The Home Plate

David A. says it all in his review of 6÷1÷11, «Shameful».
I only wish I’d listened to him before my family wandered into T.J.‘s last week.
You know how sometimes when you’re on vacation and you’re trying to decide whether or not to go in someplace and you think «how bad could it be?» Turns out, pretty bad.
Service — awful
Food — awfuller, if that’s a word
My husband and son had hamburgers and fries. Dreadful. Hamburgers tasted bad and fries were so greasy as to be nearly inedible. And when a teenager won’t eat the fries you know they’re bad.
I had the beef dip sandwich. The bread was so soggy from the steamed meat slopped on top that I couldn’t even pick it up to dip it into the sauce. It just fell apart into gummy bits. The meat was tasteless and overcooked (and did I mention steamed?).
Do not be tricked. Any positive reviews of this place are suspect. It is awful, and I’m not even taking any points off for the noise, which is ear-​splitting.

I was super excited for Thanksgiving fare in October so I ordered the «roasted turkey platter.» For $ 16 I was expecting real turkey and real mashed potatoes. The turkey was thin sliced and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t made on premises (I’m not 100% sure it wasn’t lunch meat). There was a bit of a «crust» on my mashed potatoes (maybe they were sitting too long before being reheated?). The «vegetable of the day» was string beans from a can and the cranberry sauce had the same origin.
It was all edible. But I was really hoping for some good home cooked style food.
At least the server was nice.

We went there for dinner after the place we initially wanted to go had a wait that was really long.
The waitress was kind of meh.
I ordered a pastrami sandwich and it didn’t come with ANYTHING else. Just a sandwich (and not a big sandwich either for $ 12). Meanwhile the kid’s fishsticks was a GIANT portion of fish and 3 bean salad AND fries. WTF? $ 12 should have gotten me something else instead of a small sandwich.
Water with lemon was on the menu and cost .50. Again, wtf?
The waitress was kind of surly.
Lots of locals were in there. The owner was chatting it up with a doctor and a judge.
Overall, just go somewhere else. The experience here was not great.

I went here for dinner on a Wednesday evening in mid-​October. It’s not a particularly attractive restaurant. Sort of reminds me of a junior high school cafeteria. Half of the single large room is given over to baseball memorabilia for sale (T-​shirts and so forth) and the other half has a bunch of formica-​topped tables and flimsy chairs (there are a few booths too). The menu is strangely off-​putting, filled as it is with stern admonitions such as NO SEPARATE CHECKS, NO REFILLS ON BEVEREGES, HAVE PATIENCE — EVERY PERSON CAN’T BE SERVED AT ONCE, and BURGERS AND STEAKS ORDERED WELL [done] WILL NOT BE TAKEN BACK AND WILL BE PAID FOR! Oh, and my favorite: UNRULY PEOPLE WILL BE REMOVED! Assuming you’re on your best behavior and are allowed to order, however, there’s lots to choose from so everyone should be able to find something to his or her liking. I couldn’t decide between the Fresh Roast Beef and Fresh Roasted Turkey, so I asked the waitress which she’d recommend. The turkey, she said without hesitation, so that’s what I got. It came with so-​so mashed potatoes (the real thing, but a bit gluey and underseasoned) and corn out of a can, but the turkey itself was great — tender, moist, and flavorful. The all-​white-​meat slices were layered on top of a pile of very good dressing, redolent of celery and sage. Prices are reasonable — most entrees except the steaks are between $ 12 and $ 14. So if you can deal with the drab décor and the grumpy menu, you’ll probably have a decent meal.

I was there September 8^th with a buddy. We were the only ones there.
Asked for two checks and right away were told «No.it’s on the menu.»
After deciding what to order, we couldn’t get the waitress to come and take our order. She was standing at counter with two other waitresses telling a story. I was waving my hand in the air. The one waitress saw me but they still didn’t come over… Food was good… Service. poor

TJ’s Home Plate has some of the best breakfast in Cooperstown. They have a very large menu with ample selection. The french toast is amazing.
I don’t love the dinner quite as much, but my daughter totally dug the spaghetti!