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This is a message to Clifford, the customer who used to order chicken wings for his son at Back A Yard on the regular: You now have a restaurant named after you.
Robert Simpson, chef owner of Back A Yard Caribbean Grill and Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar, opened a third Bay Area restaurant concept Dec. 4 in Mountain View called Clifford’s Chicken & Fish. This fast-casual restaurant specializing in fried chicken and fish is named after a regular at Back A Yard, but Jason Simpson, Clifford’s operations manager and Robert’s son, said the team hasn’t seen Clifford in awhile.
“If Clifford the customer is still somewhere around, perhaps he’ll see this article,” Jason said.
What makes Clifford’s fried chicken and fish stand out from the rest, Jason said, is that it’s mostly made fresh to order (of course, when the team knows they’re about to be busy, they may prepare some ahead of time.) Everything is made in house, and the batters for the chicken and the fish are different, with the fish having a cornmeal batter. Jason said despite the food being fried, it’s not heavy, but rather light and crispy.
“Our chicken is not just sitting in a warming tray,” he said. “It’s coming out nice and fresh and hot, and you’re getting that light crispy fried chicken with a flaky crust.”
butter biscuit, for $10.99. Courtesy Clifford’s Chicken & Fish.
Jason said he loves how nearly every part of the world has its own take on fried chicken, and at Clifford’s, while the influence is generally Southern in nature, the taste is completely their own. It’s a different recipe from the one Clifford’s son used to eat, and developing the recipe was a whole family endeavor.
“I certainly let the expert and the scientist (Robert) do what he does best, but definitely my brother, mom and I were all part of the process in terms of taste testing,” Jason said.
The Southern influence at Clifford’s can be seen in the side dishes – like honey butter biscuits, buttermilk cornbread, red beans and rice and collard greens – and desserts, like red velvet cake and pecan pie.
Jason said the Mountain View community has been extremely welcoming in the nearly three months the restaurant has been open and he’s excited to continue meeting more people in the community.
“We want to be your little local shop to grab some good fried chicken and some French fries and a cold beer, if that’s what you drink, or a Coke or a Fanta,” he said. “We want to know your names. We hope you remember ours, and we hope you leave with a pleasurable experience and come back next time.”
Clifford’s Chicken & Fish, 699 Calderon Ave., Mountain View; 650-336-7367. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Are the Back A Yard folks referring to Clifford who ran the ranch and horse riding arena in East Palo Alto? Maybe at the end of Weeks St near the Bay Trail? I believe he sold the land and relocated to the central Valley a few years ago.