfast burger too. The onion rings are cut fresh, dredged, and flash fried.  You can definitely tell, because the slices are a bit irregular...  the breading is nice and crispy... and the onions have just a little bit of crunch left too.  No way you could get them that perfect if they were prepared in a factory, frozen, and shipped...  She really enjoyed the fresh cut fries too.
 

George's Cadillac bison burger
and fresh-cut fries.  Not sure who
George is or why this resembles
his Cadillac, but who cares what
 you call it when it's this good.

Not sure if folks really eat this
for breakfast in Montana, but since
I am not sure "ranch" dressing
has anything to do with real
ranching I am totally ok with Ted's
calling it Montana Breakfast.

I should also mention the staff at Ted's were super friendly and engaging.  The manager, C.J. stopped by to chat us up for a bit before our dessert arrived too.  One last thing I will do before I wrap is give a shout out for what Ted's calls the "House Sours."  They are fresh cucumber slices that are soaked in a proprietary brine just long enough to turn them into a yummy starter before the meal.  They aren't in the brine long enough to be called pickles, so give them a nibble even if you don't like cucumbers or pickles.  Chances are you will like these.  It only gets better from there.  If you remember, tell them that Big Mike sent you and he will be back for more shortcake soon. Don't want them to run out before I return.   -smile as big as the sky in Montana-

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

Ted's Montana Grill
4169 Worth Avenue (Easton Gateway)
https://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/tmg069.html