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Veselka Rolls Prices Back to 1954 to Celebrate Anniversary

By Lisha Arino | July 22, 2014 11:41am
 A bowl of borscht from Veselka in the East Village.
A bowl of borscht from Veselka in the East Village.
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Facebook/Veselka

EAST VILLAGE — Borscht will go for less than a buck at Veselka Wednesday night, as the Ukrainian diner celebrates its 60th anniversary.

The "54 minutes at 1954 Prices" special will run from 6 to 6:54 p.m., allowing diners to request a special menu that reflects the items and prices the restaurant served when it first opened on the corner of Second Avenue and East 9th Street.

“Everybody’s excited,” said Jason Birchard, who helps his father, owner Tom Birchard, run the restaurant.

Items on the menu include potato, cheese, sauerkraut and meat pierogies for $1.50, borscht for 60 cents, potato pancakes for 50 cents and egg creams for 25 cents. For dessert, cheese blintzes will cost $1 and coffee will go for 10 cents.

Veselka had announced plans for an anniversary special a few months ago but just revealed the details this week.

Jason Birchard said the special menu honors his grandfather, Wlodymyr Darmochwal, who originally opened the restaurant.

“My grandfather’s birthday is tomorrow," he said Tuesday. "He would’ve been 111."

Veselka will serve the 1954 menu several more times before the year is over, Birchard said. Future “54 Minutes at 1954 Prices” events will be announced on the restaurant's Facebook and Twitter pages.