After weathering the Sixth Avenue traffic and a long meeting in Midtown’s Bryant Park neighborhood, I came upon Coffeemania (1065 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018). I thought I would chill out over a warm cup of coffee, and yet as soon as I walked in—I felt like I’d stepped into an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The outside décor gives the appearance of a coffee shop. The inside is another story. The mystery is the restaurant’s simple elegance, where the experience is grand in small details. It’s not just the friendliness of the hostess, the gracious servers, or the beautiful flowers on the tables. It’s the confluence of all three, cocooned within the smooth chimes of melodies from the soundtrack and the contemporary, warm-oak style of the spacious restaurant.

Even observing the motion of the barista making my coffee was relaxing, and it was worth the wait. Coffeemania’s coffee was rich and supremely delicious. I ordered my dessert and imagined that the poet and playwright Alexander Pushkin could have sat in the leather booth, talking to admirers in the 21st century.

My sweet Pannochka (hazelnut cake with butter coca cream) arrived and jolted me from my reverie. I savored each bite enjoying a taste of Coffeemania’s cuisine, which surely will become a classic in Manhattan.

Catch it if you can at www.coffeemaniaNYC.com