Rocky's got nothing on Hectors love of the egg...

Hector's on Henderson – The Review

Appetizers:
I thought there was a ton of potential for an amazing first course when I was looking at the menu…“The Avocado” (Lobster stuffed avocado, deep fried with a cilantro cream sauce) at $14, Lobster Caviar Deviled Quail Eggs at $10, and Lamb Chop Lollipops at $16 all sounded out of this world on paper…something that would echo the entire meal. Everything was good, but nothing amazing. Every ap was lacking in something: The Avocado lacked a buttery-ness in the lobster that would’ve added nicely to the finished product, and The Quail Deviled eggs tasted more like Quail boiled eggs…no zest to the yolk mix. NOTE: Avoid the Hectors Favorite Salad (creamy, dreamy, herby Bacon Vinaigrette) at $8 at all costs. Hearts of Romaine with Arugula dispersed throughout with shredded cheddar and a non-discernible Bacon Vinaigrette.

Big Plates:
The meals followed the appetizers lead of all being very tasty, but nothing that you walked away wanting more of. The Stack (sour dough, sirloin steak, jalapeno bacon hash browns, fried egg, and cayenne hollandaise) at $28 was the best of the bunch, but still wasn’t perfect. I like a mouthful of gristle as much as the next guy, but when mixed with a mouth full of bread, hashbrown, fried egg and hollandaise, it’s a bit much. Better seasoning and a leaner trim on the sirloin needs to occur before this meal will fully be complete. I will say this though; the Japapeno hash browns added a great kick to the entrée and played brilliantly with the hollandaise. Linds, as always, showed her ability to pick a meal based solely off of what kind of mashed potatoes come with it and opted for the Meatloaf with Applewood smoked bacon and white truffle whipped potatoes at $25. I thought the meatloaf was dry and the truffle potatoes were good but nothing special. The SIBPC, or the South Irving Bread Pudding Contingent, ordered Pheasant with sweet creamy spinach and Thyme bread pudding at $30. More of the same…good, but didn’t hit on all cylinders. The pheasant had a sweetness to the skin which was nice and the creamy spinach and bread pudding was carb-tastic, but yet again nothing too memorable.

Dessert:
After waiting forever for coffee, and even later for an espresso, dessert was ordered. The White Chocolate Banana Pudding Moon Pie was the highlight of the entire meal. It actually lived up to the hype. The pudding was very well balanced with a great compromise of banana flavor and vanilla. The moon pie may have been store bought, but I would hope not…either way I haven’t had moon pie in years, so I dug it. I’m really hoping the next place we go creates something using an Oatmeal Pie or something else from the Little Debbie Snack cake family. Linds rocked the Candied Apple Cinnamon Crème Brulee, which definitely deserves a mention based on presentation alone. Imagine if you cut the top off of a Candied Apple, hollowed it out, fired up crème brulee in it, and skewer the top of apple and have it float above the plate about 4 inches off the top. Very cool looking…too bad the crème itself was very boring. The problem lied in the fact that the apple was too deep for crème, leaving you with no crunchy caramel goodness of the top and way too much of the rich custard after about 3 bites. As for the Bread Pudding…just don’t.

Other impressions of Hector’s:
Hector, the owner and namesake, sings with the band waaaaaaaaaay too much. I don’t really like live music while I’m eating anyway, much less when some dude is sing “Jack the Knife” the whole time. Service was slow. I know it’s tough with a party of 10, but that’s no excuse for bringing out some meals and drinks 5 minutes later than others. Also I don’t get why the server waited until those that chose to drink white wine were done before she popped open the red. I mean she brought out all 4 bottles, set them on our table, and then chose to only open and serve the white to those who requested it. I don’t think she opened the red until the entrees came…an hour later.

The big question: Would I eat there again?
Probably, but only if it was a little less expensive. Personally, I think the stuff I ordered was good. The only problem was nothing was great. I think that there are too many places in town right now that offer “Upscale Comfort Food” that is more memorable and still maintains to be lighter on the pocket book. Hector’s would be on my list of places worth trying, but I’d still hit up Jaspers or Hattie’s or The Porch first.