Tiffany cafe lets anyone be Holly
In the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Audrey Hepburn’s character, Holly Golightly, muses that a visit to the jeweler’s Fifth Avenue flagship store “calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it.” She continues, in these lines also found in Truman Capote’s novella of the same name, that “nothing very bad could happen to you there.”
Turns out, Golightly was right. I discovered this firsthand when I inadvertently knocked over a piece of Tiffany china during a visit to the Blue Box Cafe, the luxury retailer’s first dining venture, located on the fourth floor of the famed location.
The crash was neither quiet nor proud. I was mortified, and I know my middle-school self — who coveted Tiffany’s chunky sterling-silver jewelry beyond any school crush — would have been, too.
But instead of a proper scolding, my waiter nonchalantly whisked the broken crockery away. “It happens more often than you’d think,” he explained. His gaze shifted to another diner, who was struggling to hoist his heavy digital camera over his $70 Tiffany blue dinner plate.
He looked back at me and smiled: “Just don’t let it ruin your experience.”
The concept of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” has changed dramatically since Golightly’s tranquil 5 a.m. stroll down Fifth Avenue in her sleeveless black dress. Now, instead of paper coffee cups and curbside pastries, modern-day Golightlys can indulge their rich fantasies with a three-course breakfast inside the store.
Visiting the seemingly built-for-Instagram restaurant — which opened to fanfare in November of last year — has become a bucket-list item for foreign tourists, film fans and even New Yorkers.
At the host’s stand, I received the royal treatment — despite my lack of tiara and satin gloves — and was whisked to a two-top table facing Central Park’s Grand Army Plaza.
From the walls to the slipcovered chairs and leather-bound booths, the space was a veritable sea of Tiffany blue. The attentive and friendly staff even sported blue ties and aprons.
The menu was full of trendy American fare (avocado toast) with buzzy New York monikers (the Fifth Avenue salad, with Maine lobster and grapefruit). And though I arrived at noon, I ordered breakfast, which is served all day. The decadent meal included a seasonal fruit plate with edible flowers and peeled grapes; a miniature croissant with three spreads (Nutella, butter and jam); and my choice of one of four entrees. I opted for the smoked salmon and crisps — basically a deconstructed lox bagel.
While the food could coast on the Tiffany name and nostalgia alone, the cafe delivers in terms of presentation and flavor: The fruit was fresh, the croissant buttery and flaky. And the bagel crisps featured a generous portion of fresh lox. I savored every bite during my leisurely, hourlong meal.
The Blue Box Cafe, in the Tiffany tradition, makes a world of luxury and glamour accessible to all — even if only for a meal.