Got plans for Lunar New Year?
Here are some ideas for you (and the family, too!)
Red Hook Tavern’s Lunar New Year Bash
One of my favorite neighborhood restaurants is Red Hook Tavern, probably because their tidy American bistro menu is amazing (their burger is as good as it looks), and because their team is a delight. (Yes, I’m looking at you Benny Ogando!)
For Lunar New Year, on Friday January 27th (beginning at 2pm), chef Bun Cheam is pulling out all the stops, with a long list of dishes that celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, so bring a bunch of friends and get ready to eat (a lot). Bun’s menu is as follows:
Golden Nugget Dumplings filled with crab and pork, Turnip Cakes with ginger-soy vinegar, Shrimp Fritters with jicama, chives, and a salt and pepper vinaigrette; Lobster Yi Mein with scallion, ginger; Buddha Noodles with gailan, shitake, glass noodles; Short Rib Dan Dan Noodles pickled mustard greens, chili oil; Whole Branzino with ginger-scallion soy sauce, and pickled fresno chiles; Crispy Eggplant with black bean brown butter sauce; Steak Kung Pao with peanuts, Szechuan chili oil; and Roast Duck Breast Five Spice with Plum Sauce. For dessert, Kabocha Sticky Rice with sesame, coconut.
Reserve on Resy! Oh, the burger will also be available but for this night, it’s okay to skip it. See you there!
A Family Style Banquet at Chi
To usher in the Year of the Rabbit, Chi is offering a special family style banquet from January 21 to 29. It's available for lunch or dinner for parties of six or more for $150 per person; highlights of the six-course feast include Lobster in Golden Rice Sauce with Crispy Noodles, Squirrel Fish with Garlic Sauce, and Emperor’s Purse with Shrimp & Fruit. Reservations may be made by calling (212) 918-1470, or e-mailing chirestaurant492@gmail.com.
Chi is an under the radar gem; a partnership between Chef Tom Lo and Chef Tom Lei. The two Chef Toms met when Tom Lo, a chef turned anesthesiologist who resides in Forest Hills, decided to partner in Lei’s restaurant Spy C, after tasting his version of the Szechuan classic Cucumber Salad. Chi’s regular menu features that cucumber salad along with a deep roster of other Szechuan favorites, including Chongqing Spicy Chicken and Szechuan Wontons in Chili Oil.
19 Courses at Chef Guo
Master Chef Guo “Anthony” Wenjun, who began his culinary career at 14 as the eighth-generation disciple in the ancient lineage of royal chefs. For the Year of the Rabbit, he is presenting a grand 19-course prix fixe modeled on imperial Chinese cuisine served on exquisite tableware reserved for royalty, paired with rare teas.
Highlights of the $518 feast include Butterfly Falls in Love with the Flower, a decidedly elegant take on such traditional cold appetizers as five spiced beef, and lap cheong, served with exquisitely carved carrots and radishes; Pan Fried Foie Gras Au Jus, which Chef Guo prepares as somewhat of a crisp confit; and Flame Smoked Duck Breast, marinated for six hours and cooked over an open fire served with wisps of smoke from cliff cypress charcoal.
Reservations may be made here.
A Feast at Michelin-Starred Vestry
Chef Shaun Hergatt’s SoHo hotspot Vestry is offering a Lunar New Year menu on January 28th in addition to the regular a la carte menu. The six course prix-fixe menu ($188) offers some of Chef Shaun’s signature Asian inspired dishes. First course is Hamachi with kalamansi and trout roe followed by Soba Noodles with duck confit and Shrimp Dumplings with lobster sauce. Next two dishes are Pork Belly and Black Bass; a perfect Surf and Turf combo. To make sure you start the year on a sweet note, you finish the feast with Orange; panna cotta, orange espuma and blood orange!
Reservations can be made on the restaurant’s website.
Local Roots Lion Dance Brunch
Wen Jay runs a fantastic CSA and all day cafe out of this gorgeous Court Street cafe, and she’s doing her annual Lion Dance Brunch Party this Saturday and dropping a new dish (vegetarian lo mein) as well! The festivities include:
🥂Mimosa specials
😋Chinese sponge cake in limited quantities
🍪Buy 4 get 1 cookie free
🧧Traditional red envelopes for kids
🦁Lion dance by @goldenlions_official at approx 2pm - could start earlier so plan accordingly
❣️ Wear red and eat tea eggs for prosperity
Register for free here.
Bring the kids to this Dumpling Making Workshop at Council Cafe
At this fun interactive dumpling making workshop at Bed-Stuy’s Council Cafe on Saturday January 28th (5pm-9pm), you and yours will learn how to fold dumplings like a boss. You’ll get a dumpling kit with already made fillings (chicken or veggie) and wrappers, all made from chef Tina’s family recipe. Then she’ll teach you about a half dozen different ways to wrap dumplings and traditions of Chinese New Year celebrations. Tickets are $44.81 and can be reserved here.
You get to take the dumplings you made home and share them with your loved ones. A print out of the dumpling recipes will be distributed at the end of the workshop.
The ticket also includes one serving of dumplings (chicken or veggie), and one serving of cucumber salad.
The workshop happens all day, so you can join and finish the workshop at any time. Depending on your skill, the class takes about 20 minutes. If there are no available seats at the workshop table when you arrive, feel free to enjoy the complimentary food first, and join in as soon as a seat opens up.
Good to know:
- The dumplings made during the workshop will not be cooked on-site. They are for you to take home in a to-go box.
- The pop-up event is BYOB. But no drinks are allowed during the workshop.
- Additional food, beverages and desserts are available to be ordered at the cafe.
Register here.