New York - March 25, 2005

Cuppa Sanity

Joe Opens in Union Square

Obsessive behavior. May not be as bad for you as you think.

Exhibit A: Compulsive hand washing. (It’s a dirty city. People should bathe more often.)
Exhibit B: Checking and rechecking that the oven is off. (It’d be a stupid way to go.)
Exhibit C: Drunk dialing. (Eh. In vino veritas.)

Then there’s Jonathan Rubinstein, owner of Joe coffee shop on Waverly, and his obsession with coffee. His meticulously trained baristas have brought their perfect roast, grind, and foam to a new outpost on 13th Street. (The Union Squares, still reeling from a Whole Foods high, may implode with culinary joy.)

At Joe, coffee gets the sort of care usually reserved for wine, cheese, and chocolate. They’ll ask if you want room for milk. (If you’re drinking it black, they pour the freshest brew.) They make little designs in the foam. Coffee tastings (“cuppings”) are on the way. The sweets come from local faves like Black Hound and Ceci-Cela. (Yes, Amy Sedaris will bake cupcakes for this Joe, too.)

They’re friendly; they remember your order. Joe is exactly what your local coffee shop should be.

Smell you later, Dean & Deluca.

Joe, 9 East 13th Street, between Fifth Avenue and University Place (212-924-7400).

  Coffee Clutch