Road Tips

Legends - Wichita

I've eaten some good meals in Wichita over the past couple of times that I've been to the city.  My last trip, I took one of my dealers and his wife to Legends, a restaurant attached to the Hilton at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport.  It was as good as any meal I've had in the city.

Legends caters to the travelers that use the airport Hilton to stay during business trips.  Most of the people who stay at the airport are connected to the air industry as a number of aviation companies are situated in the immediate area.  Legends offers a full service menu with breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Larry Walker, Jr. is the executive chef of the restaurant and he has some interesting dishes on the menu. 

Legends restaurant is open and spacey.  The booths and tables are big so there isn't any problem stretching out.  And it isn't a loud place so conversations can be had with no problem what so ever.

My dealer, whose business is located near the restaurant, said they'll come over for lunch from time to time.  And he told me they'll come to Legends for their seafood buffet on Saturday nights.  And he said their Sunday brunch is probably the best in Wichita.

We took a booth in the corner and ordered up a bottle of the Jordan 2003 Cabernet.  One of the reasons why I went with it wasn't because it was the most expensive wine on the list - it was because it was the CHEAPEST Jordan Cabernet I've ever seen on a menu.  They had it for $65 dollars.  My dealer said, "Oh, you don't have to get that expensive of a wine." 

I said, "Look, I'm not trying to impress you guys or anything.  This is one helluva price on a wine that I've got for upwards of $130 bucks in restaurants before.  I'm not going to let one for $65 bucks slide!"

There were many interesting things on the menu such as New Zealand lamb chops, Kansas grown venison chops, and fettuccine jambalaya. 

I was particularly intrigued by the Steak au Poivre.  I asked our very Greek waiter, Sami, how the Steak au Poivre was prepared.  He said it was cooked in a cognac, deglaze and served in a reduced cream sauce.  I asked if it was sprinkled with cracked black pepper and he said it wasn't.  OK, so that was out.

I almost went with the Key West shrimp - 5 jumbo shrimp with a crabmeat stuffing served in a light cream sauce.  It sounded good, but so did beef.  I ended up getting the Kansas prime rib, medium rare, with a side of vegetables and sauteed mushrooms.  I also ordered a Caesar's salad before the meal.

My dealer ordered the Steak Diane - two medallions of beef, butterflied and served in a wine sauce with sauteed mushrooms on top.  My dealer's wife got the Legends Trio - a filet of beef, a portion of the venison chop and two of the Key West stuffed shrimp. 

We finished the bottle of the Jordan cabernet and needed a second bottle of wine for dinner.  So I ordered up a bottle of the Rex Goliath 2003 cabernet.  Rex Goliath has a slight bite to it, sort of reminiscent of licorice, but a very smooth finish.  It would go great with our meat dishes. 

My prime rib came out a perfect medium rare.  They had a huge dollop of ground horseradish on the fatty end of the piece - it was a pleasant surprise as I forgot to order fresh ground horseradish when I place the original order.  I was flipping my dealer and his wife some good natured shit saying that Iowa raised prime rib is a lot better, but I have to admit this was very, very good. 

The Steak Diane my dealer had looked great and he said it was good.  And the Legends Trio was too much food for my dealer's wife.  The venison bone-in chop was not small, the filet was a five ounce filet and the jumbo crab-stuffed shrimp were huge.  She couldn't finish her meal. 

With tip - and especially with bottle of Jordan at $65 bucks, the bill came to a bit over $210.  Most of the entrees run between $17 to $29, so you can get out of Legends a little cheaper if you want.  The food was very good, and the service was great (although Sami's accent made it a little tough to understand him from time to time). 

I normally don't go for places that are attached to hotels, but Legends was a very pleasant surprise and a place that I would have no problem going back to. 

Ted's Montana Grill - Wichita, KS

You know, I'm not big on chain restaurants, but I have this thing about Ted's Montana Grill steakhouses.  The food is consistently good, the service - while it may be over the top at times - is good, as well.  If I'm hungry, but not in the mood to go out and try and find some place to eat that I'm not familiar with - and there's a Ted's in the area - I'll go there. 

However, I had gotten kind of stagnant in my ordering at Ted's Montana Grill.  It seemed all I ever ordered in the past was the bison filet with the garlic mashed potatoes.  The night I went to the Ted's in Wichita, I was in the mood to try something different.

