Finally, gym and spa owner, Derrick Perez, suggests you work out those taste buds at
this hip Gastrobar.
He says their menu will take you on a journey with a number of gourmet dishes, small bites,
and fusion plates that will bring you back for more.
From creative creations, served in a rustic, chic style, Derrick says everyone will enjoy
this little treasure.
It's in North Miami Beach and it's called Lettuce and Tomato Gourmet Gastrobar.
My name is Roy Starobinsky, I'm the owner of Lettuce and Tomato.
We are a family restaurant, I'd like to think we are a gourmet family restaurant.
We pay attention to food, pay attention to detail.
It's a fusion restaurant, we like to cook food from all over the world.
Different types of cuisines.
Mainly we have, obviously, Latin food, I'm Argentenian, but a lot of French influence,
a lot of Spanish influence, some Peruvian 'robar with sushi, some Japanese as well.
We don't close the doors for anything.
Amongst our best sellers are the steamed buns, enjoy some Japanese traditional dish, we can
make it our own, let's say with a braised short rib we can break it down and put it
with lots of buns.
So, we try to play around with those.
I used to be a waiter for many years.
I remember I had to repeat the same questions to all my customers like, you want lettuce
and tomato on your sandwich?
You want lettuce and tomato on your food?
That frustrated me, so I said when I open my own restaurant it'd be called Lettuce and
Tomato.
I might serve everything but lettuce and tomato but, to me, it was good name.
Lettuce and Tomato it's a restaurant where we want people to feel at home.
Really pay attention to ingredients, fresh ingredients.
We want people to feel like they know us, they know our faces.
Actually, they know all our names.
Maybe feel home.
How did you find it?
Originally, I thought it was just a burger place, cause of the name.
But it's
[Michelle] The name kind of fools you.
Yeah it does fool you, and even the last time I tried something completely different I had
never the rack of lamb.
So, that's really what I love about this place, every time I try something different and they
have tons of different things.
They're all either excellent or spectacular.
[Michelle] So tell me about the rack of lamb.
The rack of lamb was fantastic, it was a great size, perfect texture.
The presentation was beautiful.
This last time I had the steamed bun which I think is really fun.
It's a little Japanese steam bun and they put short rib in it and a little bit of vegetables.
They're like
[Michelle] You had that right?
I did too, and it's super airy and that short rib, I'm not gonna lie, that appetizer was
amazing.
I was like, maybe I should take it to go as well, and get another order because I liked
it so much.
Room for dessert.
I always say, if I like something that much I get it for dessert again.
Well, I had dessert there too, so.
What else did you have?
I started off with the spicy tuna roll, which I thought was good.
You know, it was spicy tuna roll, you know, so.
Then, I tried the au jus and truffle burger.
Really good, it had this little sauce.
Yeah, au jus.
Yeah, and you poured it on your burger.
Really awesome, I love little things like that.
[Michelle] Yeah, me too.
Anything to make a sandwich juicy also.
So of course I was like I gotta try dessert, because everything has been so good here.
The dulce de leche mousse, and it comes with a fruit compote with berries.
Delicious.
I mean, I thought at first I was
[Michelle] You had that right?
Yes.
Yes, it was just...
It was divine.
It was.
I could've just eaten that all night.
It was just so wonderful.
So, I'll have to come back.
Chris what did you have?
The main course, I had the 16 hour...
[Michelle] Short ribs.
Short ribs, yes.
And, again, I mean, maybe I'm just not used to eating steaks in America, but, I mean,
I just thought that was amazing.
Because I didn't even need my knife, I mean, I just took my fork and just literally cut
it, and it just melted in your mouth.
Oh my God.
How was service, Chris?
Service was really good.
She explained the menu.
The restaurant was very, very busy.
It's a family restaurant, I would say, because, she was really busy and she had so many other
tables, and she coped really well.
And she was nice, she was friendly, she apologized when things were not going as smooth as she
wanted to.
But, I mean, I just thought the whole experience was wonderful.
Okay, dessert?
Yes, I had the choco brownie.
They tell me it was made by the monarchs so I'm not sure why, it was delicious.
You better have liked it in other words.
Yeah, it was delicious, but it was made in house, the mother, so, it was fantastic, rich,
creamy, cool, warm, everything you want out of a brownie.
I wanna say something though, my mother always said to me, when you order a meal, always
have some kind of vegetable, or something.
And for the name, Lettuce and Tomatoes, maybe I was thinking, you know, they'll give you
a side order of lettuce and tomatoes or a little vegetables, because my steak it was
just literally steak and potato.
But, other than that, I thought it was just amazing.
Anybody have drinks?
Yes.
I did.
I had the red wine sangria.
[Chris] I had that too.
[Cindy] Yes, the waitress recommended the red wine sangria, so I did it.
It came with so much fruit in there.
Blackberries and raspberries.
I actually asked for a spoon because I was just like eating it like a dessert.
[Cindy] Yeah they give you this little pick, but you're like I need a little wooden spoon.
So you did get your produce, it was just in a glass.
It was in a glass.
Well, Derrick, Lettuce and Tomato was your choice, please sum it up for me.
I would say that Lettuce and Tomato is an exotic menu that executes really well to fantastic
on all of its dishes.
Cindy?
I think if you're looking for some Asian flair, and something new with that Argentenian popup,
you should definitely give Lettuce and Tomato a try.
Chris?
If you like vegetables, make sure you ask that a side order of lettuce and tomatoes
or some kind of vegetable.
But, it was amazing, I loved it.
For unique flavors within traditional dishes, run on over to Lettuce and Tomato Gourmet
Gastrobar located at 17070 West Dixie Highway in North Miami Beach.
Open daily for lunch and dinner and brunch on the weekends.
Reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $40.