While I was in Los Angeles visiting family, my aunt took my brother and me to this restaurant as a surprise. She wouldn’t tell us anything about the restaurant and advised against researching it. She was right to do that.

The restaurant, Barton G, was just in this dinky little building on a fairly busy street, but it was in Beverly Hills, so that was enough for me. The inside looked nothing like the outside. It had dim lighting, and was basically the epitome of Beverly Hills dining. The decor and seating were chic and expensive-looking (and so were the people eating there).

We sat down, and I immediately noticed that the tables were fairly squished together — I was basically sitting next to a guy at a different table. The tables themselves weren’t big either, but we managed.

The waiter was really friendly and brought us bagels. Most restaurants give waiting customers bread to hold them over, but this place gave us a little cutting board with three donuts: cheese, jalapeno and garlic. They were definitely unique and tasted decent, but sharing them with two other people didn’t hold me over.

We then ordered the “Holy Smokes Popcorn,” which was brought out by another waiter in a large bowl. He put one bowl on our table, then flipped the popcorn in the large bowl he was holding, letting all the spices be mixed in well, and then poured it into the bowl on our table. As he poured it, smoke seeped out from the popcorn.

It shocked all of us, and slightly reminded me of the Sugar Factory drinks. However, this was ten times cooler. Not to mention, the popcorn tasted delicious, seasoned mainly with truffle butter.

Ordering was a fun process in itself. As we sat there, surrounded by other tables, my brother and me easily came to notice that the popcorn was not the only food that came with its own unique experience. Each dish and drink came with some type of wild presentation.

I ordered the “lobster trap mac & cheese,” and my brother ordered the “samurai swordfish.” The wait, surprisingly, was not too long, especially considering how busy it was. Not to mention we were so distracted by all the food coming out around us to other tables in outrageous presentations.

My mac & cheese was insanely rich and had a lot of lobster in it. Usually when I get a seafood pasta, I feel like I get cheated out of getting as much seafood as I should, but this case was the opposite. I didn’t even finish half of it before I felt full — and I obviously needed some room for dessert.

For dessert, we ordered their newest addition: “dolla dolla bills,” which was a s’mores dish in the form of a solid gold chocolate bar, with gold chocolate nuggets on the sides and a bowl of chocolate ganache. It was by far, no question asked, the best dessert I’ve ever had.

A waiter came over with a blowtorch and torched the gold bar, opening it up for us to reveal the s’mores inside. We watched in awe as the sparks slowly disintegrated the solid chocolate.

Overall, I give this restaurant a 1,000 out of 10. I hope to go back as soon as I make another trip to California.