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The whole roasted and fried pig head — with sparklers — at The Pig.
The whole roasted and fried pig head — with sparklers — at The Pig.
Courtesy of The Pig

14 Restaurants Where Dishes Come with a Free Side of Drama

Dramatic flare abounds with cool and kooky dishes at these 14 restaurants.

by Lani Furbank
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The whole roasted and fried pig head — with sparklers — at The Pig.
| Courtesy of The Pig
by Lani Furbank

While themed establishments like Rainforest Café and Medieval Times boast three-ring-circus-worthy entertainment during dinner, there are other ways to spice up a classy meal without a full-fledged theatrical production. Plenty of DC restaurants offer creative menu items with interactive preparations and flashy presentations.

Here are 14 dishes served with a side of drama.

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AG Kitchen

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The orange plastic viewfinder toys on the table at AG Kitchen aren’t for looking at cartoons! Click the lever on the side to scroll through photos of the restaurant’s dessert offerings. Choices include flan, chocolate empanadas and a variety of milkshakes. ($6-$13)

931 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910
301.588.9400
301.588.9400
R. Lopez

Del Campo

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A smoky aroma is added to cocktails tableside at Del Campo. When the pisco negroni is delivered, the server lights a canela (Mexican cinnamon) to smoke the glass, adds a large ice cube and then pours the drink. ($14)

777 I St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

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Estadio

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Next to the list of porrones, Estadio’s menu warns, “drink at your own risk.” They offer three mixtures to fill these Spanish drinking vessels, and then diners take turns pouring the liquid into their mouths from as far away as possible. The menu choices are: Estrella Damm and housemade lemon soda ($14); Txakoli, housemade lemon soda and orange bitters ($20); and Garnacha, housemade lemon soda and angostura bitters ($20). There’s also an off-menu concoction that is made with rosé Cava, grapefruit juice, honey syrup, Campari, Kas Limon soda and fresh lemon juice.

1520 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 319-1404
(202) 319-1404
Estadio Official

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Fuego Cocina y Tequileria

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The grilled meat and veggies in the Mixed Sizzling Skillet are served on a piping hot stone plate. Chicken ($24) or steak ($27) is accompanied by blistered peppers and onions, and three jumbo Diabla shrimp can be added for an extra $9. Condiments and tortillas come to the table on the side.

2800 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
(571) 970-2180
(571) 970-2180
Fuego Cocina y Tequileria/Facebook

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Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

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In traditional fashion, Joe’s Dover Sole is pan-fried in butter and then skillfully filleted right in front of the diner. ($44.95)

750 15th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 489-0140
(202) 489-0140
Joe's Seafood/Facebook

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Mintwood Place

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Mintwood Place offers the classic yet dramatic Baked Alaska Flambé, which is a flashy combination of fire and liquor. ($8)

1813 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 234-6732
(202) 234-6732
Mintwood Place Official

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Ripple

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An entire fish head on a plate might come as a shock, but after Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley brings it to the table to display, she then takes the Tilefish head back to the kitchen to chop it up into edible bites before serving. ($35)

3417 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
(202) 244-7995
(202) 244-7995
Ripple/Facebook

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Rosa Mexicano

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At Rosa Mexicano, guacamole is prepared tableside in a molcajete, a Mexican lava-rock mortar. It’s served with tortillas, tortilla chips and salsa. Guacamole de Otoño is available during the fall, made with roasted pear and apple and topped with pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds. ($14)

575 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004
(202) 783-5522
(202) 783-5522
Rosa Mexicano Official

SER

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Pork is the star of two tableside shows at SER. Their menu includes a variety of chacinas Ibericas (Spanish cold cuts) that are carved paper-thin by hand ($9-$25). The cochinillo (roasted suckling pig) also comes with a dose of pomp and circumstance: it is sliced with a dinner plate to demonstrate how tender the meat is. Upon special request, Chef and Owner Josu Zubikarai will add in an extra Spanish custom. After he is finished cutting the pig, he throws the plate to signal to diners that it’s time to eat. ($68 for a quarter, which serves 2-3)

1110 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 746-9822
(703) 746-9822
SER/Facebook

