Spill'n the Beans

I came to live in Troy about 5 years ago when attending RPI as a freshman. Since then, downtown Troy has progressed dramatically from a place that students were once scared of. There was a taboo on this place, and students would constantly pass around stories that showed this beautiful city in a bad light. One thing I noticed when I began visiting the area regularly, was the frequency of cafes. One cafe that the AllForLocal team took to pretty quickly was called Spill'n The Beans.

Review: Spill'n the Beans Coffeehouse and Bistro
Location: 13 3rd Street, Troy NY 12180
Business Type: Cafe and Bistro

This cute cafe is located in a busy part of the downtown area, just a minutes walk from Monument Square, located right next to Market Block Books, and across the street from the Troy Atrium. Its elegant atmosphere and wonderfully decorated interior makes it a great hangout spot.

As a bit of background, I will say that the team went to this coffee-shop dozens of times since we first discovered it. If a new person is in town, this is the first place they will see. If a business meeting were to occur in Troy, this is the suggested spot. If we are bored and want to get out, chess at Spill'n is the thing to do. We are regulars; for life.

As I already said, the atmosphere in this cafe is great. You can choose from a wide variety of seats: some right outside on the gorgeous streets of downtown Troy, some just inside that are on stools for a more elevated cafe experience, some are couches where you can enjoy chess or simply read a newspaper, and some are traditional tables and chairs in the "dining area". Wifi is also available for those with laptops and mobile devices.

The walls are sponge painted orange, which gives the interior a very vibrant look. The aromas emanating from the kitchen and coffee roaster make you want to stay here forever. And the food is amazing as well!

The menu here is typical of cafes: coffee, tea, hot chocolate as well as a multitude of other drinks, breakfast sandwiches, paninis for lunch, fresh baked goods, and homemade soups. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the coffee as I am not a drinker, but from what I have heard it is the best in town (please comment if you agree to back up this claim). They roast the coffee beans in house, and offer a wide variety of flavors, how can it be bad?!

The service is excellent as well. Your food is delivered to your seat, and the staff is friendly and always happy to talk. The chef also really knows what he is doing.

As for the food, I have had the hot chocolate, which is by far the best I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. I have also enjoyed several of their paninis, which are consistently excellent. I have eaten several different types including the Caprese (mozzarella, tomatoes, pesto) and the chicken with sauteed peppers and onions (with Mexican flavors and cheese). These sandwiches are tasty and satisfying; grilled to the utmost crispy perfection. They come with your choice of chips (Cape Cod potato chips?) or salad, which has a sweet balsamic dressing that is to die for.

Now that I have stated the good, I will tell you about the bad: the prices. Let me say before I go on, that we still consistently eat here, but for those with a tight budget, 14 dollars for a sandwich, salad and a hot chocolate or coffee is pressing the wallet a bit. The food is so excellent that it is worth it. But I cannot do this business justice if I am not honest.

Overall, this is a great coffee shop and highly recommended. If you have not tried their food (specifically their coffee), then go down one day and check it out. Make sure to comment here if you have an experience that is worth noting.

Thanks for reading, and we welcome additional reviews of these businesses. This way we can get an unbiased set of reviews that give a thorough description of what these local businesses have to offer. (Pictures to come!)

Additional Information:
Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 5:30pm; Saturday 8am - 4pm; Sunday 8am - 3pm
Website: www.spillnthebeans.com
AllForLocal Listing: http://www.allforlocal.com/business/1548/
Phone: 518-268-1028

Cardona's Market

Yesterday was my first actual experience using AllForLocal to find something that I wanted/needed locally. In this case, I was looking for lunch on a Sunday somewhere near Troy (lunch, food, deli). If you know Troy well, finding anything on a Sunday downtown is a difficult experience, so I knew I would need to go further than Troy for my meal. Since I was on my way back from Stuyvesant NY, this would be a perfect opportunity to find something in Albany. After narrowing down my choices online, I called a few local delis and restaurants to get more information if AllForLocal did not yet have it, such as hours of operation and menu items. Eventually, I was pleased to find Cardona's Market in Albany NY.

Review: Cardona's Market
Location: 340 Delaware Ave, Albany NY, 12209
Store Type: Specialty Italian Food Store and Deli

I ordered my food ahead of time to avoid the lunch rush. Just a simple chicken parmigiana grinder, a classic favorite of mine, can't mess that up! I arrived at the store, conveniently located a minute from the entrance to I-787 (easy to get to). Even though parking around this establishment was horrid, I managed to find a parking space right in front of the shop.

Upon entering, I was immediately taken into a different country, to Italy that is. This market reminded me of the same type of grocery store you would find in my parent's hometown in Italy, very similar to one that our family owns. It had all the items you could possibly need from your home, and specialized in Italian imported items such as Nutella, Italian coffees, Italian sweets, and pretty much everything you would find at a regular supermarket. It also had a full-service meat market, with deli meats, the most fresh meat you will ever find, and sausages and sopresata for great home cooking. The atmosphere was very homey, and it made me feel like I was in the family.

This kind of market is not too common with the growth of big supermarket chains, but Cardona's maintained a great atmosphere, a very up-to-date store, and was extremely clean. What surprised me the most was with how busy it was at lunchtime on a Sunday. I assume all the local college students make this store one of their regulars after a long Saturday night. This was the biggest problem I had - long lines 15 minutes before closing (but hey, if being busy is their biggest problem, then they don't have much to worry about).

Anyway, back to my food. Since I was splitting the grinder I purchased (which was a total of 8 bucks with potato chips), I only had the pleasure to eat half. It was excellent and surprisingly satiating (for half a sandwich...usually I eat a whole grinder with ease). Since chicken parm grinders are the most common sandwich I purchase, this was no easy feat. I have to put this sandwich on the top 5 grinders I have ever had! Now I am motivated to go back and shop around more, once I have the time to do so. I will definitely visit this deli/market again maybe for some food, maybe to shop instead of the less local alternatives. This way, I can give a more thorough rating of this shop and tell you more about it.

Take my advice and try this place out! The prices are very reasonable, and even if it is not within your budget, the food and atmosphere make the trip worth it!

-Joe Balestriere

Local Business Reviews

Our team at AllForLocal loves shopping at small businesses. If we can find what we need locally, we shop there. In order to supplement our work with this website, I have started this blog in order to rate local businesses in the area. We will try and rate at least 5-10 businesses per month, no promises though! Stay tuned for updates!