Forty Two, the restaurant at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, is undergoing a renovation and expansion and will reopen Nov. 2 under a new name — 42 bar & table.
The restaurant, which previously opened only for lunch and Sunday brunch, will serve dinner Thursday-Saturday. It will offer a custom-designed bar area with seating, charging stations and hand-bag hangers and free valet parking.
Michael Selig, director of Food, Beverage, and Special Events at the Clinton Center, who is designing the new menu and will manage the operation, said a separate exterior stairway is under construction that will provide a separate, exterior dedicated entrance, so patrons can enter without going through the Clinton Center metal detectors. The patio is also undergoing a redesign, and will feature three fire pits. The restaurant will have a separate private dining space.
"This is going to be something Little Rock has never, ever seen before," said Selig, whose previous area restaurant credits include Vermillion Bistro, Vermillion Water Grille and the Excelsior Hotel.
Garry Mertins designed the new restaurant’s indoor and outdoor spaces, taking into account the location along the Arkansas River and the at-night lighting of the nearby pedestrian bridge.
Hours will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for Monday-Saturday lunch, 4-10 p.m. for Thursday-Saturday dinner. The restaurant phone number will continue to be (501) 537-0042; the website is dineatfortytwo.com.