Liking this American boy...

Call me a food snob (I've been called worse), but I never expected one of the best meals of my life to be in Miami. New York maybe. Or The French Laundry in the Napa Valley. But stumbling across Barton G The Restaurant made me one very happy lady indeed.

The girls and I hit Florida for sunbathing, Miami vice cocktails and general partying early in July. It was hot, hot, hot. We were perusing Time Out as to where to have dinner on Saturday night and found the recommendation for Barton G The Restaurant. It was the description of the shrimp popcorn that sold us. So we booked a table, dressed up to the nines and headed off into the sweltering Miami evening.

We arrive by taxi, sadly not by flash sports car, as many of the other clientele seem to do. The staff couldn't be sweeter, and as the garden a) looks beautiful and b) has air conditioning in the form of spray pumps, we opt to sit outside. Our menu is bought to us. On an i-pad. So cool!

The i-pad that is our menu for the evening. 

A civilised meal always starts with a cocktail. It's a known fact. And although Barton G serves 'normal' cocktails, we're in the mood for something different. So we have the nitrogen cocktails. And they are am-az-ing. The Buddhalicious is pear vodka, lychee and cranberry juice, with a nitrogenised popsicle (ice lolly in the UK!) of pear vodka. It is as delicious as it is potent. And it is served with a buddha on the side. What more could you want?

Buddhalicious, baby.

We then share a starter of shrimp popcorn - exactly as stated, it's popcorn, served in a retro cinema box, with the addition of breaded 'popcorn' shrimp. It's cute, quirky and delicious and we quickly devour the lot.

 While we are awaiting our main courses, we start to notice that very interesting things are happening at the table in front of us. Giant forks are appearing all over the place and we are fascinated. We enquire, and are told that the hen party at the table are having surf and turf, and it's served on a board with an enormous fork as the decoration. It all gets a bit Alice in Wonderland at this point as the cocktails start to take hold, and we notice that several tables are being served their food with the most fantastically presented plates. When ours arrive, we are not disappointed.

Giant forks for the surf and turf.

 I order the Lighthouse lobster because I love it and because it feels right, being so close to the ocean. Plus it's served with lobster creamed corn, lobster fritters and asparagus - just a few of my favourite things! I don't pay much attention to the 'lighthouse' element of the dish, until the lobster arrives. In a lighthouse.

 The thought and presentation that has gone into these dishes is just outstanding. Not only is the food sublime (more about that later) but the sheer imagination that has gone into creating the dishes and serving them at the table is incredible. 

Lighthouse lobster. 

The friendly waiter removes the shell from my lobster tail. 

My companions food arrives in an equally stunning fashion - though I think mine is the most impressive! Amy opts for the salt and pepper calamari, served with the most enormous salt shaker. 

Salting it up. 

More salt, anyone?

I steal a bit of the calamari and it lives up to expectations, soft on the inside (hand up, who hates rubbery squid?) and the salad is great - masses of coriander, my favourite herb, and beautifully fresh and zingy, dressed with lime and ginger. I also nab myself some of Sabine's dish of Blooming sea bass, steamed to perfection and served in a paper bag  to keep the fish perfect until the bag is cut open. Wonderful. The bass is also served with a riot of garden flowers, which leads to much debate about whether they are edible or not.

Sabine and the sea bass

So pretty! 

Back to me. I am eating the world's hugest lobster tail, cooked in butter and just perfect, fresh tasting, meaty, everything lobster should be. The croquettes are great, but the real star of the side dishes is the lobster creamed corn. It's the perfect accompaniment, sweet, creamy, and utterly moreish. I am in heaven. Writing this now, I am struggling to portray it without sounding like Anastasia Steele in 50 Shades of Grey describing an orgasm (and that is NOT a good thing). Needless to say, I stuff myself silly and can't finish it all, in fact I have to be told to STOP EATING, it's that good.

 We are asked if we want to see the desert menu. Despite the fact that I can barely move by this point, we have a look. The desserts look just as amazing as the rest of the menu, and I am particularly drawn to the Big Top Cotton Candy, but alas, can only manage a photo -  I am too full to eat another mouthful.

Declining a digestif, we ask for the bill and it is here I have a minor heart attack. The lobster was market price on the menu and has set me back $125. Ouch. The girls spend the rest of the holiday teasing me about how I spent so much money on a lobster, but it's good natured and quite frankly, it was worth every penny.

http://www.bartong.com/restaurants/

http://www.timeout.com/miami/restaurants-cafes/venue/1%3A2674/barton-g-the-restaurant