Ted's Montana Grill Goes Gluten Free

Well, almost. Ted’s Montana Grill offers a limited gluten free menu. They are not part of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP), but they give diners a few options and they have locations across the country. They advise those with food allergies or Celiac to request that their dishes be prepared on a clean surface with new utensils etc. On my first trip to Ted’s I had mixed success.

I started with a simple garden salad with honey mustard dressing on the side. I confirmed with the waitress that it would be mixed in a clean bowl. The bacon was crispy and I enjoyed the dressing. A solid choice for a simple green starter.



While I was tempted by the bison burger without a bun, I had been eating out with such a frequency that I needed something a little lighter. I selected the Cedar Plank Salmon with asparagus and sliced tomatoes – double checking that it would be prepared on clean surfaces.



YIKES!

What is that on my plate??

It’s a big roll of gluten!!!!

Well, normally I would forgo any further food from such an establishment. In this case, the manager came up to me, apologized profusely and assured me that they would prepare a whole new plate (and all gluten would be banished from its vicinity).

Lucky me, since I was photographing my adventures, I was able to compare the plates and confirm that the new dish was indeed fresh.




I felt comfortable with the reparations and truly enjoyed my lunch. The asparagus was a touch too oily and the tomatoes were pretty plain, but the salmon had a wonderful smoky flavor. Salmon is not one of my favorites (except in sashimi), but I have actually found myself craving this since.

With one location in Manhattan and many in Atlanta, I will probably give them another chance soon.



(And they offer souvenirs! Though I’m not sure I want a mini-stuffed bison to remind me of how cute they were before they arrive on my plate. )

4 comments:

Lynn Barry said...

You should be getting paid by someone for finding these GF eateries or at least free meals...you ROCK!

Catherine said...

Thanks Lynn - I am waiting for that job offer ;)

Rob Deichert Jr said...

Hi Catherine,

Great blog, just found it way of CeliacChicks.

I can confirm mixed experiences with Ted's. I work at AOL in NY and travel down to Dulles on a regular basis. There's a Ted's nearby which I've visited three times. First two, they provided a gluten-free menu (print out from the Internet), last they had no idea what I was talking about.

I've been doing the GF thing about 31 years now so I didn't press the issue, I just ordered what should have been GF.

Definitely try the buffalo when you go back.


Rob - www.celiacfoodreviews.com

Catherine said...

Hi Rob,

Thanks for reading! I was given a notebook turned to the "gluten free" page. The manager seemed to fully understand, too bad it wasn't expressed to the kitchen the first time around.