TJ’s Cafe

5÷26÷2016
My wife and I chose to eat here based on the positive google reviews. We arrived between 5:30 and 6pm. We were the only ones in the dining area at the time and there were three people at the bar. After being seated our waitress immediately apologized in advance for the poor service we were about to receive. We were very confused, partially because we could barely understand the words coming from her mouth. I was having a difficult time trying to determine if she was drunk or had a very thick accent that caused her to mumble her words. Also, our waitress had no respect for personal space, she continued to lean in very close to our faces to chat and also placed her foot up on the seat next to us. Even after this less than stellar introduction we decided to sit it out and give the food a try. The menu was very large, I believe there are too many items on the menu for this restaurant to focus on making quality meals. My wife ordered chicken parm. with a salad and spaghetti. I ordered the hot roast beef sandwich. My wife’s order came out wrong, she quickly noticed that she received penne instead of spaghetti and her chicken parm. was now eggplant parm. We quickly notified the waitress and told her we will keep the egg plant parm. but wanted our bill to reflect the eggplant parm. and not the chicken parm. as there is likely a price difference. The waitress quickly replied with, well «there wouldn’t be a difference because I submitted eggplant parm. not chicken parm.» Our waitress did offer a free desert to makeup for giving us the wrong meal. My wife said the eggplant parm. was delicious and I enjoyed the hot roast beef sandwich. The other waitresses in the restaurant seemed happy and helpful, a few of them checked on us while our waitress was away. I noticed the restaurant ceiling was very dirty, looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a decade. Overall, our service was substandard, the food was delicious and the restaurant could have been dusted.

My party and I were recommended by a coworker to try this local establishment and specifically to the Tuesday night special, the chicken parm ($ 8.99). Knowing that TJ’s has been quite well established and a favorite of some friends, we were expecting a good dinner. The left to the entrance is the main dining area and to the right is the bar area. We were greeted and immediately seated upon arrival. We noticed that the diners were mostly the more mature age group. We were probably the youngest ones there that evening.
My friend and I had our mind set on the chicken parm and french onion soup… and that was exactly what we ordered. Our other dining partners ordered the surf and turf consisting of a top sirloin steak and broiled sea scallops, pasta, and salad, plus a hot roast beef sandwich.
The chicken parm special came with a salad, which was nothing special, just some plain greens and tomatoes/​onions/​carrots/​croutons and your choice of dressing which we chose balsamic vinaigrette. We were also given a choice of baked potato or pasta (linguine, spaghetti, or penne). The pasta was very bland itself and too soft… maybe cooked too long? The house made marinara sauce was light in color, and as we suspected, it was too tart for our taste. The chicken itself was a tender cut but also lacked flavor. The French onion soup on the other hand was fantastic, bubbling with a quarter inch thick of cheese. My friends who had the roast beef and steak+scallops were also not satiated by their order of choice. Unfortunately we were not able to finish any of our orders except the soup, and brought some of the leftovers home to prevent waste.
Maybe we chose the wrong items or went on an off day, but returning to give another try may be somewhat a distant thought, especially since there are other delectable options serving similar fare in the vicinity. Service was attentive and efficient, and the soup was the highlight of the meal, hence the two stars well earned.

Food was okay. Wings were great but my cheesesteak sandwich was subpar. My date said his rueben sandwich was delicious.
The crowd seemed like regulars, the waitresses were pretty attentive. Not sure if we will re-​visit.

I went there for dinner with three other people on 7÷8÷15. I was looking forward to having a hot turkey sandwich. When we placed our orders at about 5:45 PM, I was told that they were out of mashed potatoes. How can a restaurant have a half a dozen items on a dinner menu that come with mashed potatoes and be out of mashed potatoes before the dinner business gets into full swing? Disappointed and perplexed.

This is our go to place. Love it. Have never had a bad meal there. Love their salads, their bread, their meals. Service and servers are great. Their French Dip is fabulous. So is their salmon. Yummmm. Husband loves their burgers.

I ordered the seafood salad for $ 14.99. It came with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, chopped onion, two extremely over cooked and very dry shrimp with four scallops that were so burnt that all I could taste was charcoal. I figured when I ordered a salad for that high of a price that it would be well worth the money. But as I left I felt as if it would have been a better investment to donate to a charity rather than ever come back here again.

This place is an all around good place. It is very consistent with large portions. The prime rib has got to be the best in the area. The veal parm is the biggest and best tasting I have had. My wife loves the manicotti and the fresh garlic basil dressing. The sauce is a little sweeter and more chunky than what my family makes but it works. I have had far worse in every dept from far more expensive places. They really make an effort to satisfy. My only complaint is to have my pasta drained a little more.

