Perhaps the staff are all actors waiting for their first big break

Restaurant Review: Kappo Masa on the Upper East Side. (The New York Times, 1/6/2015)

Print headline:  Where Art and Commerce Intersect.

Among the recommended items on the menu:  baby dancing shrimp, in a shattering, exquisite batter dusted with ground chiles ($26), a decidedly upscale variation of this, I assume, although it's listed on the menu under "Fried".   (It's also one of the fried rice choices.)