Teatro ZinZanni

Teatro ZinZanni Piers 27-29 at the Embarcadero near Sansome St. San Francisco (415) 438-2668 or TicketWeb (510) 601-8392 Food: Continental Price: $125 per person, includes dinner and show, but not wine, beverages or tip. Bender rating: 5 Credit cards: All major Famous dish: (set menu)   Teatro ZinZani: Dinner Theater Bumps It Up a Notch Is it cabaret? Is it dinner theater or a circus? Yes, yes and yes. Teatro ZinZanni, a traveling show now in San Francisco, is a gorgeous feast under a red velvet tent, complete with ribald and exciting live music and comedy. Designed as a special-occasion evening, the Teatro experience brings together good food -- by Taste Catering, one of the city's hottest caterers and under the direction of Stars Bar and Dining -- an opera diva, a blues belter, an arch maitre-d', a troupe of European acrobats, "Cookie" the drag-queen Chef, and a cast of scalawags seemingly straight from the Commedia dell' Arte -- presented in a Spiegeltent, a luxurious Belgian-made structure that travels with the show and is one of only five in the world. Teatro's kitchen wisely narrows the menu down to five expertly done, preset courses that change with the seasons (currently, the summer menu is on offer). As diners are seated, they're greeted with a gourmet antipasto platter on the table -- white bean puree and crudite, cucumber mousse, crispy tapenade palmiers and prosciutto. With a flourish, Chef "Cookie" (played by the hilarious Kevin Kent, in a dazzling array of costumes ranging from chef's toque to cha-cha dress) announces each course. First, carrot soup with a lemon crème fraiche and fried leeks -- followed by songs and comedy bits from the colorful cast -- and then a salad of herbed farmer's cheese on brioche toast points over organic greens and tender garden tomatoes. More highjinks ensue, and then the main course appears, borne by waiters with roses clenched in their teeth: roasted salmon (moist and lightly flavored), with Ver Jus Beurre Blanc sauce, fingerling potatoes and Blue Lake beans; or a vegetarian choice of red pepper risotto cakes with basil and leek compote, grilled vegetable and tomato concassée. The arrival of dessert -- a summer fruit upside down cake with fresh whipped cream and a dark chocolate sauce -- is a magnificent spectacle of racing waiters, a frenzied orchestra, and just overhead, two trapeze artists in a sexy pas-de-deux. Thrills abound -- plates whiz through the air, a performer might grab you by your collar and throw you into the show, jugglers try death-defying feats just two feet away from your table, or a randy scullery wench might plop herself in your lap -- but it's all part of the game. The price may seem steep, but look at it this way: Teatro offers a once-in-a-lifetime evening out, three hours of entertainment guaranteed to leave you sated, exhausted and happy. Check their web site (www.teatrozinzanni.org) for special rates. It's often sold out, so book ahead. An $85 special rate may be offered mid-week. Teatro is expected to stay in San Francisco at least through autumn. The dinner and show is three hours long, and patrons are advised to dress up (outlandish is okay, too). The doors open an hour before show time (Wed.-Sat. at 6:30, Sundays at 5:30) for complimentary, passed hors d'oeuvres and no-host bar. -- Lisa Tsering

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