Patrick Littlejohn, after years of operating high-end restaurants that were owned by others, decided a few years ago that he wanted a business of his own.
He chose to develop a European-style, gourmet retail market/cafe for a mixed-use development in Las Vegas, stocking the shelves with specialty items from around the world and offering a cafe menu of casual, elevated cuisine in an environment that encourages people to linger and socialize.
Littlejohn, who had managed the Il Mulino restaurant in Las Vegas for 15 years, partnered with local pastry chef and former cafe operator Emily Palmer to open Lemon Tree Cafe & Market last December at Evora, a 42-acre, resort-style residential, retail, and business complex in southwestern Las Vegas.
“I wanted to do my own thing,” said Littlejohn, in an interview on the Food & Loathing podcast. “I like good food, but in Vegas, it was hard to find it all under one roof.”
Littlejohn, who is originally from Scotland and also spent four years as the food and beverage manager for the king and queen of Jordan and managed restaurants at high-end hotels in New York, said he wanted to recreate the kind of experience food shoppers enjoy in Europe.
“You shop, you sit down, you have your lunch, some light bites, you have some wine,” he said. “Essentially this is what I have created here.”
The space includes 3,500 square feet for the retail market area and 2,500 for the cafe, with an ample, airy dining room/lounge that includes tables, chairs, and couches, with seating for about 50-60 customers. It is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The cafe offers pastries, crepes, omelets, sandwiches, salads, and other items made from scratch, as well as coffee and cold-pressed juices, said Littlejohn.
“It’s an elevated cafe,” he said. “Everything is made fresh in-house.”
Brunch and lunch are generally the busiest mealtimes, he said. Items from the breakfast menu, which is available all day, that are particularly popular include the French Toast made with brioche and topped with burrata and a warm berry compote and the Croissant Breakfast Sandwich made with a fried egg, Black Forest ham, and gruyere cheese. Also popular are the 12-inch wood-fired pizzas, including a sweet Nutella Pizza with strawberries.
House-made baked goods, including breads, cookies, pies, and other items, are also popular.
“Everything is made using the best quality product I can get,” said Littlejohn. “It’s honest, rustic fare.”
On the retail shelves, customers can choose from a wide variety of gourmet and specialty imports, such as Maldon salts from England; Angleo & Franco Bufalo Mozzarella—made in California with milk brought in from Italy; Beurre D’isigny from France (a classic French butter that is hard to find in Las Vegas, or anywhere in America, said Littlejohn); high-end, barrel-made Haku soy sauces from Japan; and Caponi gluten-free pastas from Tuscany, Italy, among other unique products, both domestic and imported.
Gluten-free products are a priority at Lemon Tree, Littlejohn said, including shelf-stable items and baked goods.
The market also offers a variety of high-quality perishable items including an assortment of cheeses from around the world, a selection of 1855 Black Angus Beef and other hard-to-find cuts from premium suppliers, foie gras, and caviar. It also has a deli featuring imported gourmet meats.
Lemon Tree also carries some local favorites, including packaged Luv-It Frozen Custard, which operates a dessert shop that has been a Las Vegas destination for 50 years.
Local craft beers include offerings from Big Blue Van, College Street Brewhouse, and Bad Beat Brewing, along with other domestic and imported beers, hard kombuchas, coolers, and wines.
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