Primi Piatti, Washington

Primi Piatti's executive chef, Savino Recine, is more than a culinary mastermind. When he's not in the kitchen, he’s often roaming the dining room floor, pouring champagne into a glass that appears suspended in midair, or performing other sleight of hand tricks—he's a trained magician, after all. As guests take in the magic or bite into grilled veal chop and saffron gnocchi with shrimp, an imported Italian wood-fired grill browns the crispy crusts of golden pizzas.

Upon entering the high-ceilinged dining room, guests notice that the eatery values presentation and performance as much as flavor and aroma. Elegant sconces and pendant lights cast their glow over tables swathed in white linen. Green-striped columns hug the corners of the soaring space, which is made to look even larger by the massive mirrors that cling to its walls.