I didn’t have a terrible experience here but I can’t imagine recommending it to anyone. The pasta that my boyfriend ordered looked like SOUP there was so much oil he could barely eat it. Which is unfortunate because it had delicious veggies in it. The waitress didn’t check on us at all which was weird since we were the ONLY people eating and not at the bar… and the bar only had 3 people.
The beer selection is pretty poor which is usually what I’m after. They did have Davidson Bro’s which I appreciate. The french fries and salad were pretty decent nothing specacular but I’d eat them again if I ended up back here.

I recommend the chicken Marsala, chicken Francais, and definitely the mozzarella sticks! Everything is delicious. :)

This was suggested by a local couple while visiting for a bowling tournament. Tina was or waitress and she was very pleasant and helpful. Nice fresh salad, Spaghetti and meatballs was great with very large portions. Not much on atmosphere but the food more than made up for it.

I want so badly to love TJ’s as I once did in the past. I don’t know if things have gone downhill a little or if my taste has changed but my last 2 visits-​once in the past month and the other last August, were just OK.
My last visit I had a salmon dish-​the salmon was good. The side of jasmine rice, I could take or leave-​literally-​I left the leftover rice and just took my salmon and green beans!
I can add that I still love their balsamic! It still ranks as my favorite balsamic dressing. It is super creamy and thick. I am almost scared to find out what makes it that thick and creamy because just thinking about it would equal 5 miles on the treadmill but it is GOOOOD!

I have been here for the Eggplant Parm. 3 times now (Twice in the restaurant and once to go). And it is always on the mark! I am a huge eggplant parm fan, but find that most, here in Albany, are simply ‘OK”.
The eggplant parm at T J’s Café is made from scratch and a huge portion. Lightly breaded so not to bake into a big pile of mush.. . the eggplant holds up well. The sauce has a nice tang to it that really plays well with the eggplant itself.
And now for the cheese: There’s lots of it. And it’s gooey and bubbly and brownish and I have made this dish my secret little ‘goto’ dish. .. when I need a bit of comfort food.
One day I will explore their menu more. .. but I can’t seem to stay away from the eggplant parm.

Pro’s
* Good soup.
* No wait
* Always fast
Con
* Didn’t get silverware.
* Waitress wasn’t good.
* Table was sticky and had sugar all over.
* All crackers were crushed.
* I’ve had better pasta Alfredo from a can.
The waitress, (without a name tag) barely said a word to us and when she did, she never seemed happy. Didn’t get silverware and then didn’t get enough the waitress then put my dirty fork down on my table to use again instead of giving me a new one. My friend got the seafood platter and he said it wasn’t nearly as good as last time. Even my soda wasn’t good. It had a beer taste to it so I don’t think the cup was cleaned. I’ve had better experiences here. Last time I went it was better but this has unfortunately made me weary of coming back. I took a couple bites from my dinner and stopped eating. I didn’t even take it home.

This is based on only one visit. Seated immediately at table of our choice. Not crowded. Within 10 seconds we were asked for drink order. I asked about a seasonal draft beer they were featuring. Waitress did not know what it was, i.e. IPA, etc. No one else did either. The beer, along with my wife’s order of sparkling water, came 15 minutes later, after 2 waitstaff asked if we were waiting for drinks. Tried it, excellent. Wife’s sparkling water, not sparkling but spring… labeled non-​sparkling. Waitress had never seen sparkling water, she asked a more senior waitperson, who said loudly:” Hey, the computer says it’s sparkling, what do you want me to do?”
Salad came after awhile, and was very good. Waitress wanted to clear my salad before I had eaten half, because the appetizer was ready. Ate salad with appetizer which was okay. Waitress then wanted to package appetizer because entrees were coming out. Consistently ignored and at the same time, rushed.
Food = fresh greens, decent corn, decent garlic mashed. Wife said seafood salad was very good. My tuna was cooked more medium than the requested rare, but was well prepared otherwise, and enjoyable. Three and ½+
Pacing: way off. 2
Service: Don’t mind inexperience if there is some knowledge of the menu… staff kept getting confused re who had which tables… Early comments re water bordering on offensive, 1, only because a waitress who did not have our table helped to serve us.
We tipped 10 percent, our usual is 25%. A look at my review history shows very positive ratings, sorry this was a disappointment.

Best chicken tenders on the planet! TJ’s is my go to restaurant! I go here for every special occasion, graduation, bachelor party, family dinners, you name it they can handle your request with a reservation.

