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Dining in Cooperstown, NY,
offers "Hall of Fame" cuisine
There is a restaurant for
every taste in and around this special New York state Village
| Cooperstown
Diner, Main St., Cooperstown, NY (photo by Eric J. Hurwitz) |
by Eric J. Hurwitz
For a small village, Cooperstown,
N.Y., offers big-time dining choices with each restaurant offering
a distinct personality. Whether it's romantic lakeside dining
or eating informally in front of a big screen television with
lots of loud children and adults cheering predominantly for the
New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, Cooperstown has all the bases
covered when it comes to finding great local restaurants.
Cooperstown Diner
136 1/2 Main Street,
Cooperstown - (607)547-9201
The tiny Cooperstown Diner is
better than some restaurants that think they're really good.
One taste of the chicken and biscuits dinner special makes one
realize that home style cooking can still be done effectively
when eating out. Hearty breakfasts, substantial lunches and a
few dinner selections (the pot roast is very good) make the Cooperstown
Diner a terrific, family-oriented restaurant. Service is always
friendly, corteuous, quick and informal. A classic diner experience,
not to be missed!
Doubleday
Cafe 93 Main Street,
Cooperstown (607)547-5468
The Doubleday Cafe is pure Cooperstown,
an extremely pleasant, popular one-room cavernous bar and restaurant
attracting tourists and locals. The Doubleday has a knack of
going beyond good "grub" and venturing into some sophisticated
and ultimately well done dinners. It may be a great restaurant
for a burger, but it's even better for a marinated vegetable
dish or seafood special of the day. A popcorn machine, four televisions,
a charming brick wall and high ceilings, and always good service
add up to the ultimate "townie" restaurant to dine.
Hoffman
Lane Bistro 2 Hoffman
Lane, Cooperstown (607)547-7055
Hoffman Lane Bistro is an appealing
restaurant tucked away on, surprise, Hoffman Lane, a pleasant,
narrow Village side street leading to Otsego Lake. Hoffman Lane
Bistro sports multi-level dining, a great fireplace in the bar
area, and "cool" music playing in the background --
blues, hippie music, one-hit wonders from the 1970s, etc. The
food is top-notch, especially the innovative versions of meatloaf,
pasta, and salmon. The atmosphere is laid-back and the service
always thoughtful, enthusiastic and professional. There's always
a culinary twist at Hoffman's; they never disappoint. Hoffman
Lane Bistro dinner menu
The Hawkeye Bar and Grille PO
Box 311; Location: 60 Lake Street, Route 80, Cooperstown (800)348-6222
The Hawkeye Bar and Grille is
a great Cooperstown Village dining choice. Located in the stunning
Otesaga Hotel -- a Federal-style piece of architecture featuring
incredible 30-foot columns, an elegant interior, the magnificent
Leatherstocking Golf Course, and huge outside porches with rocking
chairs overlooking the 700 feet of lakefront -- the Hawkeye Bar
and Grille, open for lunch and dinner, serves the best steak,
seafood and chicken dishes in town. Contrary to the upscale Hotel,
the Hawkeye Bar and Grille is informal, and in some areas, has
a clear and beautiful view of Otsego Lake. The melange of New
England seafood ( Shrimp, Scallops, Lobster and Littleneck Clams
Served over Linguine Pasta with a Tomato Basil Vinaigrette) is
as good as anything served in New England as the seafood and
pasta are equally fresh and combine to make a truly exceptional
dish. Another fine choice is the rack of lamb with a zinfandel
reduction -- this is so tasty, you might want to come back one
more time during your vacation to sample this excellent entree.
Sample
menus
Rose
& Kettle Restaurant,
4 Lancaster Street, Cherry
Valley, NY (607)264-3078
What a great restaurant! The chef-owned Rose & Kettle taps
into local, seasonal, and small-farm ingredients, whenever possible,
in and around farm-rich Leatherstocking Country to create one
of the best dining experiences we've experienced, not only in
the Cooperstown area, but anywhere. Tucked away in the
quaint and cozy Village of Cherry Valley, N.Y., the Rose &
Kettle's 200-year-old house setting creates a relaxing, charming
atmosphere, perfect for a romantic night out or for that special
vacation dining experience. Upscale, but never stuffy (they are
nice to kids and have a children's menu), the Rose & Kettle
offers myriad culinary gems, especially the orichiette pasta
with caramelized garlic and shallots, chicken, and almond cream
as well as the sky land farm lamb shank, "braised and toasted,"
with lemon herb risotto and creamy reduction. Wonderfully fresh
salads, delicious desserts, some unusual wine selections and
stellar service add to the overall great experience, helping
make the Rose & Kettle a truly special restaurant, sure to
please even the most finicky urban sophisticate. For the rest
of us, the Rose & Kettle is an instant dining memory, pleasing
the palate with the freshest selections in the Cooperstown region,
and far beyond. Rose
& Kettle Menu
Stagecoach
Coffee 31 Pioneer Street,
Cooperstown 607-547-6629
Stagecoach Coffee might be the
best run restaurant in Cooperstown. Clean, attractive and with
quick service, the Stagecoach would bode well in any urban area
with its attractive hardwood floor, funky background music and
light and airy coffeehouse feel. Sandwiches are terrific -especially
the fresh panini - and the variety of coffees, ice cream, smoothies
and muffins make the Stagecoach an instant favorite for people
of all ages. The backyard patio is particularly pleasant, sort
of an oasis in a Village that already is an oasis. The Stagecoach
does everything right, which isn't always the way Cooperstown
restaurants operate in the Village.
