The new dinner theater: Tableside flourishes return to New York

Showy tableside service is all the rage in many of New York City’s best restaurants, said Chris Schonberger and Erin Mosbaugh in FirstWeFeast.com. A few “fusty old brasseries” never stopped filleting Dover sole at their customers’ sides or setting bananas Foster aflame. But old-fashioned theatricality is now flaring up throughout the city. Which is nice, because sometimes when we’re out, “we just want to be entertained.”

Porter House Chef Michael Lomonaco re-embraced tableside theater when he finally found a traditional French duck press last fall. The preparation of his canard à la presse culminates when he brings a marinated, just-roasted duck to the table, presses the carcass to release its juices, then prepares on the spot a sauce of foie gras and port that’s ladled over the sliced meat. 10 Columbus Cir., (212) 823-9500

Quality Italian This offshoot of nearby Quality Meats has gotten considerable attention for its $58 chicken Parm, which is carved tableside with a pizza cutter. But for real fireworks, order the lobster diavolo. First cooked out of sight in a spicy tomato sauce, the lobster is carried to the table by a waiter who flambés it in chile-infused vodka until it emerges a “gorgeous fiery red.” 57 W. 57th St., (212) 390-1111

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Eleven Madison ParkThis Gotham standard-setter has added so many tableside stunts that it’s “blurred the line between dinner and theater.” Our favorite trick involves wines over 25 years old: Instead of trying to remove the cork, the sommelier cleanly beheads the bottle at the neck using heated tongs. 11 Madison Ave., (212) 889-0905