Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Ted Turner's Bison Burgers

I just returned from Tallahassee, Florida after a quick 24 hour trip. Frank had to teach a class there this morning, so I decided to tag along with him since I had not been to Tallahassee in many years, and it seemed like a nice quick get-away before I start another round of treatments. We stayed at the very urban and hip (yes, even in Tallahassee) Hotel Duval, just a few blocks from the Florida State Capitol. The Level 8 Lounge is on the top/8th floor with an outdoor patio overlooking the city. We just happened to find ourselves at Level 8 after the long drive from Tampa and late evening arrival. We enjoyed a couple of drinks, appetizers, and the view. The hotel decor is very contemporary with nice black slate tile accent walls throughout, including the rooms. Each floor had a different color theme. which is used sparingly in the art work and an accent wall in the room. 
Lunch today was at Ted's Montana Grill, a first for us. We stopped based on a strong recommendation from my nephew and FSU fan, Biff who had dinner there last weekend. It is a chain owned in part by Ted Turner. The menu has a large variety of burger preparations, which you can order with beef, bison, chicken, or vegetable burgers. They also serve steaks (beef or bison), bison meatloaf, as well as fish, and chicken options. For dinner on weekends, they offer Bison short ribs and Bison Prime Rib. Biff enjoyed the short ribs. I had to have the basic bison burger with Swiss cheese and a side of "Salt & Pepper Onion Rings". Frank ordered the Delicious Duo from the special $8 lunch menu. This was two smaller burgers, one beef and the other bison, served with fresh cut French fries. I really liked my bison, especially since it was a perfect rare to medium rare. Frank enjoyed his meal which gave him an opportunity to compare and contrast the two meats. He declared both good, with the bison being leaner, hence a tad less juicy and slightly less tasty. Isn't it the fat that gives burgers the great flavor anyway. Both were seasoned nicely so each satisfied his taste buds. The fresh cut and fried onion rings and French fries were great, although I personally think the fries won out, but not by much.


That's my story and I am sticking to it.

4 comments:

Liz said...

Where on earth have you been? We've been enjoying Ted's bison burgers for years! Swiss mushroom burger, medium, hold the sour cream,oatie bun. Oh, and bring on the pickles!

Richard said...

Oh, the pickles, I forgot about the pickles. They were very tasty. This is the first time I have ever seen a Ted's and I don't recall hearing about it before either. But I have found it now, and will partake again if I get the chance.

Biff said...

There are 3 other locations in Florida. Two in Jacksonville and 1 in Bonita Springs. I think Florida #5 should be in St Pete.

Richard said...

Why does Jacksonville get two? And Bonita Springs, eh? I agree, time for St. Petersburg to get a Ted's