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McCLARD'S
505 Albert Pike
Hot Springs, Arkansas
866 622-5273

In Hot Springs, BBQ and the name McClard's have been synonymous since the late 1920s. And the only local resource guarded more carefully than the steaming hot (some 140 degrees!) mountain springs found nearby is the recipe for McClard's fantastically fiery sauce. Both are equally popular and naturally high in British Thermal Units. The story goes something like this: In the twenties, Alex and Gladys McClard operated the Westside Tourist Court. When a down and out traveler could not come up with the $10 he owed them for a two-month's stay, he asked the couple to accept a recipe for what he called "the world's greatest bar-b-que sauce." Since something was better than nothing, the couple had no choice but to accept the recipe. And were they ever glad they did!

In 1928 the Westside Tourist Court morphed into Westside Bar-B-Q with smoked goat meat as the star attraction. Now known as McClard's Bar-B-Q Fine Foods, the eatery serves 7,000 pounds of Q per week and that now famous $10 recipe is locked away in a safety deposit box downtown. We hit McClard's on a busy Friday night and had to wait just a few moments while a table was cleared for us. The service was friendly, something we no longer took for granted. I opted for the chopped pork sandwich, cole slaw, and BBQ beans. The pork was diced extremely fine, looking almost like a hash. The slaw was fantastic and the beans had a distinctive Southwestern flavor (chili powder I guessed). All in all a very good meal, although it struck me as a bit odd that all the BBQ sandwiches are served with Mayonnaise. I caught this oddity while reading the menu and asked them to leave the Hellman's in the jar.

Besides the BBQ, McClard's is famous for a President, hot tamales, and their darkly hued french fries. Bill Clinton cites McClard's as his favorite BBQ joint on the planet and dines here whenever he can find the time. His picture on the wall watched us while we dined, which unnerved my wife (a die-hard Republican). The popular "Tamale Spread" at McClard's is an amalgam of Fritos, beef tamale, beans, chopped beef with BBQ sauce, chopped onions, and shredded cheese - heart burn on a plate, I can't wait to try it next time! Speaking of burnt, the fries looked a little overdone, but tasted just dandy. Our kids gobbled them up without complaint. The fries here have been written up in Delta's SKY magazine and are frequently enjoyed as part of McClard's Rib and Fry plate (the fries are piled on top of the meat).

McClard's Bar-B-Q can be found at 505 Albert Pike in Hot Springs, AR 71901. Call them at 1 866 622-5273 or drop by online at www.mcclards.com . Look for the classic neon signs and a building that looks something like an old gas station. Tell 'em DixieDining.Com sent ya!

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