SAUGATUCK, MI -- There's a new New York City cafe inspired by the long-running show "The Golden Girls."

In the Rue La Rue Cafe, diners can order a coffee named after one of the four characters in the popular 1980s sitcom about sassy septuagenarians.

There's Dorothy's No Nonsense Roast, a medium roast that captures the sensibilities of Bea Arthur's character, Dorothy Zbornak. Sophia's Sicilian Coffee, a smooth dark roast with subtle notes of chocolate and fruit, is for Sophia Petrillo, the frank Sicilian mother of Dorothy, played by Estelle Getty.

Betty White's Rose character inspired the light roast, Rose St. Olaf Blend, while Blanche's Gentlemen Caller, a blend of light roasted Sumatra and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans, evokes Rue McClanahan's flirty southern belle character.

Getting the coffee right is important, says Michael J. La Rue, owner of the Manhattan cafe and executer of McClanahan's estate.

"I always thought we would have good coffee," La Rue said. "Rue loved coffee."

There's also two other Golden Girl's options: a decaf medium roasted blend with spicy cocoa flavors with hints of caramel and almond, and an espresso blend.

The coffee comes from Uncommon Coffee Roasters in Saugatuck, a small company making a name for itself in the burgeoning cold brew coffee sector.

After a successful trial run, Meijer recently decided to add Uncommon's' Half & Half and CBC with Chocolate Milk to all of its 230 Midwest stores, and introduce the original Straight* version to many of the stores.

The company is also in talks with a distributor to bring its cold brew beverages to stores in a 14 state footprint, said Angie Pena-Smith, who oversees marketing for the company and its downtown Saugatuck coffee house, at 127 Hoffman St.

La Rue discovered Uncommon at the National Restaurant Association's annual restaurant show in Chicago.

New Yorkers 'raving' about coffee

After talking to lots of roasters, he was won over by the Michigan company's willingness to work with him on his own terms. He wanted to both co-brand the coffee and pick out the six blends.

"Everyone in New York who has tried the coffee is raving about it," said La Rue, adding that many compliment Sophia's Sicilian Coffee for not being bitter.

Currently the six coffee blends are only available at the restaurant at 4394 Broadway, in the Washington Heights neighborhood. Eventually, the 12-ounce bags will be available online. A portion of the sales is donated to the Rue McClanahan Golden Girl Animal Sanctuary.

La Rue has been picky about what products he is willing to put the Golden Girl's brand on, says the coffee has been a good start.

"The coffee is so high end -- the packaging, labeling and the flavor," said La Rue. "I'm proud to carry it in Manhattan. This is a sophisticated crowd."

The nearly 1,000 square-foot, two-story restaurant is filled with McClanahan's memorabilia from her career and The Golden Girls.

There's seating for 45 people, and up to another 45 for sidewalk dining in the warmer months.

Chef Michele Weber's "Betty White Cake" will be making daily appearances at Rue McClanahan's Manhattan café. We don't have an opening date yet, but we are getting SOOOOO close! Rue La Rue Café Posted by Rue La Rue Café on Saturday, December 31, 2016

The menu is filled with recipes McClanahan collected from her co-stars such as Bea Arthur's pasta salad and Betty White's angel food cake. There are also dishes inspired by the character's favorites foods.

La Rue hired Michele Webber, a chef known for her homestyle cooking, who ran the New York City restaurant Good Enough to Eat for 20 years.

Betty White wants to visit

In honor of McClanahan's theater career, there's a little stage in the restaurant with the upright piano that once had a place in her Sutton Place apartment so the restaurant can offer live entertainment.

The restaurant is a collaboration with McClanahan's son, Mark Bish. The two are as close brothers -- just like the late actress wanted, La Rue said.

Betty White, the only remaining Golden Girl, may even visit the restaurant.

La Rue say she met with the 95-year-old actress to give her an update on the restaurant..

"She said she won't come to New York in the winter," La Rue said. "She said she would be honored to cut the ribbon for the grand opening in the spring or summer -- if she is still alive."

The other Golden Girls passed in succession: Getty died in 2008, Arthur in 2009 and McClanahan in 2010.

The restaurant isn't in Miami -- where the sitcom was set -- but in Manhattan because that is where McClanahan lived.

La Rue met McClanahan in 2000 at an animal fundraiser at Studio 54, and asked the actress to be in a pet book he was producing. After spending the photo session laughing together, they became fast friends for the last decade of her life.

Although La Rue describes himself as McClanahan's GBF - gay best friend - he says the relationship was more akin mother and son. She was born the same year as his mother, who died when he was 8 years old.

"She treated me like a son. She gave me an unconditional love," La Rue said.

She made him the executor of her estate, leaving him responsible for sorting through all her stuff.

"She was a flat-out hoarder," La Rue said affectionately of the actress. Going through her things, he discovered McClanahan kept notes she passed in grade school and a dress she wore in 1949.

When La Rue visited Saugatuck in July to select the coffee blends, he brought the Emmy McClanahan won in 1987 for Golden Girls for the employees to see and provide inspiration in picking the coffee. It is displayed in the restaurant.

Pena says the Uncommon staff got a kick out of seeing the award. She remembers watching the show in reruns on Nick at Night as a kid.

"It was a real gay-friendly show so that goes well with us," said Pena, adding that the company's status as an LGBT business was important to La Rue.

Hulu just announced it was adding the series, which went off the air in 1992, to its streaming website this month. La Rue's deal with Walt Disney Picture Company lets the restaurant show one of the Golden Girls' seven seasons every day.

This dining homage to a TV classic is getting a lot of media attention from People magazine to Conde Nast Traveller.

La Rue expects the restaurant to become a tourist stop. The cafe will eventually serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Right now, hours are limited to dayside hours as La Rue works out the kinks with staff.

"Rue McClanahan was an amazing woman and a fine actress," said La Rue, "I'm not going to open until I can honor her memory. She deserves the best."