Blue
Mingo Grill 6098
State Highway 80, Cooperstown (607)547-7496
The Blue Mingo
creates such fine cuisine that it competes with the unbelievably
beautiful setting on Lake Otsego.
The scenic
boatyard, and the amazingly fresh air would be worth the price
of admission even if the Blue Mingo served the worst fast food.
They don't and that is a good thing.On our memorable night, we
sampled a healthy green salad (translated: no iceberg), bourbon
berry baby back ribs and a herb flavored sea bass that rank somewhere
in our top five best meals, including some pretty well known
choices in Boston, Mass., and Quebec City, Quebec.The menu changes
frequently and is brought to you on a chalkboard by the wait
staff. Regarding the wait staff, we found them to be always courteous,
right there when needed, and very friendly.
The Blue Mingo
is located in a boatyard a few miles from the Cooperstown.You
have to enter through a gift and clothing shop before finding
the soothing environment of the Blue Mingo. From that point on,
the night is there to remember long after you've left this incredible
lakeside restaurant. Blue
Mingo Grill dinner menu
... Blue
Mingo Grill lunch menu SEASONAL
Cafe Nicoletta
96 Main Street, Cooperstown
(607)547-7499
Cafe Nicoletta
is terrific, on par with some of the best urban Italian restaurants.
It's best experienced as a special night out, although families
are more than welcome in the handsome dark, candle lit environs
with Sinatra frequently playing in the background.
T.J.'s Grille 124
Main Street, Cooperstown (607) 547-4040
TJ's Grille is open from the
early morning hours to late at night. It's kid-friendly, loud
and has a huge selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner items.
The food quality is good; the overall experience makes it all
worthwhile. The big picture windows allow one to see Main St.
in action and TJ's atmosphere is fun with multi-colored lights,
big screen televisions, baked goods to take out, pinball games,
and a gift shop almost as big as the restaurant. Here, you can
find Cooperstown souvenirs and other appealing gifts.
The Pit at the Tunnicliff Inn ,
34-36 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown (607) 547-9611
Located in the basement of the historic Tunnicliff Inn, this
downtown favorite delivers solid steaks, chicken and seafood
in a cozy setting, with an antique bar to please those who like
adult beverages. Particularly good is the Sam Adams strip steak,topped
with sauteed mushrooms, prepared in a Boston lager beer and dijon
mustard cream sauce. The
Pit lunch menu and
The
Pit Dinner menu
Brooks
Bar-B-Que Restaurant, 5560 State Highway 7, Oneonta, N.Y.
(607)432-1782
Famous for some of the best barbecue
chicken, pork spareribs, beef, pork and steaks this side of the
Mason-Dixon line, Brooks isn't one of those "Johnny-Come-Lately,"
trendy barbecue joints that serves watery rotisserie meats. With
the largest indoor charcoal barbecue pit (38 feet in length)
in the East, Brooks Bar-B-Que certainly isn't for the macrobiotic,
vegetarian crowd as this 300-capacity family-oriented restaurant
serves high-quality, hearty portions that never disappoint. The
great food, low prices, efficient service and cleanliness make
Brooks a must-visit dining spot when visiting Cooperstown, even
if it is a half-hour away. Brooks
Bar_B-Que Restaurant lunch and dinner menu
Cooperstown dining in the
news: Rachel Ray, host
of the Food Network's $40 a Day, recently traveled to
Cooperstown to find the best ways to dine on a $40.00 budget.
This episode wonderfully combined great footage of the Village
and its attractions, Ray's love for the area and its people,
and, of course, the great dining options -- including the American
Hotel in nearby Sharon Springs, N.Y., Danny's Main St. Market,
Brewery Ommegang, the snack area at Cooperstown Dreams Park,
and the legendary Brooks Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Oneonta, N.Y.
It was a great show and one that we hope will broadcast again
soon!
For more information on
Cooperstown, NY, view the Cooperstown
Travel Library, Attractions Resource
Guide, Calendar of Events, Lodging, and photo
gallery sections.
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