A First Look at Bayonet | Listen

Rob and Emily McDaniel have already made an impact on Birmingham’s 2nd Avenue with their contemporary Southern grill, Helen. Yet, the vacant law building next door to the downtown mainstay has generated whispers over the past year. Now, Rob McDaniel is eager to share that the renovation next door marks their expansion into a second concept, Bayonet. 

The name Bayonet may conjure up images of piercing blades, but McDaniel explains that the inspiration came from the bayonet plant, a Spanish evergreen shrub from the yucca family. The shrub is notable for its ability to endure harsh conditions and maintain adaptability. For the chef, this feels akin to his experience in the food and service industry. Despite challenges, hardships, and unexpected hurdles, McDaniel and his team have held fast to their values and forged ahead. Helen, McDaniel’s first restaurant, opened in the midst of the pandemic, and established a team that reflects the chef’s resilient nature and determination to create a space that celebrates Alabama food and community. The impetus behind Bayonet was allowing Helen’s team members to grow their careers and partner alongside them. “We knew we had at least two team members with exceptional talent that needed to move their careers forward. For us, that meant it was time to grow with them,” says the chef. 

Where Helen is centered around choice-cut proteins and the impact of the grill, Bayonet will pay homage to the sea. The menu will not include any animal proteins and will instead emphasize catches like stripe bass, swordfish, and tuna as well as a raw bar program. “Diversity in our fish sources is huge for me. We’re planning to work with a number of fisheries that will send us their bycatch, meaning the fish that would be discarded will be given new life at Bayonet,” says McDaniel. Keeping flexibility and sustainability as pillars of his menu planning, he hopes to immerse guests in sustainable education, explaining the journey each dish takes to the table. Bayonet will implement a dry ager to produce fresh ceviche and crudo and McDaniel plans to serve many of the fish whole on the bone. 

Oysters will be a major player at Bayonet, with McDaniel showcasing between 10 to 14 varieties on the menu at a time. “We’re going to lean into a Gulf influence on the oysters for sure, but also want to branch into other territories like the Northeast to bring a wider range of flavors,” he says. Bayonet’s oyster menu will not offer tasting notes, but rather, each server will guide and curate a selection for guests to really focus on the taste of each variety. The raw bar will also include options that are uncommon in Birmingham like clams and a caviar service. McDaniel plans to offer raw “situations” rather than the traditional tower which will include oysters, dressed mussels, clams, fish dip, a scallop crudo, and a caviar tin. “Some of these offerings are very underrepresented in Birmingham, and we hope to create an approach that encourages exploration through tasting, not something pretentious,” he says. Seafood, particularly raw seafood, is often packaged as ostentatious and can feel unapproachable. McDaniel and his team hope to undercut this notion by guiding their guests tableside, keeping the atmosphere casual and welcoming, and presenting the food on mismatched, locally-made ceramics in brightly-colored hues. 

Bayonet’s building is characterized by large windows, providing a glimpse of the space’s 54 seats, bar, and oyster bar. Upon entering, guests will wait in a parlour that features two large art pieces from Roscoe Hall, a local painter who has interpreted the connection from the Bayonet plant to the life of a chef. This area, formerly the law office lobby, is divided off from the dining room by a glass and iron wall that guests circumnavigate as they find their seats. The dining room is intimate and intentional with buzzy, bright colors painted across the walls referencing the vibrant ecosystem of the sea.

“I love challenging myself. People ask about further expansion, and I’m not uninterested. But, it’s important to make sure Bayonet thrives and Helen doesn’t waver. I owe it to myself and my people to keep a growth mindset that has vision but is grounded,” says McDaniel.

Much like the bayonet plant itself, McDaniel’s concepts are poised and rooted for sustainable, intentional growth and ready to weather any storm.

The Opening Menu at Bayonet

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