T h Fire pits and outdoor heaters on 42’s lovely patio mean you get to enjoy the view yearround.
FIRST TASTE
THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER Global fare meets gorgeous views at the newly revamped (and re-monikered) 42 Bar and Table By Seth Eli Barlow Photography by Arshia Khan
I
’ve always been the kind of person who likes having his own “secret” spots, those places that seem to avoid throngs of people and that I can claim as being my own undiscovered little corner of town. For several years, Forty Two, the groundfloor restaurant of the Clinton Presidential Center, has been one of those spots. The Center’s presence just east of downtown is hard to miss, but for most locals, Forty Two has flown under the radar since opening more than a decade ago—which, if I’m being honest, has always been part of its appeal. It’s been the kind of place I could duck into for a nice lunch and feel like I was at the center of something, a hive of activity, without ever feeling crowded or hurried. When it was announced in mid-October that my go-to lunch spot was about undergo a remodel, change its name to 42 Bar and Table and begin offering a dinner service, one thing became immediately clear: The jig was up. While dinner service at the restaurant may seem like a DECEMBER 2017
new concept, to many of the area’s luckiest foodies, it’s just an expansion of what’s become one of Arkansas’ hardest-toget reservations. For more than 10 years, they’ve served a monthly “Around the World” dinner, with each meal shining a spotlight on a specific cuisine. Always sold out, these dinners have become a local unicorn of sorts for many of us (read: yours truly). The wait list for reservations is long: over 300, with my own name sitting somewhere near the bottom. It was with that in mind that I sat down with Executive Chef Gilbert Alaquinez and Mike Selig, the Clinton Center’s director of food, beverage and special events. When I brought up the Around the World series they both laughed, and admitted that the decision to add a dinner service was partially born out
“We have people come here from all over the world. It feels good when they recognize something on the menu.” -
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Arkansas Life