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Sushiko

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Sushiko’s wagyu is delivered on a hot rock so diners can sear the meat themselves. The dish consists of 6 ounces of Australian wagyu beef, with a side of Yuzu Kosho (fermented yuzu chili paste) and Ponzu sauce. ($16)

5455 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(301) 961-1644
(301) 961-1644
Official

Also featured in:

The Pig

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The Pig doesn’t mess around when it comes to nose-to-tail dining. Their whole roasted and fried pig head is always available to pre-order, and sometimes appears on the menu, which changes daily. It’s served with fermented chili paste, pickles…and sparklers. Dig in to the meaty jowls first. ($60)

1320 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 290-2821
(202) 290-2821
The Pig/Facebook

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The Source by Wolfgang Puck

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Wolfgang Puck’s modern Asian restaurant has a new hot pot experience that pays homage to traditional Chinese hot pots found in the Sichuan region. A spread of wagyu beef, pork belly, local rockfish, wild mushrooms, noodles and dumplings is presented on a custom-designed table made by a DC-based woodworker, and diners cook the items in a hot broth. The 20-hour broth is made with chicken feet, pork ribs, beef and chicken bones, whole chicken, Sichuan peppercorns, chilies and chili oil. The interactive meal also includes housemade chili paste, soy sauce, sesame paste and Sichuan peppercorns and it finishes with a poached egg served on white rice. ($65 per person)

575 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20565
(202) 637-6100
(202) 637-6100
The Source Official

Also featured in:

Trummer's on Main

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The bone marrow luge at Trummer’s on Main is college with a touch of class. The server positions the bone and pours Bulleit Kentucky Bourbon down the hollow opening so that the diner can slurp the BBQ marrow and bourbon all at once. Chef Austin Fausett jokes that for an extra fee, a handsome young chef will join in. It’s accompanied by grilled ciabatta, cherry preserves and parsley friseé salad. ($18)

7134 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124
(703) 266-1623
(703) 266-1623
Trummer's On Main Official

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Yechon Korean & Japanese Restaurant

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For authentic Korean barbecue that’s cooked at the table, peruse the variety of offerings at Yechon. Options range from galbi (beef short ribs) and bulgogi (finely sliced beef) to saewoo gui (jumbo shrimp) and samgyeopsal (thinly sliced pork belly). (Prices vary)

4121 Hummer Rd, Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 914-4646
(703) 914-4646
Yechon/Facebook

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AG Kitchen

931 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910

The orange plastic viewfinder toys on the table at AG Kitchen aren’t for looking at cartoons! Click the lever on the side to scroll through photos of the restaurant’s dessert offerings. Choices include flan, chocolate empanadas and a variety of milkshakes. ($6-$13)

931 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910
301.588.9400
301.588.9400
R. Lopez

Del Campo

777 I St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

A smoky aroma is added to cocktails tableside at Del Campo. When the pisco negroni is delivered, the server lights a canela (Mexican cinnamon) to smoke the glass, adds a large ice cube and then pours the drink. ($14)

777 I St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Estadio

1520 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20002

Next to the list of porrones, Estadio’s menu warns, “drink at your own risk.” They offer three mixtures to fill these Spanish drinking vessels, and then diners take turns pouring the liquid into their mouths from as far away as possible. The menu choices are: Estrella Damm and housemade lemon soda ($14); Txakoli, housemade lemon soda and orange bitters ($20); and Garnacha, housemade lemon soda and angostura bitters ($20). There’s also an off-menu concoction that is made with rosé Cava, grapefruit juice, honey syrup, Campari, Kas Limon soda and fresh lemon juice.

1520 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 319-1404
(202) 319-1404
Estadio Official

Fuego Cocina y Tequileria

2800 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

The grilled meat and veggies in the Mixed Sizzling Skillet are served on a piping hot stone plate. Chicken ($24) or steak ($27) is accompanied by blistered peppers and onions, and three jumbo Diabla shrimp can be added for an extra $9. Condiments and tortillas come to the table on the side.

