The Vibe:

As I’ve only been to Helen for lunch it’s been super casual both times, and I actually love that about this restaurant. This time I hurried over after volunteering at the Bayou City Art Festival for the morning. I was wearing a backpack and an Astros baseball cap. I felt super frumpy compared to my cousin and her friend in their casual chic shopping outfits, but I still didn’t feel out of place in the restaurant. But I feel like that’s also one of the things about Houston that I love. Anywhere you go you will find casual dressers and dressy dressers, and you’ll basically never really be out of place. The staff also didn’t treat me differently because of it. In Houston they never do. In fact, the manager/owner who was working at the time, indulged us in some great stories about his time in New York, and gave us his thoughts on places to go in Houston.

Recently, I went to New Orleans and we tried Shaya for lunch, and I commented on how the atmospheres of both restaurants are quite similar. They both have an almost industrial chic feel to them. The perfect balance of wood, metal, and glass, so it feels modern and airy, but also warm and traditional. The food at both are undeniably delicious.

The Food & Beverage:

One of the cool things about the wine menu at Helen is that it’s exclusively Greek wines. For lunch we wanted something refreshing and light because you know, shopping can really take it out of you (I’d been volunteering at the Bayou City Art Festival all morning). We ordered the Troupis Moschofilero, which is what I would consider the go-to Greek white wine, at least it’s the one I’ve had the most experience with. Thanks, Wine Library and GreekFest. The wine was good, and I wanted to drink it really fast, but I tempered my consumption and made my two glasses last throughout most of lunch.

The last time I went to Helen I ordered the blistered banana peppers and the octopus, and they were both on point. This time both of those items stayed on our lunch menu and we also added Cos salad, the Green-n-cheese pie, and the gyro. The octopus and peppers are winners for me, but now the Cos Salad and the Green-n-cheese pie have also moved into must-have status.

Got a little overzealous with the banana peppers pre-photo. So friggin' good.

The Verdict:

I love the simplicity and execution of the Helen menu. I will be back again, I’ll probably be back for more lunches, just so I can finish going through the menu, I’m jonesing for the Frixos Catch, the Feta Brined chicken, and the Saganaki, because who doesn’t love flaming hot cheese? But more importantly, I want to try it for dinner, because now I’m curious to compare the atmosphere of lunch vs. dinner.