Ted's Montana Grill actually calls themselves a classic American grill that specializes in comfort food.  Although I can't say that steak is what I would call comfort food, they do have comfort favorites such as pot roast, slow roasted pork, country fried chicken and some other "stick to your ribs" meals. 

However, they also have a variety of both bison and beef hamburgers on the menu.  I'd heard they cooked a pretty good burger and I was kind of in the mood for a good burger that evening.  So I sat at the bar and ordered just a good ol' fashioned cheddar cheese bison burger with a side of their "salt 'n' pepper" onion rings. 

Actually, I ordered the burger medium rare - worried that it would be overcooked and not too flavorful.  However, I forgot that this was Ted's, the place that makes thick bison filets nice and juicy.  It was a little undercooked, but edible enough. 

And it was good.  It would have been better had it been cooked about another two minutes on each side, but it was as good as advertised.  But it wasn't cheap - with cheese the bison burger was $10.59. 

Once again, the service was good, but a little too fake.  The two bartenders were attentive, but a little too scripted to be sincere enough in their service. 

Next time I go to Ted's, I'll have to try the pot roast or some comfort food and then report about that in the "Comfort Food" category.  But for now, the bison burger was very good and I'd highly recommend it.  Just be sure to order it medium...

(Update - In the fall of 2010, Ted's Montana Grill closed a number of restaurants in the Midwest including the one in Wichita.  I'm sure the economic stress over the past couple of years had something to do with it, considering how the aerospace and aircraft industry had taken a hit during that time.  And since that's Wichita's largest economic sector, I'm sure places like Ted's suffered.)

Ted's Montana Grill

Ted's Montana Grill began in 2002 as a joint venture between media mogul Ted Turner and longtime restauranteur George McKerrow (of Longhorn Steakhouse fame). 

Turner is one of the largest landowners in the nation, owning over 1.5 million acres in 14 states.  And he's also the largest bison rancher in the country.  And with that, Ted's Montana Grill serves bison on their menu, along with beef, chicken and seafood entrees.   

The first Ted's Montana Grill opened in Columbus, OH and there are currently nearly 40 restaurants in 17 states.  I've eaten at three of the Ted's locations - Omaha, Wichita, and in suburban Chicago.  Each one is very, very good.

I was told a couple years ago that Ted Turner's goal was to have 225 restaurants within five years.  They aren't growing quite that fast. I hope they don't grow that quickly as it will be difficult to keep tabs on quality control.

I've had bison steak before and I can say that I wasn't that big of a fan of it.  One of the biggest problems with cooking bison meat is that it is so lean a lot of the natural juices cook out of it making the meat tough and flavorless.  Ted's came up with a unique way to keep the juices from escaping during the cooking process.  They cook their bison meat on a flat grill at a high temperature and they put a lid over the top of the meat while it's cooking to keep the bison steak from drying out.

All the Ted's Montana Grill restaurants hand cut their own beef and bison in house.  They offer steak cuts and burgers in both bison and beef.  One person can have the KC Strip in beef, while the other can have it in bison. 

I was kind of skeptical of getting a bison steak at the first Ted's I ate at in Wichita about two years ago, but the waitress virtually guaranteed that I didn't have to pay for it if I didn't like it.  So I got the bison filet. 

She didn't have to pick up the check that night.  The bison filet was juicy and tasty, very much unlike the bison steaks I've had in the past.  And it's been that way at the other Ted's I've been to, as well.   

They also have pot roast and made-from-scratch meatloaf on the menu, although I've yet to try either one.  Maybe one night when I'm in severe need for comfort food when I'm near a Ted's I'll have to give them a try.

Ted's Montana Grill's decor is designed to make you feel like you're eating in a western lodge.  It's heavy on the woodwork throughout the restaurant.  The place can get a little loud so sitting in a booth is good if you're there for business or for conversation. 

There's a big bar in each Ted's that handles the overflow and people waiting for tables.  One of the best things about Ted's - all their restaurants are smoke-free. 

I've been told that Ted Turner personally inspects each restaurant and makes it to the individual grand openings across the country.  He's been known to show up unannounced for dinner at various Ted's, as well.  I suppose if the restaurant has your name on it, it's good to be checking up on them from time to time. 

Ted's is a unique place that keeps me coming back.  Besides, bison meat is good for you and Ted's makes the best.  It's definitely worth the visit if you get around one.