Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
If you spend time listening to the radio in and around NYC, you might have heard the slogan “…you go to B&H.” The restaurant I’m going to write about is not that B&H. The radio jingle refers to a giant electronic store which happens to be run and owned by a group of Hasidic Jews. It’s a pretty amazing place to go to buy headphones, speakers, cameras, or any of that.
The place I’m talking about is just as iconic to New York except much smaller and instead of microphones, you get bowls of matzo ball soup.
B&H Dairy is a vegetarian restaurant that is known as a dairy shop in the kosher tradition meaning you will find cheese and milk but no meat anywhere in the place. If you want meat, there are a fair number of delicatessens not too far away.
It’s a legendary shoebox in the East Village (been open since the 1930’s) that we came very close to losing after a devastating gas explosion destroyed some buildings on the block. B&H wasn’t damaged but was forced to close (and lost a lot of income) for five months by the city for safety regulations.
Thankfully, they made it through the closure and have been back strong ever since. And I finally found my way to this old-fashioned lunch counter after all these years.
The menu might be unique to many people outside New York, but rather familiar to us. It was hard to narrow it down from the overwhelming choices of dishes like kasha varnishkes, latkes, and borscht. I ultimately decided to balance a bowl of their healing matzo ball soup with a decadent blintz.
Normally they serve three to an order but they also have the option of ordering a solo blintz. This was perfect for me. I was tempted by the blueberry but when I found out it didn’t have cheese inside, I snubbed it for the traditional cheese.
The most striking thing about the long stuffed pancake is the crispness of the exterior. I’ve never had a blintz quite so dark – it picked up a lot of rich flavor from the oil and provided a surprising crust. The second layer was thin, delicate and created a nice texture contrast.
Inside, the sweet farmer cheese helped the decadent blintz walk the line between breakfast and dessert. And just for good measure, it’s served with a side of sour cream.
For me and many New Yorkers, B&H is very reminiscent of dishes we were served as children. It’s nostalgic and comforting. And just like when we were kids, you won’t find any tablets or smart phones for sale. For that, you go to the other B&H. Price: $5-$12
| B&H DAIRY |
| 127 Second Avenue (between St. Marks Place and East 7th Street), East Village (212) 505-8065 |
I love b and h so much- i lived nearby in college and back then affordable vegetarian food was not easy to find. I would sit at the counter for the bowl of mushroom barley soup or the new to me kasha varnishkes. I always worry they will be forced out of the neighborhood and try to return for a visit when I’m in the area.