The time has come: Fox Restaurant Concepts’ newest eatery is open for business. Little Cleo’s opened its doors at The Yard in Phoenix, alongside Culinary Dropout which has been thriving for months. The new restaurant dishes up affordable, fresh ocean fare, and is committed to following the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Program, ensuring every catch served is fished or farmed in ways that promote healthy ocean eco-systems. Little Cleo’s menu highlights include small plates like warm jars of truffle butter-poached king crab served with garlic bread; classic items include sweet corn hush puppies, peel and eat shrimp and coastal New England clam chowder; Loup de Mer with artichokes and lemon and “bouillabaisse” seafood stew complete with tomato, fennel and saffron; and the oysters, an ever-changing mix from the West Coast.
To ensure that your summertime seafood cookouts are as delicious as the eats at Little Cleo’s, the restaurant’s chef Clint Woods (pictured above) has offered a few tasty tips.
1. Buy quality fish that has never been frozen.
2. Start with a hot, totally clean grill that has been brushed down with oil.
3. If using a gas grill, add wood chips to create some smoke and better flavor.
4. Use a Peltex spatula, a flexible cooking tool that can make handling delicate fish easier.
5. Do not let fish flame up from fats and oils, catching fire.
6. Always err on under cooking as fish can easily be brought up in oven.
Little Cleo’s is open for dinner Monday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. (Closed Sundays.) www.littlecleos.com.
Seafood Grilling Tips from Little Cleo’s
