We hit Barton G. last week for a birthday celebration and, of course, were wowed by the kitsch that comes gratis with every meal: oversize statues of Fijians grunting at our dish, dry ice causing our ponzu to smoke, fried chicken served in a tin piece of poultry, and the like. But the presentation that wowed us technophiles most was the digital dessert menu, presented in tandem with a bunch of new sweet selections and timed perfectly to pair with the introduction of Barton G.'s new app.
First things first: Let's talk about the app, since you should check it out in advance of making your reservation. Free to install and available to iPod touch, iPad, and iPhone users (Android folks will have to wait a while), it invites fans to look over the menu, e-mail a buddy, call the restaurant, and--most importantly--receive information on discounts and such offered each week, Mondays through Thursdays during summertime. This week's was called Sweet Deal and it offered 10 percent off any dessert with the purchase of an entrée. All you have to do to get the deals is flash your app at the server.
Once you're done pigging out on your lobster Pop-Tarts, Safari skirt steak, and Dauphinoisepotatoes, the real fun begins. Your server arrives with a Lucite contraption designed to hold iPhones loaded with the dessert menu and complementing beverages. On it, you'll find new offerings like Give Me S'mores, a ginormous toasted marshmallow filled with a pool of dark chocolate ganache and housemade graham crackers ($58); My Cupcake Runneth Over, a Fisher Price-esque plastic tray loaded with red velvet, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, a bag of M&Ms, four lollipops, and an embarrassment of hard and soft candies ($46); "B"acon and E"G"gs, French toast-style cinnamon raisin bread pudding, chocolate-covered bacon, bacon ice cream, and whiskey and caramel hard sauces on the side ($29); and Kiss Kiss, chocolate truffle cake with caramel fudge filling and a milk chocolate sauce ($38).
If these prices seem steep, consider that all of these desserts are designed for sharing and we estimate it takes an average of four diners to do reasonable damage.
Embarrassingly our group only included three adults so we only made a healthy dent in our dessert. But we came up with some suggestions for other features that need to be added to the app so listen up, Mr. Weiss: You need to offer a) a YouTube video with Richard Simmons showing us how to lose all that extra poundage since we are in peak bathing suit season, b) a way to schedule an emergency dentist appointment, and c) information on where you buy all those cool trinkets. We're no longer jonesin' for sweets, but we seriously have to know where you found that giant Hershey bar so we can survive hurricane season with a smile.
Follow Short
Order on Facebook and Twitter @Short_Order.
