So Long Horne and Dekker

Late last night Pegasus News reported Horne & Dekker, the spot known for its popular Hangover Brunch, had closed. The story hit the twitterverse and reactions were pretty consistent. Not many readers were surprised. Neither was I.

Last summer I was a Dallas newb. I had a handful of restaurant recommendations from a chef I knew back in D.C. and I was working my way through his list one by one. Horne & Dekker was on that list. “Hangover Brunch, what more do you need to know?” the chef said in his email. That was a good enough endorsement for me.

I ordered a Bloody Mary and was disappointed when I saw the bartender grab a bottle of Zing Zang. Don’t get my wrong. I use the stuff at home, but that’s my point; I don’t eat out to replicate what I can easily have in my own home with no effort. It wasn’t a crime, it just didn’t impress me.

I ordered a sloppy joe and was even more unimpressed. As far as hangover cures go, the mix of greasy ground meat and spicy sauce is a real power play, but I remember the sandwich being a little too sloppy, and I couldn’t detect the vegetables the menu listed as ingredients in the dish. Perhaps they’d been completely cooked away. The fries served alongside the sandwich were a little lifeless as well.

I walked out of Horne & Dekker satisfied and drunk (they did pour them heavy) but completely underwhelmed. The food was fine, but it wasn’t compelling. The restaurant didn’t have that hard-to-describe something that makes you want to come back and make friends with the place.

Now there are three spaces in a tight radius that have failed over the past few months. H&D, Redfork and Alma have all closed their doors. I’m thinking that stretch of Henderson and Fitzhugh avenues is a pretty tough neighborhood, but I’m excited to see what happens in the spaces of these fallen restaurants.