I’ll start off my saying two things-
1) I ’m pretty biased here in that I have a minor obsession with Barton G- I have an obsession all things kitsch and over the top and to me it’s a less fancy version of my experiences I loved at DiverXO and Pineapple and Pearls, and my hopes for my upcoming visits at Fat Duck and Alchemist.
2) I know I just dished on how I disliked Nobu OC partly for its clubby atmosphere and this is just as clubby if not moreso 🤦😅 But to me, BG is self-aware and leans into it and celebrates that, vs my experiences at the Nobu in NYC was not that, and I felt the food and dining didn’t match up with the atmosphere at Nobu, vs at Barton G, it does.
*Anyway*, I adore Barton G and it’s my first reservation anytime I’m back in LA. I didn’t order the most over the top dishes, so I recommend googling pics to take in the full experience of what it is.
**Food** – delicious, particularly the ox tail lasagna rolls. I have an ox tail love this year and keep coming back to dishes featuring it, so this was a win.
**Drinks** – doubly delicious (warning: *strong*, too) almost equally lived up to my experience at some of NYC, SF, Spain and Japan’s best bars. Sure the presentation is a lot, but very well mixed imo.
**service** this is where I felt it really shines. It’s a crazy atmosphere and a lot to keep up with (and I’m sure they get many obnoxious patrons)but I received better service here than I’ve gotten at many Michelins and World’s Best restaurants. Starting with the little things – it shouldn’t stand out so much that they asked which temperature of water I wanted and ice or no ice, rather than just the usual still vs sparkling. It’s great to be able to not have to make a special request for room temperature water. Why isn’t this common practice at all fine dining? But outside of that, timing was perfect, I was checked on frequenently by my servers and towards the end of my meal the manager himself checked in to inquire on my experience.
Anyway, Barton G is always a win for me. Might not be the usual place for this sub by any means, and it’s not the fanciest, but it’s fun, self aware, delicious dining and drinks and incredible service in a way that’s best many meals I’ve paid triple the price for that had multiple stars. I recommend it.
(Also, feel free to share your favorite kitschy true fine dining experiences with me! I’ve loved Pineapple and Pearls, StreetXO and DiverXO, and have plans for both Fat Duck and Alchemist. What else should I hit up?)
by MrSpiderisadomme