Giving a good name to cafes in stripmalls everywhere.
We have been stopping by this plaza-bound cafe for several years now due to a working on a lot of projects in Otsego County, specifically in the Index/Cooperstown area. Most likely overlooked by the thousands of little-league dads and tourists ferrying their kids from the baseball camps on the south of town to the museums and shops in downtown Cooperstown, the Bean is not ignored by local business people who form lines out the door every 20 minutes during lunch.This is the kind of place I wish I could take all three meals at sometimes, but they close at 4pm most of the year. I think a great cafe starts with the simple things. They offer bold, flavorful coffee, big tasty muffins, and a few varieties of quality bagels. The Bean does have a menu of breakfast offerings, but I haven't ventured too far beyond the coffee and muffins. We try to get into the field as soon as we can in the morning, so a sit-down breakfast is never really an option for us.
Lunch is really why I like the place. There are about 20 sandwiches, and all are worth eating. My personal favorite is the Jerk Chicken sandwich, a hand-flattened, jerk-seasoned chicken fillet on a soft roll with lettuce, tomato, onion and pineapple mayo, served with blue corn tortilla chips. The lunch omelet is a good choice as well, served with grilled French bread and a mixed green salad.
Service is a mix between counter and table-waiting, and is always quick and friendly. The chef, as far as I can tell, works here in the open kitchen during the day, and somewhere much fancier at night. He is friendly, approachable, and has never held it against me that I am a Red Sox fan. That goes a long way in this New York baseball mecca.Due to fresh, high-quality ingredients, the food prices are somewhat higher than the average lunch stop, but are worth it. Almost everyone on my crew will eat there at least once a week, which is quite a recommendation from our primarily brown-bag lunch crowd.
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I have many positive memories of The Bean. Good food, and decent coffee to boot!
ReplyDeleteYes, being a bit of a coffee snob, I have noticed a lot of places that call themselves coffee shops or cafes don't know how to make a proper pot of coffee.
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