If you've always dreamed of living like Audrey Hepburn, you're in luck. Nearly six decades after the famous film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was released, Tiffany & Co. has simplified the matter of breakfasting at Tiffany’s. No longer must all the would-be Holly Golightlys wander the concrete below, coffee and croissant in hand, looking up at the store windows. They’ll have the Blue Box Café – the first of its kind – which opens at the New York flagship. Today’s Golightlys will sit up on the fourth floor and look down Fifth Avenue to where Central Park begins. Their coffee and croissant will cost $29 and come with a choice of avocado toast, truffled eggs, or a smoked salmon bagel with schmear. Today’s Golightlys will have options.
The cafe, inspired by the movie, is as much a spectacle as it is a place to eat.
The launch comes as Tiffany, like all retailers, has struggled to adapt to changing shopping habits. Marriage rates are declining, synthetic diamonds are proliferating and millennials are choosing to spend money on experiences rather than stuff.
The cafe located on its renovated fourth floor, which houses its home and accessories collection.
"Both the café and redesign of the home & accessories floor reflect a modern luxury experience," said Reed Krakoff, chief artistic officer in a statement. "The space is experimental and experiential – a window into the new Tiffany."
To get to the cafe, you walk past rows of diamonds on the main floor of Tiffany to a concierge-attended elevator. It's tiny walls are lined with photos of the brand's wares, including its new line of tea cups and plates, giving you a sneak peak of the cafe's table settings.
When the elevator dings and you arrive, you're greeted by a woman who chimes, "Welcome to the fabulous fourth floor."
The prix fixe cafe is designed to feel like you're inside one of Tiffany & Co.'s iconic jewelry boxes, with the decor awash in its signature robin's egg blue, CNBC reported.
But don't expect to waltz right in. "We don't take reservations yet, unfortunately," says a dining manager. So to claim your spot in the cafe, which seats 40 people, you may need to line up as early as 5 a.m. Early risers who wait in line are given a time to return later in the day.
For the lucky few who get in, be prepared to spend a pretty penny.
Breakfast costs $29 and starts with coffee or tea and a croissant or fruit. Then it's your choice of avocado toast, a buttermilk waffle, truffle eggs or smoked salmon and a bagel.
Lunch costs $39 and includes starters such as mushroom soup and black bass crudo, with main dishes like the "Charles Lewis Tiffany" sandwich (named after the jeweler's founder) or the "Fifth Avenue Salad" with Maine lobster and grapefruit.
If fancy treats are more your style, Tiffany Tea comes with a three-tiered plate of finger sandwiches and mini-desserts for $49.
There’s a small cake one can order on special occasions, or just because, for $36; it’s a Tiffany box with glossy blue icing and a big, white confectionary bow.
Many dessert items are a visual treat, incorporating Tiffany & Co's statement blue.
Also, be sure to check out their specialty menu item, the decadent Blue Box celebration cake.
A vivid jewel in the back, the restaurant makes the most of its compact space. It’s entirely Tiffany blue. The chairs have blue slip covers, and the china plates—Krakoff originals—are dipped in blue glaze. The walls are painted Tiffany blue, unless it’s a wall made of amazonite (nature’s Tiffany blue). Instead of art on the walls, there are Tiffany windows inset in miniature. Some include an array of actual Tiffany boxes adorned now with chrome figurines and diamonds or pieces of the homeware.
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