April 24--Longtime L'Espalier maitre d' Louis Risoli stepped into a time warp Sunday, the first day staff was allowed into the famed Boylston Street restaurant after the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings. Half-finished meals sat on tables, unfinished drinks atop the bar, pots on stovetops, all right where they were left when diners and staff evacuated in the frantic moments after the second bomb exploded across the street.

"It was definitely a little eerie," Risoli said.

The haunting image was a reminder that the Boston restaurant community was in the thick of the marathon attacks. But that same community also quickly rallied to help their own, and the rest of the city, recover from the tragedy.

Victim Krystle Campbell, buried Monday in Medford, worked at Summer Shack in Cambridge and had many friends in the industry. The Richard family, who lost 8-year-old son Martin, were friends of restaurateur Chris Doug-lass and regulars at his Dorchester restaurants Tavolo and Ashmont Grill.

The second bomb exploded right outside Forum, where staff and partygoers were among the heroic first responders. Images of the restaurant have been broadcast around the world: windows blown out, victims on the patio and, later, investigators clad in white lab suits scouring the property for clues.

The FBI turned over Boylston Street to the city Monday afternoon, but some two dozen restaurants have been closed since the attacks and they remain uncertain about the direction of the recovery process.

"We have no idea what we're going to see when we get back in there," said Abe & Louis executive chef Tindaro Losurdo on Monday. He was cooking for a sold-out marathon party at the Boylston Street steakhouse when the second bomb exploded a few doors away.

Among other issues, chefs and restaurateurs must deal with countless amounts of spoiled food, while hundreds, if not thousands, of restaurant workers have been out of work since the attacks. Big Night Entertainment Group (Empire, Red Lantern, Shrine at MGM Grand, among others) is headquartered on Boylston Street. Its executives have worked remotely since the attacks.

Tavistock Restaurants group felt the impact of the attacks immediately: It owns both Abe & Louie's and Atlantic Fish on Boylston Street. But it has also been part of the recovery effort.

Sister restaurant Joe's American Bar & Grill on Newbury Street served all guests for free last Tuesday and Wednesday and sent out meals to 240 nearby first responders in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, while first responders dined for free all week. Scores of other restaurants have rallied to aid victims this week and have fundraising events planned for the next several weeks.

"Helping people is what we do in the hospitality industry. It comes naturally to us," said Joe's American Bar & Grill manager Tom O'Brien. "When we have an opportunity to step up and help when it counts we try to do so."

Scores of restaurants throughout the Boston area have rallied to aid Boston Marathon terror victims. Go to Fork Lift, the Boston Herald food blog, for ways you can help simply by visiting your favorite local restaurant, pub or brewery.

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