2800 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
(571) 970-2180
(571) 970-2180
Fuego Cocina y Tequileria/Facebook

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

750 15th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

In traditional fashion, Joe’s Dover Sole is pan-fried in butter and then skillfully filleted right in front of the diner. ($44.95)

750 15th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 489-0140
(202) 489-0140
Joe's Seafood/Facebook

Mintwood Place

1813 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, D.C. 20009

Mintwood Place offers the classic yet dramatic Baked Alaska Flambé, which is a flashy combination of fire and liquor. ($8)

1813 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 234-6732
(202) 234-6732
Mintwood Place Official

Ripple

3417 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

An entire fish head on a plate might come as a shock, but after Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley brings it to the table to display, she then takes the Tilefish head back to the kitchen to chop it up into edible bites before serving. ($35)

3417 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
(202) 244-7995
(202) 244-7995
Ripple/Facebook

Rosa Mexicano

575 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

At Rosa Mexicano, guacamole is prepared tableside in a molcajete, a Mexican lava-rock mortar. It’s served with tortillas, tortilla chips and salsa. Guacamole de Otoño is available during the fall, made with roasted pear and apple and topped with pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds. ($14)

575 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20004
(202) 783-5522
(202) 783-5522
Rosa Mexicano Official

SER

1110 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22203

Pork is the star of two tableside shows at SER. Their menu includes a variety of chacinas Ibericas (Spanish cold cuts) that are carved paper-thin by hand ($9-$25). The cochinillo (roasted suckling pig) also comes with a dose of pomp and circumstance: it is sliced with a dinner plate to demonstrate how tender the meat is. Upon special request, Chef and Owner Josu Zubikarai will add in an extra Spanish custom. After he is finished cutting the pig, he throws the plate to signal to diners that it’s time to eat. ($68 for a quarter, which serves 2-3)

1110 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 746-9822
(703) 746-9822
SER/Facebook

Sushiko

5455 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Sushiko’s wagyu is delivered on a hot rock so diners can sear the meat themselves. The dish consists of 6 ounces of Australian wagyu beef, with a side of Yuzu Kosho (fermented yuzu chili paste) and Ponzu sauce. ($16)

5455 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(301) 961-1644
(301) 961-1644
Official

The Pig

1320 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

The Pig doesn’t mess around when it comes to nose-to-tail dining. Their whole roasted and fried pig head is always available to pre-order, and sometimes appears on the menu, which changes daily. It’s served with fermented chili paste, pickles…and sparklers. Dig in to the meaty jowls first. ($60)

1320 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 290-2821
(202) 290-2821
The Pig/Facebook

The Source by Wolfgang Puck

575 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20565

Wolfgang Puck’s modern Asian restaurant has a new hot pot experience that pays homage to traditional Chinese hot pots found in the Sichuan region. A spread of wagyu beef, pork belly, local rockfish, wild mushrooms, noodles and dumplings is presented on a custom-designed table made by a DC-based woodworker, and diners cook the items in a hot broth. The 20-hour broth is made with chicken feet, pork ribs, beef and chicken bones, whole chicken, Sichuan peppercorns, chilies and chili oil. The interactive meal also includes housemade chili paste, soy sauce, sesame paste and Sichuan peppercorns and it finishes with a poached egg served on white rice. ($65 per person)

575 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20565
(202) 637-6100
(202) 637-6100
The Source Official

Trummer's on Main

7134 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124

The bone marrow luge at Trummer’s on Main is college with a touch of class. The server positions the bone and pours Bulleit Kentucky Bourbon down the hollow opening so that the diner can slurp the BBQ marrow and bourbon all at once. Chef Austin Fausett jokes that for an extra fee, a handsome young chef will join in. It’s accompanied by grilled ciabatta, cherry preserves and parsley friseé salad. ($18)

7134 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124
(703) 266-1623
(703) 266-1623
Trummer's On Main Official

Yechon Korean & Japanese Restaurant

4121 Hummer Rd, Annandale, VA 22003

For authentic Korean barbecue that’s cooked at the table, peruse the variety of offerings at Yechon. Options range from galbi (beef short ribs) and bulgogi (finely sliced beef) to saewoo gui (jumbo shrimp) and samgyeopsal (thinly sliced pork belly). (Prices vary)

4121 Hummer Rd, Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 914-4646
(703) 914-4646
Yechon/Facebook

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