Dining Out: Eat Great, Do Good

ON A BUSY FRIDAY NIGHT, TED’S MONTANA GRILL IN BOZEMAN BUSTLES WITH ACTIVITY. In the dining room every table is full; guests line up in the lobby of the landmark Baxter Hotel building to place their names on the waiting list for dinner. Patrons chat over hand-squeezed cocktails and local microbrews in the warm ambience of the bar that stands on the corner of the community’s historic downtown center.

“Ted’s is a place for everyone,” says local proprietor, Bruce Traucht, who notes that the restaurant appeals to a clientele ranging in age from 20 to 75.

On this night, the guests in the packed establishment certainly reflect this statistic: A group of college-age kids boom out a toast at a central table while a 30-something couple huddles in a quiet booth along the wall and a bunch of older-looking gents — cowboy hats tucked, brims up, under wooden chairs — order dinner from a server dressed in a crisp, white shirt and jeans. A button pinned just below his collar touts the Ted’s trademarked slogan: Eat great. Do good.

The words sound like something Ted Turner, the plain talkin’, straight shootin’ media mogul himself, would utter. The longtime Montana landowner, environmentalist and bison rancher has been a fixture in the region for more than 30 years. As the largest bison rancher in the world, Turner teamed up with Georgia restaurateur, George McKerrow Jr., a 42-year veteran of the restaurant business, to develop the concept of a classic American eatery serving comfort food and the choice of beef or bison for every cut of meat.

“Not only is bison delicious, it’s leaner and healthier for you than beef,” says CEO McKerrow. “I’m addicted to our bison cheeseburgers!”

Drawing on the iconic image of the American bison as the company logo, the first Ted’s popped up in 2002 in Ohio. Now there are 57 restaurants in 20 states; the Bozeman location opened in June 2008.

Designed with a clubby turn-of-the-20th-century motif — Craftsman-style mahogany-paneled walls and cozy booths, hickory hardwood floors, pressed-tin tile ceilings and pendant lighting — Ted’s exudes a comfortable, timeless atmosphere. Here in Bozeman, the company remodeled a space in an elegant former hotel built in 1929. The location is arguably one of the best in town, but it’s Ted’s reputation for hearty, made-from-scratch, home-style cooking that keeps the tables turning.

“It’s just real food — pot roast and meatloaf and 40 lemons for our fresh lemonade. There are no gimmicks involved, it’s just classic food in a friendly and timeless atmosphere,” McKerrow says. “It’s as comfortable as your favorite cowboy boots or a worn out pair of blue jeans.”

At the restaurant, the question “Beef or bison?” is repeated countless times to customers who choose from some of the heftiest cuts of steak: Delmonico ribeye, Kansas City strip and prime rib. Favorites are the Barbecue Bison Short Ribs and the Pecan-Crusted Trout. There are also time-honored American favorites such as crab cakes, cedar plank salmon, burgers, chicken grills and a Southern-pleaser, Aunt Fannie’s Squash Casserole.

All of the beef is natural and grass-fed from a California ranch, while the bison is from a Colorado cooperative and National Bison Association-certified. McKerrow estimates that Turner ranches supply 50 percent of the bison that is sent to slaughter and it’s likely that a good portion of the meat served at the Bozeman restaurant is from Montana. The company is also working on securing “local” meat suppliers within 300 miles of the restaurant.

More than just hearty food, Ted’s Montana Grill is committed to being environmentally responsible by using recycled paper products and recycling everything from the standard cans to glass and plastic. And selling cooking oil to a bio-diesel company is also a big part of this effort. “Is comfort food going to save the world?” Ted’s Web site asks. Answer: Probably not, but it’s the right thing to do. Eco-friendly signs pepper the restaurant, showcasing efforts to be an ecologically responsible establishment — water-efficient toilets, nontoxic powder Boraxo soap in the bathrooms, paper straws. These are not necessarily cost-saving efforts, say Traucht and McKerrow, but they are steps toward conserving our resources.

“The world is now turning toward companies that are environmentally conscious and give back to their communities, sustainability, recycling and supporting local commerce,” says McKerrow. “I like to think that we are a good part of every community that we go into.”

If the line out the door of the Bozeman restaurant is an indicator of public approval, then Ted’s Montana Grill is doing just fine.



Bison Cheeseburger
Serves 4

2 pounds freshly ground bison meat
3 teaspoons Ted’s Special Spice Mixture (see below)
4 cornmeal-dusted Kaiser rolls, split
8 slices American cheese
4 leaves iceberg lettuce
4 slices vine-ripened tomato


Ted’s Special Spice Mixture
Makes 2 tablespoons

1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container for
up to 3 months.

Directions:
Preheat a griddle to medium-high. Make 4 equal-size hamburger patties from the ground bison meat, taking care not to overwork the patties. Season both sides of each patty with ¼ teaspoon of Ted’s Special Spice Mixture and place on griddle. Cover the burgers with a stainless-steel bowl or other heat-proof, dome-shape object and cook for 6 minutes. Turn the burgers over and season the top of each burger again with ¼ teaspoon of the spice mixture. Cover with the dome and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, on medium. Place 2 cheese slices on each burger and cook until the cheese melts. Butter the cut side of the rolls and place, cut side down, on the griddle. Cook until lightly toasted. Serve each burger on a roll with 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato slice per burger.


Bison Meatloaf
Serves 4

1 tablespoon butter
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced green pepper
1 ½ teaspoons chopped garlic
2 eggs
¾ teaspoon thyme
1 ½ teaspoons parsley
1 ½ teaspoons Ted’s Special Spice Mixture (see above recipe)
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
½ cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 ¾ pounds of ground bison
4 ounces breadcrumbs

Directions:
Sauté the onions, pepper and garlic together. Chill and hold for later use. Combine the eggs, thyme, parsley, Ted’s Special Spice Mixture, black pepper, half-and-half, ketchup, ground bison and chilled vegetables. Add bread crumbs and mix until combined. Form into a loaf and bake at 325° F until internal temperature reaches 155° F (35 to 45 minutes).

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Big Sky Journal editor in chief, Seabring Davis, is the author of A Montana Table: Recipes from Chico Hot Springs Resort.

Janie Osborne’s photography has appeared in national publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Parenting and The New York Times.