NEW MENUS APLENTY
Revisiting three Houston restaurants with updated dishes.
THE CONCEPT
Executive chef William Wright has made the first major change in the menu since the restaurant opened to raves in Rice Village in July 2015, with a deeper immersion into modern regional Greek cuisine.
THE SPACE
Unchanged since it opened, the clever design by Erin Hicks makes good use of a tall, tight, brick-clad space.
THE FOOD
Though classics remain — the ultimate Greek salad, feta-brined chicken, grilled octopus — the new meze-focused menu offers small and sharable plates. On the docket: mussels in ouzo and wine sauce with fennel and mustard; grilled Halloumi cheese with ouzosoaked watermelon and a pistachio/mint pesto; saffron lamb and beef meatballs with egg/lemon sauce; marinated feta with pepperoncini and Aleppo pepper; and a salad of fava beans, peas, baby artichoke and asparagus with Greek yogurt and an oil and lemon emulsion. Bonus: build-yourown gyro platters in pork and feta-brined chicken.
THE DRINKS
Let co-founder and sommelier Evan Turner take you through the wonders of an all-Greek wine list, the second-largest in the country.
ONE MORE THING
The Helen team also operates Helen in the Heights, a casual Greek taverna serving gyros, souvlaki, pastitsio, moussaka and more. THE DETAILS
2429 Rice, 832-8317133; helengreek.com