At Bayonet, even its name and how the restaurant got its start were a bit of a surprise, Rob McDaniel, the chef and co-owner, recalled.
McDaniel originally conceived of the Birmingham, Alabama, restaurant as a small spot to serve as a waiting area for his restaurant Helen, his southern grill, next door. But because of some location restrictions, the only way to use the space he had in mind was to take over a much larger attached space.
The restaurant’s name is another surprise, he said, but one that fits into the restaurant’s larger story.
“A lot of people associate [bayonet] with a sword, but it’s actually a Spanish bayonet plant that we named the restaurant after, and so it is a little bit of the unexpected,” McDaniel said. “Bayonet is an unexpected experience compared to what we have provided at Helen, other than, hopefully, consistent and good food and great service.”
McDaniel was aiming for the unexpected but was certain he wanted a restaurant that highlighted Gulf seafood in both familiar and surprising ways.
The menu features 20 types of oysters, plus classics with a twist like a swordfish pastrami Reuben and a yellowfin tuna burger. He mixes these approachable dishes with others like octopus, crudo, and sashimi that might be outside some diners’ comfort zone.
The blend of familiar and unfamiliar gives diners “somewhere they can gravitate to,” he said. “We have a lobster roll that we just put on, and it’s gone over very well, and it’s familiar. But there are also these other things that are more adventurous as well that pique people’s curiosity while they’re there.”
McDaniel often sees tables order a familiar dish with something less so, and everyone leaves satisfied.
The same philosophy goes into the oyster menu. Eating oysters has long been a part of the region’s food culture, McDaniel said, and most diners know a few oysters by name, like Murder Point oysters from Alabama. On the menu, those familiar oysters are mixed with varieties lesser known in the area, like Kumamotos from Washington.
Oysters are a natural area for discovery and delight, McDaniel said. “You get a totally different experience, and you understand the terroir or merroir of oysters … and it’s kind of an ‘aha’ moment for people.”
The theme continues at the restaurant’s raw bar. Bayonet has dedicated oyster shuckers, a familiar sight in Alabama restaurants. What diners rarely see is a large fish broken down at a raw bar.
“One of our sous chefs breaks down all of our fish when we get whole tuna in or whole swordfish,” McDaniel said. “That usually draws a pretty good crowd of folks.”
The mix of familiar and unexpected can make for quite the experience for diners, he said, whether it’s watching a sous chef break down fish or a bartender mix a cocktail. (The cocktail menu plays with familiar and unfamiliar, here, too. You’ve probably heard of Nerds candy, but have you had them in a cocktail?)
“I think people enjoy watching. It’s just like an open kitchen, and there’s activity and things going,” McDaniel said. “We talk more and more today about people going out to eat — it’s more than them just going out to eat. They’re looking for an experience, and so if you can provide visual entertainment while they’re dining, you’re getting more of an experience.”
