A Birmingham favorite was named a mouthwatering No. 3 on Esquire’s recently released Best New Restaurants in America list – Helen.

 

With a list nearly twice as large as last year’s, Helen made the cut for its 22 ounce, dry-aged Kansas City strip drizzled with beef-and-herb-infused duck fat, and its fennely porchetta with crackling skin. But, as Chef Rob McDaniel said in the piece, he doesn’t consider Helen a steakhouse. “I want them to know we’re here,” he said.

 

“We found ourselves digging into comfort, sure, but we also leaned into the unfamiliar,” writes Esquire Lifestyle and Culture Director Kevin Sintumuang, who was part of a team that traveled nationwide to find the best new restaurants around. “Into adventure. Eating at the very best restaurants is like winning a ticket to another place, another time. To the past and the future—and sometimes both at once.” 

 

Helen places third only behind New York City’s Dhamaka and Chicago’s Ever.

 

The list is available on Esquire.com and in the Winter 2022 issue, available December 7.

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Cover Photo by Helen