The Barton G Experience

When most Miamians think of giraffes, they think of Africa or more locally, Metrozoo. But, if you go to a Barton G event, you may have the opportunity to see a giraffe up close and personal. Nothing is too “over the top” for a Barton G production.

Barton G. Weiss, a nationally known event concept designer, moved to Miami from New York in 1993 with vague thoughts of retirement. Those thoughts never became a reality. Instead, his business morphed into an internationally recognized, multimillion dollar event production, destination management, catering, and restaurant business. Weiss added “culinary visionary” to his accolades and, in the manner of contemporary celebrities, became known around town as Barton G.

Weiss is a creative perfectionist who aims to delight, not just please, and his delighted clients include Fortune 500 companies, international sporting events, socialites and philanthropists. With offices in Miami, New York and Atlanta, he has more than 450 employees.

In October 2002, Weiss opened his eponymous, awardwinning restaurant, Barton G. Tucked into a residential neighborhood far from the clamor of Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road. His intimate, tree-shaded restaurant features a beautiful garden dining area. When Barton G opened, a critic declared it looked like a restaurant but ate like a show. Celebrities and locals alike flocked to experience such phantasmogorical fare as chocolate monkeys swinging from martini glasses, popcorn shrimp served in real popcorn boxes, liquid nitrogen cocktails, and the Chocolate Fun-Do, a mini chocolate dipping fountain serving four pounds of Belgian chocolate.

October must be Weiss’ lucky month. In October 2009, he opened a second restaurant, Prelude by Barton G., a complete departure from his first. Prelude is a 220 seat, indoor /outdoor venue housed within the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. Open to both art patrons and the public, it with its simply elegant look and updated American classics. Its new-to-Miami fixed price menu concept, Diner’s Decision, offers a choice of three dinner menu items for $39 and two lunch items for $23; diners can also order a la carte. It also boasts Florida’s most comprehensive wine by the glass list. Despite its sophistication, it is unmistakably a Barton G production with features such as incandescent “jellyfish” chandeliers,
handblown glass plates, and a dessert called PB & J consisting of grape jelly gelato within a peanut butter mousse pyramid topped off with macadamia-praline glaze and chocolate ganache.

Commenting on the dire economic predictions and warehouse fire that preceded the opening of Prelude, Weiss says, “With every unexpected turn comes something good. We opened Prelude the week after the warehouse fire to a soldout crowd and received wonderful feedback from our diners…We don’t outsource, so economic downturns are easier to weather.”

Just months after opening Prelude, Weiss leased the former Versace Mansion on Ocean Drive. After a multimillion dollar renovation, he reopened it in March 2010 as a boutique hotel called The Villa by Barton G. Weiss says, “I see the concept at the Villa as an extension of what Versace started in 1992.” The new look is very much in the spirit of Versace blended with Weiss’ unique sensibility. There are ten luxurious custom suites - Versace’s former bedroom has a nine-foot double king-size bed and seven closets - and amenities range from British-trained butlers to Kindle e-readers.

Guests can meander past the opulent Rococo palazzo’s columns, frescoes, fountains, and stained glass and enjoy the Pool of 1,000 Mosaics, inlaid with 24 carat gold. The Villa’s charming 30-seat, pebble mosaic restaurant, the Dining Room, is open to the public by reservation and serves modern European food on Versace china. Barton G’s signature is apparent in menu items such as Colorado rack of lamb with Greek yogurt jelly cubes drizzled with Harissa, and, in a holler back to his first restaurant, The villa salad has a liquid nitrogen-frozen Caesar dressing.

Asked about retirement from his nearly two-decade-old business, the busy entrepreneur’s response is, “What’s that?” Weiss couldn’t say what his next project will be but promises that it will be “surprising and creative…” It seems like a safe bet that it will also be fantastic!

Marlene Sholod