It’s rare to get a baby free date night so when we do, we take full advantage of trying new restaurants on our quest to eat at the top 100 restaurants in AZ according to Phoenix Magazine. We were able to knock another one off the list by visiting Sam Fox’s, Little Cleo’s Seafood Legend in Phoenix. It happened to be Restaurant Week in Arizona so that played to our favor by forcing us to indulge in a few items we may not have ordered otherwise (hello grilled octopus!). I highly recommend you sit at the oyster bar, it’s fascinating to watch these guys shuck hundreds of oysters in a carefully choreographed icy -lemon zest flinging-seafood assembly line. The oysters could not have been any fresher, at least when it comes to oysters in the middle of the desert. For an appetizer we had oysters, shrimp and champagne. (Yes, when you have a toddler you drink with every course of every meal when appropriate.) Followed by wine, grilled octopus, sautéed white fish, and heavenly bouillabaisse full of scallops, shrimp, and mussels. I’ve never had octopus so tender it didn’t require a knife and such flavorful bouillabaisse broth-which made for a fantastic crusty bread dipping “sauce”. Dessert was beer, buttermilk pie, and beignets with a salted carmel dipping sauce. You would have thought you were at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, the beignets were that good. Next time we’re coming for oysters and beignets but everything in between was on point. If you get a chance, check out this little gem of a place, sit at the bar, make friends with the charming host, and save some time for a game of ping pong or corn hole in the court yard after dinner, that is if you don’t drink too much champagne, wine, and beer and have a wild night out on the town… we were home by 7PM just in time to tuck in our little maniac which was the perfect ending to a great date night.
Little Cleo’s
CLICK here for Little Cleo’s Website
5632 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014
(602) 680-4044