29 - Ted's Montana Grill

It was a beautiful morning today. The sun was out, the ice and snow were melting quickly, the sky was bright blue. I didn't really want to drive 40 minutes for my veggie burger. That's why I was so pleased to learn I could have one a few blocks from home. Ted's Montana Grill in the Power and Light District is a restaurant I never even thought about. I mean, their logo is a bison, for crying out loud. It just didn't seem like the right habitat for veggie burgers to thrive. Boy, was I ever wrong!
If Pottery Barn went back about a hundred years ago and decorated a saloon in the Wild West, Ted's Montana Grill is what it would look like. And I mean that in the best possible way. The food is just good old American food, done right. Which is to say, it is not necessarily a vegetarian's haven. But what they lack in veggie options, they make up for with the heartiest Boca patty, served in any of among 20 burger combinations. These burgers are not for the faint of appetite, they are generously sized and require both hands at all times.
Aside from the great food and excellent service, we were quite taken by this restaurant chain's commitment to the well-being of the environment. You wouldn't expect a restaurant that has a mounted bison head on the wall to make such a big deal about green issues. And they're not just all talk. Their menu and website claim that the restaurant is 99% plastic free, the exception being the drinking straws (which are eco-friendly, by the way). But for further proof of their commitment, all you have to do is step in the bathroom, where you'll find water-free urinals as well as natural soap dispensers and air hand dryers.
So yes, I think Ted's Montana Grill is a great place, even though the only thing I'll ever be able to eat there is the veggie burger (it's a good thing the veggie burger is tasty!). And that's not just the melting snow talking.