If there's one regional food that people have strong opinions about, it's barbecue. From Texas brisket to North Carolina's vinegar-sauced pork to baby back ribs in Arkansas, the is a testament to America's melting pot of flavors. And the President who requested those mouthwatering ribs? None other than Hot Springs native and 42nd president William Jefferson Clinton.
The no-frills restaurant has been around longer than Clinton himself, as it began back in 1928 as a gas station and diner that served up goat (beef and pork were too expensive back then). Growing up in the small Southern town, Clinton and his mother were regular patrons at the restaurant, and it soon became a childhood favorite of his. Even when he grew up and moved, first to the Arkansas Governor's Mansion and later on to the White House, the former president's love for the local 'cue was never lost.
Though goat is no longer on the menu, people drive from all over the state for the hickory-smoked beef, tamales, and "Ribs and Fry" plates. That last dish is said to be a favorite of Clinton's, as it's essentially a pile of ribs smothered with fresh-cut french fries and that . The secret's actually in the sauce According to the restaurant's lore, it all began when a traveling stranger couldn't pay his $10 bill back in the 1920s.
Instead, he offered the McClard's a recipe for " ." The sauce was apparently so good that it's kept the restaurant in business for four generations, with the great-grandson, Scott McClard, as.