Something To Shoot For

It seems anyone who’s anyone has their own restaurant somewhere in the USA. Media mogul Ted Turner’s contribution to the casual dining scene is one of the more interesting ones. Instead of pinning everything on celebrity, Ted’s Montana Grill has a strong focus on being eco-friendly. The most obvious and exciting manifestation of this is in the menu’s feature of buffalo, which involve greener farming practices, are easier on the environment and provide us with leaner meat. Though in a round about way, the serving of buffalo also contributes to the preservation of the American buffalo. Ted’s ranches are home to the greatest buffalo population in the USA. Other meats are still on the menu – we ordered the pair of buffalo and beef burgers so we could compare. The verdict – the buffalo is as good as they say it is. Though, rather than suggesting that beef in general is an inferior meat, I’d look consider the possibility that it’s a matter of the quality of the beef available to most restaurants. If you’re looking for a grill to dine at I’d put Ted’s Montana near the top of the list.

Simply put, I have never in my life eaten anything as delicious as this French Dip at Houston’s.

This is another restaurant I heard about from Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Most of what he’s covered on this show has been gold and Jestine’s Kitchen is no exception. Though I have to admit I was a little frustrated when we had to queue outside, not because of the queue itself – it was actually nice, they have fans running for the hot summer days. But because I was worried we were buying into a tourist trap. Popularity aside, it’s a really great restaurant. I ate the oyster po’ boy and Kate had the grilled cheese, both were great but I think the real winner was the blueberry peach cobbler we had for desert. I’m not usually one to get all gushy over deserts but I think I could have happily tried every desert on the menu given the time and appetite. A customer leaving the restaurant was right on the money when she suggested “make sure you leave room for desert”.