Michele StuevenAs chef Shirley Chung of Ms Chi Cafe will tell you, the Year of the Dragon is the start of a 24-year cycle of fire and luck, and the best way to start the Lunar New Year with a prosperity toss is to eat plenty of fiery golden chicken dumplings. Festivities start on Friday, Feb. 9, and will feature a decadent, six-course family-style dinner at Ms Chi Cafe. Available through Sunday, Feb. 25 (dinner only), there will be a classic Chinese menu steeped in symbolism, reflecting the themes of wealth, health and long life.
Highlights include the YuSheng Prosperity Toss Salad for good luck; Golden Chicken Jiaozi for wealth; and the Twice Cooked Red Braised Pork Belly for abundant blessings. A la carte items from Ms Chi’s regular dinner menu will also be available for order. The price is $69 per person, a two-person minimum, and excludes tax and gratuity Reserve on Yelp; Walk-ins welcome.
Lunar New Year at Ms Chi (Boh Creative)
Din Tai Fung will honor the Year of the Dragon by sharing good fortune with guests — gifting traditional red envelopes in celebration at participating locations. Red envelopes known as hóngbāo will contain an educational insert on the meaning behind the holiday, as well as a gift of a free soy noodle appetizer to be redeemed during a future visit and will be distributed to every dine-in guest beginning Thursday, Feb. 8. One visitor per restaurant will also have the chance to win extra good fortune in the form of a golden ticket within their envelope, which grants access to the restaurant’s VIP reservation concierge service, allowing for guaranteed and easier access to reservations for parties up to six through the end of the year.
Water Grill in the South Coast Plaza will feature a special menu to manifest health, wealth and happiness in the new year from Saturday, Feb. 10, through Saturday, Feb. 24. Items include shrimp shumai, garlic noodles, whole crispy black sea bass and wok-fried spiny lobster. For more information or to make reservations, visit watergrill.com/southcoast.
The newly transformed Yangban in downtown Los Angeles will offer a specialty dish, Gungjung Tteokbokki (royal court rice cake), starting Friday, Feb. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 11, with Kalbi braised oxtail, hobak squash, shimeji and shitake mushrooms, with preserved black perigord truffle. Reservations can be made HERE.
Niku X (Chubby Group)
Niku X will celebrate the Year of the Dragon from Friday, Feb. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 11, with two special menus featuring the richness of lobster, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. Each order from the festive menu will come with a surprise gift for guests. The tomahawk tasting menu includes choices of Wagyu oxtail and Tokyo Negi potstickers, A5 Wagyu bone marrow, sesame somen noodles and Wagyu tartare.
Sapporo U.S.A. will celebrate 2024 with an artist collaboration six-pack now available nationwide for a limited time. The dragon-themed package is Sapporo U.S.A.’s first nationally available six-pack and a display of Tokyo Hiro’s distinct east-meets-west style. Hiro is best known for his tattoo artistry and has designed album covers, merch and more for professional athletes, bands and brands like Bad Religion, The Offspring, Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Fender, Adidas, Hurley and others.
Bruce Lee Gold Dragon Cupcake (Courtesy Sprinkles)
Hiro’s story mirrors that of Sapporo’s first Brewmaster, Seibei Nakagawa, who left Japan at the age of 17, at a time when leaving was strictly forbidden. He learned the craft of brewing in Germany and went on to become Japan’s first German-trained brewmaster. His adventurous spirit still guides the company’s principles today. Hiro’s artwork features two dragons flowing around the package and the Sapporo can. The open mouth of one dragon wards off evil spirits, while the closed mouth of the other keeps good spirits in. The two together represent the end and beginning of the New Year.
To celebrate the 2024 Lunar New Year, Sprinkles is teaming up with the Bruce Lee Foundation and Gold House to offer the Golden Dragon Bruce Lee Cupcake. Inspired by the traditional almond cookies gifted during Lunar New Year and symbolic of the Year of the Dragon, the red velvet cupcake is swirled with slivered almonds on top of a buttery Twin Dragon almond cookie crust, and topped with almond cream cheese frosting and features a dragon candy decoration. Both almonds and the color red are symbolic of good luck and fortune. The cupcake is available now through Sunday, Feb. 11, and regardless of sales, Sprinkles is making an upfront donation to the Bruce Lee Foundation, supporting many of its programs dedicated to youth mental and physical health and wellness.
Santa Anita Park is partnering with Smorgasburg to present Dumpling Day on Saturday, Feb. 3, from noon to 4:30 p.m., at Trackside Apron in Santa Anita Park. The $34 dumpling starter pack comes with one order of dumplings, one beer, wine, or soda, a $5 betting voucher, and admission (which includes program and general parking, tip sheet and open grandstand seating). The dumpling VIP pack with a reserved picnic table is $55. Participating vendors include The Dumpling Dream, Dumplins, Zindrew Wontons and Mao’s Bao.
Chinatown’s Chinese New Year Festival in DTLA will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17. Ring in the Year of the Dragon with colorful floats, lion dancers, martial arts troupes, firecrackers and food. The festival will be in full swing at Central Plaza starting at noon, while the Golden Dragon Parade will start at 1 p.m.
Dumpling Day at Santa Anita Park
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