Helen Restaurant article in the Winter 2021 issue of Porch + Prairie Magazine

WINTER ESCAPES

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Volume 2 • 4

At Home At Helen Photos by Cary Norton

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PORCH + PRAIRIE magazine | WINTER 2021 - 101

Walk along Birmingham’s Second Avenue North and you’ll find yourself steeped in the revitalization of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. As you walk along and feel the history oozing out of the brick walls, you glance up and see a simple, yet elegant sign.

“Helen” The golden letters scream out an invitation that needs to be answered and once inside, you’re thankful you came. Built on Chef Rob McDaniel’s creations that pay homage to his grandmother (the restaurant’s namesake), both the surroundings and menu at Helen make you immediately feel at home. The classic photos, the decorations on the walls, and the exposed brick all add to the restaurant’s charm.

The centerpiece though? Well it’s the stud of a ten-point whitetail buck that hangs behind the bar who serves as not just great scenery, but perhaps a solid drinking companion as well.

The space is engaging, crafted by the collaboration with local friends, artisans, iron workers, wood workers, and artists to set the table for whatever celebration is to come. The 1920’s era building showcases the history of the neighborhood and inside its walls, Chef Rob brings the best of meats, seafood, and vegetables from the open kitchen straight to the plate.

Chef McDaniel and his wife, Co-Owner and Hospitality Director Emily McDaniel know what it takes to make the business special.

Each with their own backgrounds, Rob in the culinary space working with prestigious chefs along the way and Emily with a hospitality and real estate past, bring to Helen a welcoming atmosphere and a place where you can walk in and immediately feel like family. It’s a cozy space, augmented by the warmth of a classic southern menu and a warm glass of red. But in this two story masterpiece, you “Come for the Food, Stay for the Spirit.”

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Catching Up with Chef Rob McDaniel P+P: Since sustainability is a key ingredient to a Rob McDaniel kitchen—how do you bring that component to the forefront with your menu each night?

RM: We really try and think about ways to utilize ingredients that many may normally discard. This summer’s peaches are a great example of this practice and it was a simple step that turned what would have been trash into something that we could actually use in our dishes. We used peeled peaches on one of our starters, and instead of throwing the peels in the trash or composting, we started putting them into vinegar. After several weeks of doing this, we had an amazing peach-infused vinegar to use for a thousand different things.

P+P: You spend a great deal of time in the outdoors, including hunting and fishing--- how have you been able to incorporate wild game or fish into your culinary work?

RM: I love the outdoors and try to spend as much time as I can fishing and during the spring, I love to turkey hunt. I also like to squirrel hunt during the month of February, in order to scout for Turkey season. Squirrel is also tasty, but I don’t see either of those items finding their way onto the Helen menu anytime soon.

Fishing is a totally different story -- I love to fly fish and would go every day if I could. I find such clarity while fly fishing and that clarity is what I take back to the restaurant. Fly fishing allows me to totally focus on one thing for that short period of time and that allows me to think more clearly when I’m working in the restaurant.

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P+P: As an Alabama native, surely you have a few of your absolute favorite classic Southern dishes that you go to—so, if I am sitting at Chef McDaniel’s table for supper, what are you making?

RM: Honestly, that would depend on the season. During the fall and winter, I really enjoy root vegetables simply roasted or stewed in a smoky broth for a delicious soup. I might even roast a chicken to go along those vegetables. During the spring and summer my goto is heirloom tomatoes with a little salt and pepper, a sweet onion sliced thinly and a grilled piece of fish or a nice cut of beef.

A Perfect Christmas Pairing

A Moment with Emily McDaniel P+P: How has your hospitality background helped pave the way for your service culture at Helen?

EM: I haven’t been in the restaurant business in 9 years, but I have been in the people business since 2000 when I first started working in a restaurant at 16. That’s where the foundation of working with guests, problem solving, and my sales skills were developed. I worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry for 11 years before moving into real estate in 2012. Which again, is all about working with people. Now that I am back in the service industry as an owner, it’s exciting and I love it. Having over 20 years of experience working in people-oriented industries has giving me the opportunity to learn so much about how to treat our guests but also how we treat our employees as well. Treating our employees with the same respect and hospitality we give our guests is really important to Rob and I. P+P: What is it about downtown Birmingham that makes it the perfect venue for Helen?

EM: We have always loved downtown Birmingham and when we are traveling other places, we love visiting their “downtown” city scene. It is always lively, full of energy, and all different kinds of people, from all different walks of life. That’s what makes it fun. We have many regulars that we see at Lunch because they are working downtown. We then see a deferent crowd at night who are coming into the city for date night or a celebration. The location allows for Helen to be the place that is for all occasions, both casual, celebratory, and comfortable in a downtown setting.

P+P: Since I asked Chef Rob what he’s making for himself when he wants a real good meal--- now I turn the question to you--- when you want a great meal, what are you hoping he puts on the plate that night?

EM: We get together with our family every Sunday night for Family Dinner and its always such a treat because Rob is cooking most of the time! There is always something that is going to require the grill. Whether that is chicken thighs, pork chops, steaks, or any other protein. So, if it were up to me, we’d have steaks- ribeyes with a seasonal veggie and a Caesar salad. If you were to ask our four-year-old girls what they wanted, they would say the same, “Daddy’s steak!”

Roasting deepens the flavors and melts the fat in beef, lamb, pork, for extra richness helping them pair especially well with wines that also have depth. Maybe it’s our Southern Roots but, we are no strangers to the dinner table. When we set out to build a wine, one of our first thoughts is it must play well with food. Our Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon and Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir are the best of the best and do just that.

For red meat, we prefer our Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford) which boasts ripe, darker fruits, caramelized redcurrant, incense, and spice. It hits the palate with a full-bodied richness, a round, elegant texture, moderate and dusty tannins with a beautiful length on the finish.

If looking for a slightly lighter pairing for pork, fowl, chicken or game, our Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) is your choice. Ruby/plumhued with caramelized cherries, cranberries, violets and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied palate with red and black fruit layers finishing with a minty lift. Pig and Pinot - always a great pairing!

Both of these wines are less than 300 cases bottled, hand-built with no corners or expense cut. They have graced our family’s Holiday tables for years and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

PORCH + PRAIRIE magazine | WINTER 2021 - 105

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