Today's side deal lets you put the magic where your mouth is: for $40, you get two tickets to Savino Recine's magic show and $20 towards dinner at Primi Piatti (an $80 value). Magic shows are performed on Friday and Saturday nights at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Reservations are recommended. This Groupon expires on October 9, 2010.

Lighthearted restaurateur Savino Recine is dedicated to two passions in life: performing magical feats in the kitchen as well as on the stage. Recine, owner of Primi Piatti, takes the spotlight in order to wow wide-eyed patrons with tricks involving fire, sleight of hand, and various illusions (tickets valued at $30 per person). While audience members’ minds will be enthralled by the magic, their stomachs will be satisfied by an authentic Italian meal. The menu features a bevy of delicacies, including carpaccio di manzo ($12.50)—an appetizer with beef carpaccio, avocado, and hearts of palm—served with olive oil and lemon dressing. A variety of pasta dishes come dressed to impress, such as the lasagna di farro con burrata ($21.50), made with burrata cheese and basil pesto, while entrees such as the filleto di tonno ($31.50), which features center-cut tuna served over fava beans in a reduction of Chianti and lobster broth, appeases omnivores. Enjoy tasty tricks and treats with a Houdini-tinged heap of delicious food at Primi Piatti.

Magic show and dinner must be redeemed in one visit.

Reviews

The Washington Post featured Savino Recine and Primi Piatti, and reviewed the restaurant. Zagat rated the food and service at Primi Piatti as “very good to excellent.” OpenTable reviewers give the restaurant an average of 3.8 stars, and Yelpers give it an average of 3.5 stars.

• The portions are American (read: enormous), but the accent is Italian. Primi Piatti's lamb shank is fit for a Flintstone; it's also heady with the flavors of wine, tomato and meat juices. Chicken baked beneath a brick in the oven is super-juicy from its soak in herbs and wine, and it's partnered on its plate with pleasing diced potatoes and a nest of spinach. The menu is long and mostly satisfying. – Tom Sietsema, Washington Post
• The “waiters seem as if they’re imported from Italy” at this “midpriced” Foggy Bottom “staple” known for its “seriously good” pastas and “solid” Italian “standards” – Zagat