Ted's Montana Grill - I was Impressed

I have to say I was a bit apprehensive to try this place. Actually maybe I was intimidated. I thought it was going to be a scary meat place with lots of Bison. Oh, I was wrong.

First they have this awesome cherry lemonade. It was one of the most delicious non-alcoholic drinks I ever had in my entire life!
They also have some nice appetizers to chose from. I got the grilled shrimp. I like shrimp as an appetizer, I should get it more often. It is light and flavorful.

What I was most impressed with at Ted's was their varieties of hamburgers and chicken sandwiches. They have around 15 different versions of each. I got a chicken sandwich with avocado slices and a side of BBQ sauce. on a whole wheat bun. It was really delicious and not too heavy at all. The have lots of choices with different cheeses, onions, peppers, bacon, guac, etc. Really, something for everyone. They also have lots of side items. The fries and onion rings looked out of this world but I got the garlic mashed potato's and they were really good.

The entree choices are also good here. Of course they have lots of steaks that I would like to try sometime soon but what really stood out to me was the Beer Can Chicken. I bet I would like that.

Anyway, good job Ted Turner, not only can you revolutionize the way we get news round the clock but you also can make a pretty good chain restaurant!

Breaking News - New Chains in the Palisades

Yup you are reading it here first. The Palisades Center is set to open two new chains. Both of them look fantastic. The first is Buffalo Wild, Wings. I have never been but I know many people who have and I only hear good things about it. The menu looks great, lots of wraps and sandwhichs with many sauces to chose from. They also have what they call Naked Tenders which are Boneless Chicken Wings that are not fried. Brilliant!

Here is a link to the site.

http://www.buffalowildwings.com/index2.asp

The second one also looks really good. It is called Bravo. I have never heard of it before but it seems like a nice upscale Italian restaurant. Nothing really stands out on the menu for me but there are lots of nice Steak, Chicken and Seafood dishes along with some fun appetizers like flat breads.

Here is a link to their site.

http://www.bravoitalian.com/

Anyway this is great news. I am very excited that the Palisades Center is getting some unique chains. I will keep you updated on opening dates.

Kona Grill - Please Open More!

Well I am back from a fabulous stay in Texas. My, my Texas is just brimming with chains. It is really a Rori wonderland. I was lucky enough to sample a new chain I have never heard of. It is called Kona Grill and it is AWESOME!

I will start with the atmosphere. Very chill yet very classy. You walk into this place and you know you will have a relaxing meal.
I would describe the menu as Asian Fusion mixed in with some American. There are so many great appetizers to chose from for example Avocado Egg Rolls, Chicken Satay and Pot Stickers. There is also a full Sushi menu which of course I did not try. Of course I did not try it because Sushi is gross but my co-worker did and he approved.

The entree choices here are great. This is one of those places where I have a hard time deciding on what to get. It is not that it is too large it is just that almost everything on the menu looks good to me. Some that looked best to me are the Chicken Wrap (it has avocado and some pineapple sauce), Jerk Chicken, Macadamia Chicken (their specialty), Thai Chicken Noodles, Basil Pesto Linguine, and the Garlic Shrimp Pizza. I ordered a the Oriental Salad with Macadamia Chicken. It was the perfect lunch salad. Nice portion and light and refreshing! I was impressed. There was not much in the salad besides the chicken, cabbage and some noodles but it was really tasty so I was happy. They also have a nice drink menu which is always a good thing.

Now on a happy note a Kona Grill will be opening in the NY area soon. The website lists Stamford, CT as one of their next locations. That is great! So if you see one in your hood, definitely check it out.

It's Official, It's Open

Yup, you are reading it here first, the first of the three new restaurants making up Northern New Jersey's restaurant row is officially open. Maggianos opened this week at the Shops of Riverside and I recently went to see how this upscale chain is holding up.
The restaurant itself is very nice. It has a casual sophisticated ambiance. They also have a nice bar area with some TVs. I looked at the drink menu and there were some really nice fun drinks as well as a good selection of wines.
For my meal I started with the mozzarella marinara which was essentially just a big mozzarella stick. It was good but not ground breaking.
They also give you bread here. It is rather plain but heated so it makes it nice. They also serve it with a oil and balsamic vinegar. It is good but again not ground breaking. They should add some garlic or something to it.
For my entree I got the chicken pesto pasta. I substituted the linguine for whole wheat penne. I love that you have the option to do that. I ordered the 1/2 portion which was more than enough for a big meal. I was very happy with the dish. The chicken was good and the sauce was tasty. I also sampled the Chicken Marsala which was delicious! Only annoying thing is that it does not come with a side. Next time I go I would order that and share it with someone that is getting a pasta dish. You get 3 big cutlets so it is more than enough to share. I also tried the Chicken Fontina which was a nice choice and the Rigatoni D. I liked it, but the person who ordered it thought it was a bit on the bland side. I thought it had a nice refreshing taste. Another dish that I would really like to try is the 4 cheese ravioli. I have come to really like ravioli in my old age.
I did not order desserts but saw them being brought out to other tables. Everything looked really good especially the chocolate cake the these homemade profiteroles (pastry things) with ice cream all around it.
One last thing to note, they also offer a family style menu that allows you to sample a bit of everything. I would do that if I went with a large party and a big appetite.

The Chains of Israel

I am back from the desert with information on what chains are in Israel.
I have to say that my 10 days in Israel were the worst 10 days of eating I have ever experienced. I actually think I was mal nourished. Unfortunately I was forced to eat mass produced hotel food for the majority of my trip so I could not really sample the cuisine but I did see lots of chains. The one that I was most surprised to see was the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Tel Aviv. Of course I was unable to go in because I was not allowed to leave the group of 19 year old brats (some exceptions of course). Anyway just the sight of it really made me happy.
Other chains were McDonalds (see below for information), Burger King, KFC, Sbarro and Dominos. Mostly fast food of course.
There was also a Niki Beach in Eliat. They have these in Miami, NYC, France and there was once one in Atlantic City. I went here for a drink when I was allowed an hour to leave the group and was really disappointed. The drink was so strong it was undrinkable even for me. Also it took 30 minutes to get a menu and they tried to rip us off on the bill. Not cool!
Anyway I am glad to be home so I can feast again on chains galore!

McDonalds in the Holy Land

So I have this thing. Whenever I travel abroad I have to try the McDonalds. I like to see what different foods they offer. For example some serve pizza and food that is favorable in that country. For example, in Greece they served Gyros. Anyway that kind of annoys me. I mean if you want a Gyro go to a real Gyro place. Let McDonalds focus on Big Macs.
So usually I think that the McDonalds in other countries is better than it is in the US. Nope, not the case in the Holy Land. I got my standard, chicken nuggets and french fries. It was just kind of bland. I think that the US must add more grease or something. I was not impressed yet it was still the best meal I have had thus far.
Some of the unique things that they had on the menu though was this pita pocket of a hamburger. Nobody on the line ordered it. They also offered lots of salads that were different than the ones in the US. You could tell the people what you wanted in your salad like tuna or chicken. They also had walnuts and I love walnuts so I thought that was cool.
Anyway, not so impressed my Israeli McDonalds. I saw a Sbarro on the road. Maybe I will come across it again and will be able to try it.