I always wondered what could take the place of the old A Frame. My cousin who is married to a local Italian insisted I go here, and to be sure I got an appetizer. After decades of dining out I was shocked to get the best eggplant parmesan I’ve ever had. A huge piece made up of paper thin layers of the lightest eggplant with an exceptional red sauce. This could easily be split between 2 people with average appetites. I ended up eating the other half with the pasta on the train ride home, and it held up just fine. The app I got was stuffed mushrooms in sherry wine. I think they should go lighter on the booze, because it really overpowered the taste of the mushrooms. You get delicious bread and it comes with a salad with homemade dressing. I got the creamy basil garlic, yum. So much food, I’ll only get an appetizer if I’m with 4 or more people. The Friday fish fry looked delicious. I’m very tempted to try that next time.

I love this place. Again the main ingredient is chef-​ownership; he’s right there in the kitchen everyday they are open. His wife is sometimes out serving tables. The menu is comfort food and italian. I like oil and garlic sauce rather than red and this is the only italian restaurant that gives me a generous amount of sauce in the pasta without my asking. Very generous portions of seafood in the pasta are available especially the scallops which are always fresh and delicious. When Ralph’s is jammed up and you can’t get in which is most of the time, head down the avenue to T. J’s.

Took too long for server to take order. Took 45 minutes to get a salad, a patty melt, a quesadilla, and a blt. My quesadilla had overcooked chicken that was not a chicken color. The iced tea tasted like the metal container it’s stored in. The soda was flat, and most of all, the chairs and atmosphere was uncomfortable and outdated!

FISH FRY FRIDAYS RULE!
Yup, it’s the good stuff — not too greasy, not too flakey. yummers.
:-)

Man o Man. I LOVE this place. I’ve been going here for 11 or 12 years now and never had a bad meal! I actually met my wife here in 1997 and we’ve been together ever since. They have THE best Chicken Parm Dinner in the area, bar none. I’m actually surprised that there aren’t more reviews or web info on this place. I would much rather go to TJ’s Then Ralphs, but I love Ralph’s pizza… so until TJ’s serves pizza I’m stuck.
Also, the Reuben and Turkey reueben ROCK! and the Fish Fry’s on Friday are the best deal in the Capital district. LOVE this place!

Tonight, I engaged in the futile task of trying to find a place to eat with less than an hour’s wait on a Saturday. After driving up and down Wolf Road and then Central Ave with no luck (and my mother in the passenger’s seat apparently engaged in a remedial Driver’s Ed lesson) we were seated right away at TJ’s. After the meal we had, I know why.
Things started out well enough, with bread and a tasty salad composed of mostly fresh ingredients. If you’re looking for an entrée, you’re limited to a handful of (admittedly varied) options. I ordered pasta and meatballs, and my mother ordered a hot beef sandwich with extra gravy on the side. Despite promising «your choice of pasta», my meal came with fettuccine instead of the spaghetti I’d ordered. My mother never got her side of extra gravy, even though it was on the bill when it came time to pay. My food was hot, but the meatballs were underwhelming. My mother’s plate was hot, but the food was cold. Mayor Jennings was seated a couple tables away; I hope he had a better luck with his food.
Other than the orders not being completely right, I had no problems with the service. My mother said she had a great meal when she’d stopped for lunch a few months back, so perhaps tonight was just an unfortunate fluke. But I’m not going back to find out.

The San Antonio Chicken is AWESOME! It is a simple dish but unique. The breading is so crispy (TJ’s secret recipe!); the strawberry salsa is yummy but wish it was made with fresh pineapple. The portions are huge; I always have enough for another dinner; and a very reasonable price. The service is always friendly and fast! The only down fall is if you sit by the door in the winter – you’ll feeze.

I’ve been here a few times, most recently to fuel up before facing the horror that is Wolf Road during Christmas shopping season. Good comfort foods, everything you would want plus a couple of things you didn’t think you wanted till you looked at the menu. A polenta appetizer was a shocker, didn’t try it, but the creativity alone for a place like this deserves some credit.
I had the hot turkey sandwich, which I can never seem to get enough of and my partner in crime had a chicken bacon cheddar melt and chicken gumbo. All really good and the fries (wedges) were piping hot, we both burned the roof of our mouths (it was worth it). The gumbo was homemade with a decent amount of spice.
There is a good size bar area that looked pretty comfortable. An all round good place.
And yes. .. I Survived Wolf Road Christmas 2007! That’s not a bad idea for a t-​shirt.