Just as we had the nerve to launch a fine dining website with no culinary background and without the pretentious prose, Hector’s basically mirrors our approach to fine dining – take your food, but not yourself too seriously.  Nestled into an area teeming with flashier, bigger concept restaurants Hector’s has gone along its merry way to become a bona fide foodie destination.  As their website says…Fun, Fine, Food.  Yes, in that order.

One of the things we knew prior to building our site was that the success rate in the restaurant industry is monumentally low, particularly in a town saddled with a justified moniker of being fickle.  One of the many things we’ve learned during the ramp up phase of our site is that the restaurant business might very well be the most thankless, cutthroat and disloyal one out there.  To deal with all the unhappy customers, back stabbing, and sensationalism you either need to have the patience of a one armed sous chef or a set of acting skills that would make DiNiro and Pacino envious.  Or perhaps a healthy combination of the two.

Affable owner/operator Hector Garcia is most well known for his stint at the dearly departed Riviera where he worked for many years and served as GM from 2000 until its closing in 2003.  What’s not as well known is that Mr. Garcia came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1962, knowing no English and settling in New Jersey with his older brother.  He eventually moved to and finished college in Chicago but then sought the warmer climates of the south to launch a career in acting.  Doubling as an acting student at SMU and waiter at a local hamburger joint, Hector successfully landed roles in local productions.  Initially, he viewed his gig at the Riviera as a steady income that left his days free to pursue acting opportunities.  With representation by the Kim Dawson Agency, Hector won spots in the movies Hexed, Serving Sara, and most notably as the lucky villain who gunned down Davy Crockett (aka Billy Bob Thornton) in The Alamo.  Despite the success he enjoyed, he developed a passion for the restaurant business at the Riviera and though he still works on his craft as an actor, he determined that owning and operating his own restaurant was his calling.  And even though being proficient as an actor has no doubt served him well as a restaurateur, upon meeting the man you also immediately realize his persona is a genuine one and sets the tone for the entire vibe for your evening of fine dining at HOH.

I suppose upscale Southern would be a fair description of the food at Hector’s though there is definite refinement in the cuisine.  The bubbly Chef Blythe Black, who began her culinary journey as an apprentice to Dean Fearing at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, takes a whimsical yet sincere approach to her dishes both in composition and description.

The Buck Nekkid Bacon appetizer is a colossal slab of pork belly braised in Schlitz Beer (seriously) and topped with apple sauce chunks and brandied butter.  The pork belly was cooked to perfection, tender and with just enough salt to remind you it was fancy bacon. 

We are certainly seeing more and more chicken livers on local menus and the ones at Hector’s were sensational.  Fried crispy in a chicken fried batter, they were mounded and served with carmelized cippolline onions and a dark molasses vinaigrette.  Again, just the right amount of savory and sweet made this one a big winner.

Other starters that wowed our tastebuds included a fantastically summery champagne melon cold soup served with micro greens and a swirl of truffle oil.  Try this with a nice Rose’.

One complaint we have about the ahi tuna martinis that seem to occupy a spot on virtually every menu, is that many chefs do too much to the dish with wasabi cream, avocado, etc and mask the elegant flavor of the fresh fish.  Not so at Hectors.  It was indeed served with wasabi cream and black sesame seeds but both merely made cameo appearances in the dish allowing the tuna to swim alone.

In the mood for some rabbit food?  Check out The Bloody Mary – a clever combo of bibb lettuce, tomatoes, stuffed olives, peppered celery and vodka vinaigrette.  Doesn’t have quite the kick that the morning version offers but it definitely delivers.  And then there’s the That’s Just Ducky (is that a Pretty in Pink reference?) salad.  Baby spinach, spicy radish and boiled egg with duck lardons and a garlicky confit drizzle combine to form one of the best salads in town.  Oh so refreshing and such a nice change from the same old Blue Cheese wedge or Caesar.  

The Big Plates show more sophistication but there are a couple of jazzed up, modern renditions of southern classics that unabashedly remind you that this isn’t the kind of joint where you have to worry about putting your elbows on the table or which fork goes with which course.

By far the most acclaimed dish on the menu is the Not My Mama’s Meatloaf.  I haven’t eaten your mama’s but I can guarantee you this doesn’t taste like my mama’s!  The meatloaf is a blend of ground veal, beef, and lamb.  Once the loaf is formed, it is brushed with a sweet, hot tomato glaze and wrapped in applewood smoked bacon strips.  Baked until the bacon is crispy, it is then cut ‘slab style’ and served with lacquered baby carrots and truffle whipped potatoes.  This is just a phenomenal dish packed with oodles of flavors.  If you weren’t southern when you came into Hector’s, this will have you whistling Dixie before you leave.

Ménage y Trois of fudge was one of our favorite desserts offering almond, walnut maple, and butter pecan homemade fudge.  However, it is an absolute must that someone in your party order the Candied Apple Crème Brulee.  Even though Chef Black was not the opening chef at Hector’s, she was in the kitchen since day 1 and professes that she was the co-creator of this dish.  In this quirky version of the French classic, the brulee mixture is poured into a hollowed out candied apple, baked until set, then sugared and torched.  A drizzle of Mexican caramel completes this dish which, incidentally, is 100% edible.

Obviously from his days at Riviera, Hector learned about fine wine and how it truly completes the fine dining experience.  With a varied menu like Chef Black’s, it is imperative to have both approachable, ready to drink offerings as well as more time worthy selections and the list here succeeds on both fronts.  The mixture includes offerings as modest as a Becker Viognier from Texas ($31) to the highly sought after Sassacaia Tenuta San Guido from Tuscany ($300).  I’m not saying it is rare to see low end whites and high end reds on a wine list but when the list hovers around 75 or 80 bottles you have to appreciate the thought that goes into knowing that some of your diners are coming for a sophisticated, high end dining experience while others are just coming to have great food and listen to great jazz in a welcoming, no fuss atmosphere.

Like the owner and chef, the wait staff shows experience without being condescending, they come across as hip and cool but not cocky, and most importantly make you feel at home and are attentive to your needs. 

The space at Hector’s is wide open with rustic beams and wrought iron encased globe lighting throughout.  A tier of white leather banquet seats overlook the main dining room.  There is also patio seating available but you really want to find a table inside.  Live jazz is played from 7-10 pm nightly and the acts are much better than your average restaurant band.  The later it goes into the evening, the livelier the ambiance becomes.  In addition to being a thespian and restaurateur, Mr. Garcia also does not shy away from the microphone.  On any given night he might just jump up with the band and croon a tune of his own for his diners. 

Fun, Fine, Food.  Sounds about right to us.