New restaurant opens in $500M southwest Las Vegas development
Il Mulino in the Forum Shops at Caesars closed during the pandemic, ending Patrick Littlejohn’s 15-year run as its general manager and regional vice president for the brand. Le Petit Café & Bakery in southwest Las Vegas also shuttered during the pandemic, ending Emily Palmer’s culinary dreams just as the restaurant was hitting its stride.
But when life handed them a pandemic, Littlejohn and Palmer made Lemon Tree Cafe & Market, which the business partners are debuting in the euphonious Evora development taking shape on Buffalo Drive in the southwest. The cafe is opening Monday; the market is set to launch in January, as exclusively shared with the Review-Journal.
Littlejohn said the pandemic and the closing of Il Mulino inspired him to start his own business away from the Strip.
“I wanted to offer a one-stop place for quality products and cafe-style food that I couldn’t find in the area. With her cafe background, Emily proved to be the perfect partner, and we are both excited to share what we hope will be a neighborhood standby. ”
The cafe menu features dishes like brioche French toast topped with oozy burrata and berry coulis, made-to-order sweet and savory crêpes, pies emerging from the wood-fire pizza oven, salads, daily vegetarian-vegan bowls, marinated skirt steak with chimichurri and house fries, and housemade pastries.
There are also coffee beverages and cold-pressed juices, with beer, wine and high tea planned for 2023.
When it debuts, the market will offer items like imported pastas, caviar, foie gras, charcuterie, craft sodas, fine wine and beer, plus products from the butcher counter.
Lemon Tree Cafe & Market is at 6111 S. Buffalo Drive. Call 725-205-2323, visit www.lemontreecafelv.com or follow @lemontreecafeandmarket on social media.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ItsJLW on Twitter.
