USA TODAY: Barton G. in Los Angeles: Play with Your Food

Barton G. is fine dining joined with fun dining. After years of success on South Beach in Florida, the restaurant created by Barton G. Weiss is now also on La Cienega in Los Angeles .

Each meal is a memorable experience, meeting all the senses with enticing fragrances, extraordinary food and over-the-top presentations. Barton G. Weiss pushes the boundary of what is possible, bringing unseen artistry to every aspect of the dining experience. The delicious culinary delights are paired with unbelievable presentation and top service.

You can play with your food at Barton G. in Los Angeles
Photo courtesy of Barton G.

This whimsical restaurant will surprise and delight every guest, with Lobster Pop Tarts served in a giant blue toaster, Blooming Sea Bass with flowering potatoes and popcorn shrimp in a popcorn machine.

Guests are clearly delighted, and conversation springs from table to table.

“Everything at the restaurant is calculated to inspire, tickling one’s intellect and appealing to all the senses,” says Barton G. Weiss. “We are bringing out the spirited side of fine dining — color, sound, texture, aroma and the stimulation of feeling as if transported far from anywhere you have ever been — to create an awe-inspiring style of eating and drinking unlike any other. It’s something that Los Angeles has yet to see.”

Inside Barton G on La Cienega
Photo courtesy of Lisa Ellen Niver

Barton G. Los Angeles offers an ever-evolving menu, including signature eye-catching creations such as the Bucket of Bones, which includes Korean barbecued short ribs, slow cooked Niman Ranch pork ribs, grilled lamb lollipops, honey barbecued chicken drumettes, crisp baby carrots, housemade pickles and honey gorgonzola dipping sauce.

Other inventions include the Mouse Trap Mac & Cheese, served on an over-sized wooden mouse trap; Say Ahhhh Surf ‘n’ Turf, with charbroiled Certified Angus filet mignon and crispy Santa Barbara spot prawns, roasted marrow, roots and local vegetables, chile béarnaise and black pepper bordelaise; and South Side Short Ribs, slow braised Wagyu beef short ribs with forest mushrooms, Dutch potatoes, asparagus and garlic-spiced Vidalia onion rings.

Your dessert is a chocolate treasure of indulgence
Photo courtesy of Lisa Ellen Niver

Completing the dining experience are dessert masterpieces by Corporate Executive Chef Luis Vasquez. Sweet creations range from Marshmallow Pizza, piped meringue “crust,” strawberry jelly sauce, agar onion rings and white chocolate “cheese” to Sweet Garden Pots, with potted cupcakes filled with crumbled brownie “soil” and green velvet cake “moss” topped with seasonal fruit.

The chocolate indulgence comes with a shovel and what appears to be a chocolate treasure chest with Warm Valrhona Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. The 24-carat gold dust spoons can be eaten, and there are gold coins inside as well.

High-octane liquid nitrogen cocktails add to the exuberant meal, with selections such as the “Sin-Sation,” made with vanilla vodka and rose petal nectar, topped with Champagne and served with a housemade nitrogen popsicle. And “Diamonds are Forever” features citrus vodka, triple sec and lemonade alongside a citrus vodka popsicle and sugar stick.