I've walked past Society Coffee on Frederick Douglass Boulevard at 114th Street many times without feeling compelled to stop in. Although it has a well appointed interior with exposed brick, leather chairs and a plush leather banquette, something about naming it Society seems a bit forced. The choice of name reminded me of the kid in first grade who walked around telling everyone he was tough, because he wasn't. But a couple of people asked me what I thought of the place, so I stopped by.

Society has a decent website in development, with photos of the venue, so I thought I would try a short video clip panning the interior to offer something different.

The first thing that hit me was the attractiveness of the staff, both male and female. Whereas last night I felt underdressed, at Society I felt undersexy. This was not just my observation. A friend who joined me later made mention of the same thing.

The next thing that hit me was that Society has wait staff. Starbucks has ruined me. I now always assume that there is register service at coffee houses, even at Settepani, where I have been many times. I always walk up to the register and then feel like an ass when told that there is service at the table. The same thing happened at Society. I was politely told that someone would soon see me at a table.

Once at the table, I talked briefly with the server. He let me know that the venue will be celebrating its one year anniversary next month, I believe on the 9th. He said to expect notice in the next week.

The final big realization of the visit was that Society offers more than coffee and small cakes. Also on the beverage menu are smoothies, beer, wine, and on the food menu are breakfast items, panini sandwiches, and small plates. The lunch options nicely extend out to a lite diner option, and the breakfast menu becomes brunch on the weekends.