illium cafe

i love the breakfast here. the eggs benedict is amazing and so is the parisian omelette!

lovely cafe. i always walk in feeling like it is going to be pretentious, but i end up leaving full and happy. we only ever had one meal we didn't like, and that was a sweet sandwich with walnuts and it was on brioche. my boy friend is not keen on sweet things, and over all it was a bad decision on his part. over all love the food, and anything with fish is always delicious. also their simple foods are wonderful too.

it’s taken me a long time to arrive here. i’ve heard so many good things about illium and chef ortega, that i was concerned that i might have built up too much expectation in my mind. so i told myself, “you’re only going for lunch, don’t have high expectations.”

how foolish i was to have lowered expectations for lunch. my taste buds confirmed what many others have been saying. the flavors here blend into a symphony, orchestrated by the kitchen through original compositions.

for our “andante” we started with two bowls (only size available) of the soups of the day ($4.35 each). mine was cream based with potatoes and chunks of corned beef and my wife’s was cream based with mushrooms and chevre. mine seemed a bit salty, but corned beef is going to do that, and there was certainly a lot of the corned beef spice flavors to enjoy. while my wife’s mushroom soup was less intense in flavors than mine, the chevre blended really well with the earthiness of the fungi. i guess hers was more allegro tranquillo. both came with a half-slice of very good, toasted bread that ensured that we finished our soups to the bottom of the bowls.

our “finale” was the duck panini ($12.95) for me and the special’s pulled pork quesadilla ($11.50) for her. the pulled pork quesadilla included arugula, smoked mozzarella, mango salsa, and sriracha lime aioli. the mango salsa made it a bit sloppy to handle, but it had a great mix of flavors. half of it ended up coming home.

my duck panini included sweet red onions, chevre, and arugula. i had asked for cold slaw as my side, but received the dill potato salad instead. the potato salad was very good so i didn’t object, and the panini was delicious.

service was good, i was offered a refill on my cup of coffee ($2,50) while my wife finished her bottle of saratoga water ($2.50). acoustics reminded me of a typical diner with plenty of kitchen clattering noises. the back room probably would have been quieter, but the kitchen just added a percussiveness to the ambiance, unlike the doctor who was sitting at the table next to us talking fortissimo enough for us to hear everything he was telling his dining companion. i do want to close by mentioning how nicely appointed the restroom is. seriously!

great spot we happened upon in troy saturday evening. four of us stopped in for dinner. four different entrées ordered and we were all pleased. i had the scallops and they were done perfectly. i will certainly try this place again when i am in town.

fantastic and unique. fabulous menu everything made from scratch they got it going on its a must try ;)

had breakfast there on saturday. the eggs were very good but we had french toast that was deep fried. unfortunately, it tasted like all the other food that was also deep fried (fries, fish, etc). we complained and they took it off the bill, so i compliment them on good customer service

horrible service, horrible food, horrible environment. rude and impatient service; mediocre food; greasy and smoky environment.

i don't understand why this place has an average 4 stars on yelp.

when i walked into the cafe, i immediately noticed the overwhelming smell of oil and smoke (like the smell of cheap diners). i just had a breakfast there, and when i left, i smell like oil from hair to toe, the smell will stick to your cloth, every inch of your skin, and i had to go back home to take another shower to get rid of the smell.

the food is just as greasy as the air smells. my bagel came drenched in oil. the coffee was ok.

the service made me feel very unwelcomed. the waitress never came to me after my initial order. when i wanted another coffee, i tried to get her attention for about 10 minutes. she knew that i needed service because our eyes met a couple times. but she just ignored me.

what made it worse is that, since the breakfast sandwich was so greasy and horrible, i only finished 1/3 of it. so i wanted to order a fruit cup to complete my breakfast. but the waitress just put my bill on the table and walked away (without even talking to me). i waited for another 15 minutes, trying to get the attention from one of the wait staff to get my fruit cup. but failed. they looked at me, and went away.

but they came to me immediately as i gave up and put my credit card on the check. i feel that they just wanted me to leave.

i didn't even dare to try using the groupon that i bought for this place. i felt that they would have been angrier at me if i did.

i dare not dine there ever again.

favorite breakfast spot in troy. if you're looking for a tasty breakfast/brunch in troy, i recommend the illium. the breakfast menu is small, but tight and offers fun and sometimes exotic daily special options. i usually keep it simple with a egg sandwich plus smoked mozz and a side of delicious homemade hash, my favorite. the french toast is usually huge, big enough for 2, and looks/tastes a lot like dessert. nice coffee menu too. i've also been here for lunch and dinner a bit, but breakfast is definitely their strong suite.

great sunday option & any other day too. driving around one sunday afternoon after picking blueberries east of town, it proved harder than expected to find any place to eat that was open. fortunately, illium café obliged and we found easy street parking less than a block away. - -

my dining companions all ordered salads or sandwiches and with my nephew in town, they were kind enough to bring a child seat for the booth. the menu for specials looked appetizing, so i couldn’t resist the cold melon soup, which was quite refreshing. the buttery giant bean high-protein salad proved to be an excellent companion, but was big enough that i certainly didn’t need to order the soup! - -

the ahi tuna and avocado salad proved to be a hit, along with the grilled vegetable panini and grilled marinated portabella and arugula panini. the chef certainly takes pride in their work and the old-time feel of the place added a certain charm. obviously this place is pretty vegetarian friendly, but there is plenty on the menu for everyone – the cajun pork-belly & crispy prosciutto open faced panini sounded great!

new fav!. lived in troy forever but never came inside. so glad i did! breakfast was wonderful (and i am not a breakfast person to begin with) coffee was also great very fresh and not weak tasting. waiter was so pleasant. i will probly be coming back here at least once a month now!

everything breakfast and lunch here is incredible. their eggs benedict are great, and the roast beef and portobello sandwich is one of the best sandwiches i've ever had. and trust me, i've been around the block with some sandwiches.
i haven't been there for dinner yet, as the prices definitely shoot up. but from everything i've seen so far, it's probably worth every penny

for lunch i went with the soft-shell crab sandwich, which was encrusted with potato…chips! it was very unique and extremely delicious.