I have been patiently waiting for this café to open up since last Fall. Today, I finally got to visit them during their Soft Opening period. I am still not sure when the hard opening would be, but for as long as I got to go in, who cares when the hard opening is, right? It is a Golden Girls themed café, and for a fan or anyone who has watched the show, it is such a fun place to visit. The name of the café comes from the legendary Rue McClanahan, who played Blanche on Golden Girls, and the owner of the café, Michael LaRue, who was a best friend of Rue MacClanahan.
The owner, Michael LaRue has been putting in his heart and soul into this place, every piece was selected with utmost care, love, and detail. From talking with him few times during the construction, I could tell how much thoughts he put into the place for Rue, he wanted everything to be perfect, and to make her proud. He has so much of her artifacts and personal belongings, every item has a (great) story behind it. It is such a wonderful place, it is so much more than just a café, but more like a museum! The sign of the café was made by an artist in Brooklyn, really cool and modern, has that Andy Warhol feel to it. It has the Golden Girls theme, “Thank you for being a friend” right underneath, with a star dangling right below. Michael told us that Rue had a lucky charm necklace, which was a small golden star. He put the star everywhere in and outside the restaurant. How adorable! Speaking of star, they also have Rue’s bronze star square tile right at the entrance. Yes, a beginning of a museum tour/experience.
There are some of her wardrobes right by the front door, and some photos as well. Beautifully preserved and displayed. It is so cool to see them so casually, welcoming you as you walk in.
The inside is not that big, but with tall ceiling and minimum furniture, it felt larger than it is. It was bright with natural light, thanks to a huge window which can be opened out to the street during the warm months. It had a TV on the wall, playing Golden Girls episodes, which is really fun to watch! Even though it is just the soft opening, it was quite busy, with only few seats left when we walked in.
They had a live music, playing piano and guitar which was a great surprise. I am not sure if that was just a special occasion, or a weekend brunch gig? But we certainly enjoyed it. Thank you!
The line for ordering was not that long, but it took a while since the staffs are still in their “training” periods. I am sure it will get faster and more smooth as they get used to it. The owner was there, helping out with everything as well; bringing food, cleaning up tables, greeting customers, etc. Making sure everything was good, and everyone was happy.
And there are so many things packed in here for you to see. They have Emmy Award (yes, the actual, real thing!!!), TV props like the yellow phone used in the Golden Girls, and even the special wallpaper that the fan would recognize…! So fun to walk around and take a look at the history and world of Television.
There was a huge glass case display of Rue’s personal belongings as well. It had photos, jewelry, shoes, and all sorts of cool stuff. Didn’t I say it is like a museum? Great collection of the TV star, and so awesome to take a peek at what her life was like.
But the greatest collection of all is the massive amount of photos. It seems like it took forever to decide where to put which one, but I can say he has done an outstanding job. Each frame contains a story, history, and warmth. And at the very top, it has series of photos of Rue from each decade, starting from 1930s. I could see she has always been a beautiful girl/woman!
My favorite photo so far is the one above (strange) bathroom door. It is a photo of all the Golden Girls. It is such a nice, loving photo, it made me smile just looking at it. Another thing to mention is their furniture. Each piece is again, carefully selected or made to Micheal’s specific order to match this café and its theme.
Everywhere you look, you will find a piece of Golden Girls in it. I especially loved the wall paper, same design from Blanche’s bedroom. It has a funny caricature there of the Golden Girls, pretty cool. I seriously could spend hours and hours there, just looking at everything!
The lighting fixture is another thing that Michael had put extra consideration in. It is not a typical café light fixture, but made to look like the light equipment from TV set. Really awesome! With the stage, wardrobe, and all the cool artifacts, it almost transport you to a TV set! And it sure does a great job lighting up the glittering gold floor!
Yes I said glittering gold floor. The owner told us that he was planning to install hardwood flooring, but then for some reason, he decided to go with a gold mica chip and glitter floor. He felt like Rue was speaking to him and telling him to go with the gold. And you know what? It is just perfect for this café. After all, it is a Golden Girls themed café, why not go with gold!
So, the food. They do have so much offerings than I have expected, which is great. I thought they will only have beverages and desserts, but no, they have actual food, and so much more! For anyone who is looking for a quick food, they have baked goods like bagels, croissants, cookies and cakes. They also have sandwiches, lasagna, and Quiche, etc. that you can take home.
They do have more desserts than you can see next to the ordering counter. They had some behind the counter, below the counter, completely hidden, etc. So if you have a specific item you want, and you don’t see it anywhere, make sure to ask the staff. It might just be hidden in the back refrigerator. If you have the time to eat in, you can order soups (tomato bisque in bread bowl looked amazing), salads , entrées, breakfast items, etc.
And drinks? They have coffee, espresso, tea, and guess what, wines! They have some desserts made specific to each characters (like cheesecakes), but they also have coffee flavors for each characters as well. How fun! You can buy the bag of beans when you find your favorite kind. Or, why not get them all so that you have the complete selection?
We got Sophia’s Sicilian coffee ($2.25/small) and Rose’s St. Olaf Blend ($2.25/small). They were the only drip coffee available on that day. The Sophia’s coffee is a smooth Italian dark roast, with subtle notes of chocolate and fruit. It was good and strong, and was a good size for the price. It is so rare to get a good cup of coffee at less than $3 in NYC.
Rose’s coffee is a light roast blend, and it is said to be a perfect pair for Rose’s “Gerneten-flüken cake” (a fan would know what that is!). The color was a little lighter that Sophia’s, since it is a lighter roast. It was good and warms you up from the inside. I prefer to have a little milk with my coffee, and they do have milk and half & half on the counter near the door. They also have all kinds of sugar and essentials there if you need them.
As for desserts, we got the Aunt Fran’s Chocolate Loaf ($4.50/slice) and Lemon Meringue Pie ($4.50/slice). We actually wanted to have their special cheesecakes, but since we didn’t see them on the menu, we assumed they didn’t have them. But, we later found out that they do indeed have them, just not displayed… Well, we know what we are going to order the next visit!
The chocolate cake was very moist, sweet but not overly “sugary.” It did have great chocolate flavor, so it had the natural sweetness of the chocolate, not from sugar. The frosting was thick, so small layer of it was enough. It was a good piece of cake, we really liked it. Went perfectly with coffee.
The lemon meringue pie was awesome, the meringue was so fluffy and airy, it was jiggling and bouncing on the top! It had good acidity, very refreshing. I liked how it was not overly sweet. I heard it is a Betty White’s recipe, but I don’t know if that is true? If it is true, thank you Betty for sharing your recipe!
Last thing I have to mention is their bathroom. Even if you don’t have the need to use the restroom, you must go and check it out!!! The door is the best part…I think Michael told us several months ago that it was shipped from Rue’s office. The door was made specifically for her, and is soooo funny! Make sure to check out the back of the door too. The tiles of the bathroom is a replica of Golden Girls bathroom, which is another extra details that was put into this place, to have the complete look for the Golden Girls theme. Really, super amazing job!
The owner, Michael was nice enough to pose for a photo with me. He even said “Pick up the phone and act like you are talking on it.” Super fun! He really is a sweet person…
It is easy to say this is now one of our favorite Café in NYC. We will be going there again and again… I am so happy they are finally open! Until the hard opening, their temporary hours are Tuesday – Sunday, from 7:30am – 3:30pm. I can’t wait to go back for more awesome desserts or food, and fun coffee! Thank you Michael for making this dream café into a reality!
Rue La Rue Café – 4394 Broadway, New York, NY 10040