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Twelve Great Tableside Preparations in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is booming with tableside dinner preparations, where chefs and their carts roam the dining room to finish dishes right in front of you. Here are twelve of the city's best.

by Farley Elliott
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by Farley Elliott

Between chefs carving steaks right at the table and roving carts that pour whiskey on command, Los Angeles is becoming enamored with tableside preparations once again. There's something fun and showy about making everyone in the dining room turn to watch while waiters stir aged risotto into a 250 pound wheel of Parmesan cheese.

Still, all the splendor in the world won't save a bad meal, which means eye-catching as tableside dishes can be, they've also go to be delicious. That's why Eater has compiled a list of not just a dozen tableside options, but twelve specific dishes that are damn good on their own -- regarless of where they were prepared.

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Cecconi's

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Bloody Mary Cart — During Sunday Brunch, made-to-order bloody marys make the rounds at this West Hollywood hotspot.

8764 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 432-2000
(310) 432-2000

Also featured in:

Chaya

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Tuna Tartare — This dinner-only presentation features servers whipping together all of the ingredients while guests look on.

525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 236-9577
(213) 236-9577

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Oliviero at Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills

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Housemade Cavatelli — Chef Mirko Paderno has been known to toss around the truffles, including in this cavatelli dish that’s finished inside a wheel of aged Parmesan.

9400 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 277-5221
(310) 277-5221

Bourbon Steak

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Japanese Whiskey Cart — Aromatics like vanilla are burned table side and their smoke captured in the glass, to help finish off an array of rare Japanese whiskies.

237 S. Brand Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 91204
(818) 839-4130
(818) 839-4130

Also featured in:

The Church Key

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Otter Pops — Here, cart attendants wearing Pan Am gear serve boozy otter pops with a liquid nitrogen finish.

8730 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(424) 249-3700
(424) 249-3700

Also featured in:

RivaBella

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Liquid Nitrogen Vanilla Ice Cream — Dessert is the show at RivaBella, where liquid nitrogen is used to finish off the necessary ingredients for their house vanilla ice cream.

9201 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 278-2060
(310) 278-2060

Also featured in:

Faith & Flower

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The Leap of Faith — Absinthe service is rare enough — at Faith & Flower, the Russian-style ceremony surrounding the drink is a work of art.

705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 239-0642
(213) 239-0642

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Dal Rae Restaurant

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The Classic Caesar Salad — Still spun tableside after all these years, Dal Rae’s Caesar salads are a steakhouse tradition.

9023 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660
(562) 949-2444
(562) 949-2444

The Bazaar by José Andrés

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Magic Mojito — Individual-sized shakers of mojito are strained over cotton candy for a sugary finish.

465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-5555
(310) 246-5555

Also featured in:

Mélisse

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Rotisserie Chicken with Truffles — Carved tableside, Josiah Citrin’s roasted whole chicken has been a hit with diners for fifteen years.

1104 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
(310) 395-0881

Also featured in:

Sol y Luna

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Guacamole — As kitschy as it is classic, Tarzana’s Sol Y Luna still does a tableside guacamole presentation that’s hard to beat.

19601 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 343-8488
(818) 343-8488

Union

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Brined, roasted Cook Pigs are butchered on-site by chef Kalman, who then presents the section of your choice (including the head) with complete instructions on how to dig in.

37 East Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91103

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Cecconi's

8764 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Bloody Mary Cart — During Sunday Brunch, made-to-order bloody marys make the rounds at this West Hollywood hotspot.

8764 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 432-2000
(310) 432-2000

Chaya

525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Tuna Tartare — This dinner-only presentation features servers whipping together all of the ingredients while guests look on.

525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 236-9577
(213) 236-9577

Oliviero at Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills

9400 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Housemade Cavatelli — Chef Mirko Paderno has been known to toss around the truffles, including in this cavatelli dish that’s finished inside a wheel of aged Parmesan.

9400 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 277-5221
(310) 277-5221

Bourbon Steak

237 S. Brand Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 91204

Japanese Whiskey Cart — Aromatics like vanilla are burned table side and their smoke captured in the glass, to help finish off an array of rare Japanese whiskies.

237 S. Brand Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 91204
(818) 839-4130
(818) 839-4130

The Church Key

8730 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Otter Pops — Here, cart attendants wearing Pan Am gear serve boozy otter pops with a liquid nitrogen finish.

8730 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(424) 249-3700
(424) 249-3700

RivaBella

9201 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Liquid Nitrogen Vanilla Ice Cream — Dessert is the show at RivaBella, where liquid nitrogen is used to finish off the necessary ingredients for their house vanilla ice cream.

9201 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 278-2060
(310) 278-2060

Faith & Flower

705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

The Leap of Faith — Absinthe service is rare enough — at Faith & Flower, the Russian-style ceremony surrounding the drink is a work of art.

705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 239-0642
(213) 239-0642

Dal Rae Restaurant

9023 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660

The Classic Caesar Salad — Still spun tableside after all these years, Dal Rae’s Caesar salads are a steakhouse tradition.

9023 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660
(562) 949-2444
(562) 949-2444

The Bazaar by José Andrés

465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Magic Mojito — Individual-sized shakers of mojito are strained over cotton candy for a sugary finish.

465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-5555
(310) 246-5555

Mélisse

1104 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Rotisserie Chicken with Truffles — Carved tableside, Josiah Citrin’s roasted whole chicken has been a hit with diners for fifteen years.

1104 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
(310) 395-0881

Sol y Luna

19601 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356

Guacamole — As kitschy as it is classic, Tarzana’s Sol Y Luna still does a tableside guacamole presentation that’s hard to beat.

19601 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 343-8488
(818) 343-8488

Union

37 East Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91103

Brined, roasted Cook Pigs are butchered on-site by chef Kalman, who then presents the section of your choice (including the head) with complete instructions on how to dig in.

37 East Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91103

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