[Via New York Daily Photo]
After months of waiting after the massive East Village gas explosion, B&H Dairy has officially reopened on Second Avenue, The Post reports.
The beloved 73-year-old kosher restaurant shuttered in the aftermath of the explosion that rocked the neighborhood back in March, and though the owners kept up with all their bills and underwent repairs, the reopening process was still reportedly very difficult.
"I told the guy from Con Ed, 'You are like Santa Claus,' " co-owner Ola Abdelwahed told said of the inspector who recently gave her and her husband, Fawzy, the go-ahead. "I told them, 'You give me the best present.' It's the first time I can sleep, I can breathe."
Neighbor and friend, Andy Reynolds, set up a donation page to help B&H pay for the required upgrades (including a new fire suppression system that costs $30,000). With just three days left in the funding period, the page has raised around $25,000.
Scott Lynch was on the scene on Friday for Gothamist, documenting the joyous reopening.
"[All] of the familiar sights, smells and vegetarian and kosher tastes prompted spontaneous cheers and bursts of applause among long-time patrons who greeted the staff like the old friends that they are and feasted upon their favorite breakfast dishes," he wrote.
According to Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, B&H will also be hosting a party on August 21, with details to follow.
· Help B&H Reopen after the Second Avenue Fire [YouCaring]
· Beloved East Village restaurant reopens after explosion [NYP]
· East Village Locals Fill Newly-Reopened B&H Dairy With Love, Lust For Challah [Gothamist]
· B&H Reopens [JVNY]
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