Tj's And Lounge - Boardman

I'm very happy to report that TJ's restaurant at the Holiday Inn has really upped their game. The food and service are much better now. Shout out to the servers Carmen and Noelle that do a terrific job! We went with a group of 12 people for breakfast/ lunch on Sunday. Everyone was satisfied with their meals. The menu has been expanded again, so there's lots to select from. Quality has improved as well.

Everything else about the hotel is great. Staff etc. But... Restaurant doesn't deserve one star. I gave it a second and turn s out last try. Skip the restaurant at night. You'll thank me. Service is the worst. Need to retrain your staff or get new. Food takes 45 minutes plus to come out. The bartender/waitress disappears for 20 minutes at a time. Never returns to update you. Ate here 3 weeks ago while staying here. There was one person at the bar. I ordered the special and it still took 45 minutes. It was uneditable. The cook must have dropped the salt shaker on my plate. I couldn't eat it but was still charged. Minus 20 .

Food and staff are Excellent along with good pricing. If you want an amazing steak, ask to have Chef Robert make it. If you want some of the best meatloaf that's homemade every day, this is the place to be, Cook Erika makes some of the best meatloaf I've ever had. Overall, if you want quality food at a good price, please go and try TJ's.

I previously gave this restaurant five stars for all the meals I've had over probably a 20 year time span. It was great food at a great price.... That was before Covid. They recently opened up again in August 2021, and a lot of things have changed. First of all, you can't get soup instead of salad with your entrée. In fact, they've done away with soups all together. They also have no desserts available. The selection on sides that go with your entrée are much more limited now, and you cannot get pasta as a side anymore. They've also increased their prices, and my favorite entrée, chicken français, is not the same as it used to be. I'm not sure if they have new staff that don't know how to make it or what, but I was very disappointed.

Ok, so the only reason I give 2 stars not one is because I didn't get sick. That's mean, yes, but truthful and not meant to be mean-spirited, because while I was underwhelmed at best, and I'm trying to be constructive. Let's review the setting. TJ's Restaurant Lounge is the captive restaurant for the Holiday Inn, Youngstown South (Boardman in Ohio. As I mentioned in my review of the Hotel, it strikes me as odd and perhaps shortsighted on the part of management that the recent renovations didn't make it past the guest rooms and foyer. Walking in to TJ's reminds me of a late 90's Marie Calendar's. Somebody is proud of ALL THAT OAK! Anyways, I was greeted by a bored host standing at the entry podium. He was accommodating to my seating requests, but honestly I was the 3rd person in the dining room/s at 8:30 pm. That should have been a warning sign, but I was hangry from my travels and didn't want to go anywhere else. After seating I was immediately attended to by my waitress, with food and drink menus, and a request if I wanted a beverage. Hell yeah, of course I do. I ordered what turned out to be a sub-par Cabernet, and she only once confused soda water with regular water, but was quick to remedy her mistake after of course I called her on it. I ordered the Maryland Crab Cakes and a Delmonico, because well 1 I judge all restaurants by Crab Cakes and Hamburgers (must be local grass fed and 2 I love a good steak. If you are going to put $13 Maryland Crab Cakes on the menu they better live up to your asking price. These were served with cold bread-crumb heavy potatoes gratin, and loaded with bread crumb filler themselves, and they were disappointing. They were sub-standard no-spice breadcrumbs and the crab was under-seasoned to the point where I tasted mayonnaise only. No salt, no old-bay, no nothing. Bland and meh. The Delmonico, however, was pretty damn perfect. A diamond in the rough of the red carpeting and oak tabletops. It was cooked exactly to my specification and was served with two hand-battered onion rings. The steak was tender, juicy, and well, what I expected. So a bright light of hope there. As I was obviously staying over at the hotel, I had a chance to sample their breakfast. Again, waaaaay dissapointed in the institutional level bacon (thin and dry , frozen potatoes from a bag (again, dry and bland , and dry (no butter! sourdough toast. The eggs, however were perfectly cooked to spec. TJ's is sourcing sub-standard institutional quality base material and trying to pass it off as hotel quality. Don't be fooled peeps. Stand strong. Demand GOOD FOOD!!! if you don't you won't find it here.