If Barbie had a dream restaurant, it would be Ivy at the Shore: pink, green, and dripping with roses everywhere. It’s like dining inside a garden party that also happens to serve some of the best food in L.A.

We started with complimentary champagne (yes, please) and scones with butter and jam. I could have stopped there and been perfectly happy, but then came the Cobb salad—basically a work of art that could feed a small village. Every bite had a little something: crispy bacon, turkey, yellow beets, egg, and avocado. The enchiladas were equally fabulous, because of course they were.

Since we were celebrating my friend’s birthday, the staff rolled out the famous sparkler dessert plate, which is basically dessert on steroids: red velvet cake, a cookie bar, pineapple, and vanilla ice cream swimming in hot fudge. As if that wasn’t enough, they handed us Ivy’s signature cookies on the way out. Who does that? Angels, that’s who.

Over the years, I’ve worked my way around the menu, and trust me when I say: order anything and you’ll be happy. Highlights include the spicy-not-creamy corn chowder, crab cakes, lobster roll with pink Ivy sauce, grilled veggie salad with shrimp and chicken, carne asada, Ricky’s fried chicken with mango chutney, and every dessert in sight. Basically, it’s impossible to go wrong.

The service is always flawless, the atmosphere is as glamorous as it is welcoming, and the flowers will make you want to redecorate your entire house. Ivy at the Shore isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an experience. Five stars, every time.