Where a small is actually a small.

I spent my afternoon at Juan Valdez Cafe on 57th Street in midtown, catching up on some business. I wasn't there for more than 30 seconds before I realized I had found something worthwhile. After all, I simply wasn't in one of the dozens of Starbucks in the area, and here's how I knew:

1. The store was bigger than the typical studio apartment.
2. There wasn't a line - longer than that at the counter - waiting for the bathroom.
3. I was asked whether my Americano was "to stay or to go." My answer lead to...
4. ...my coffee being served in an actual mug. Like an actual cafe. Shocking. No, really.
5. The seating was ample, and catered to the lonely-guy-with-his-laptop crowd. Bench seating wrapped around the walls of the back area, corralling the small tables into some kind of manageable order.
6. My request for a small coffee was not met with the correcting confirmation, "You want a tall coffee? Sure." Hold the critical undertones, thanks.