Kung Hei Fat Choy, the Year of the Fire Monkey started TODAY, February 8 and festivities continue till February 22. So what’s the significance of Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year gives you another chance to wipe the slate clean and start over if you’ve fallen off the wagon with your New Year resolution. It’s an opportunity to start new ways of doing things and kick old habits.
Traditionally, Chinese New Year is a time to spend with family and friends and celebrate LIFE! Eat foods that bring you luck, good health and prosperity (see list below.) Do new things that bring you happiness. Most importantly, cook at home more often and invite friends over. This is something I plan on doing more myself.
If you’re a Monkey, don’t listen to the superstitions surrounding your future and wealth, otherwise it’ll affect your behavior! For a roundup of Year of the Monkey, it’s traits, compatibility, predictions of fame and fortune, celebrities who are Monkeys.
These dishes symbolize luck, good health and prosperity, let us know if they worked!
Pineapple Fried Rice, an all time favorite and most commonly requested dish
Crispy Dumplings
Buddha’s Delight, a vegetable side dish that goes well with anything
Don’t want to cook? Come join my HOH WOK CLUB for a Chinese New Year feast at BAZI, Sun. Feb.16 at 4pm for a delightful 3 course dinner at $50 incl. tips and tax!
Want to experience a Chinese New Year Festival?
Here are some Miami restaurants celebrating Chinese New Year, contact them to find out about menus etc. and order some of those good luck foods…
Hakkasan (my HOH WOK CLUB celebrated there last year for a superb yum cha!)
Mandarin Oriental
Bazi – their own event, Wed. Feb. 10, $75 incl. lion dance
Kon Chau
Tropical Chinese
Golden Marquess
Chinese New Year
HOH WOK CLUB: Bazi hosts Eleanor Hoh's Chinese New Year gathering
To celebrate the Year of the Monkey, I’m excited to announce my HOH WOK CLUB gathers for a Chinese New Year Asian dinner with an Italian spin at Bazi, located inside the historic Marlin Hotel, Sunday, February 21st from 4-6pm for $50 including tips and tax, what a steal! Only 50 69 lucky guests get to join me inside the dramatic dining room with red and gold accents, replete with elegant tufted banquettes, sleek pendant lighting, artfully shaped bonsai, and a massive dragon with glittering golden scales.
Bazi will offer guests a festive communal dining experience rich with traditional Asian touches. Diners can get their year off to a lucky start by enjoying menu items such as long noodles served to symbolize longevity, house made dumplings for prosperity and more, see menu and how to make your reservations below! Do not delay because once the 50 69 spaces are gone, that’s it, see you there! We got the upstairs intimate lounge as well, yay.
I went to their own Chinese New Year gathering with lion dance last week and sat at the bar, it was so much fun! I got to meet the neatest people and hang. Here are many of the dishes you’ll be having. See all the cozy couches and lounge areas you can sit at if you prefer not to be at a table.
HOH WOK CLUB is a celebration of Asian culture and cuisine. One of the main reasons I created it was to introduce folks to good Asian cuisine run by smaller, independent family owned restaurants and help spread the word. Find out more about HOH WOK CLUB.
Visit Bazi for more details.
Here are details, you know the drill, you’ll be prepaying directly to BAZI…
When: Sunday, Feb. 21: 4-6pm, lunch starts 4:15pm SHARP!
What: Celebrate Chinese New Year of Monkey with an Italian Asian twist!
Where: Bazi Restaurant at the Marlin Hotel, 1200 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Fl 33139
Cost: $50 includes tips and tax
Max: 50 lucky guests
Reservations and prepay: Bazi Reservations if any problems, call Bazi directly, tel: 305) 695-0101
Parking: Valet $15 OR public garage on 13th and Collins.
KUNG HEI FAT CHOY!
Wok Star Supper CLUB: Hakkasan Yum Cha 2015 (updated)
Year of the Ram is off to a fabulous start for 2015! Chinese New Year with 70 lucky people at HAKKASAN, Fontainebleau Miami Beach was such a treat! I organized it as part of my Wok Star Supper Club gatherings, to celebrate Asian culture and cuisine with like minded people. If you’ve never had an authentic Yum Cha Chinese style, you have to experience it. And the best way to do that is at a chic, modern and beautiful restaurant like HAKKASAN. You get the royal treatment and you leave all the work to the chefs who painstakingly make all the intricate and magnificent dumplings and miniature sculptures!
Yum Cha in Chinese literally means, “drink tea” and is a leisurely way to enjoy an afternoon with family and friends over a 4 course 13 item dim sum menu, and that’s what we did yesterday. If you missed it, you can drool over the dishes below.
It was wonderful to see so many who’ve attended my class join me in this celebration and I hope to make this an annual event. If you want to experience future Wok Star Supper Club events, subscribe to my free newsletter in right sidebar so you’ll be the first to hear about events and get first option to reserve as well as news about my wok cooking classes, resources, meal ideas, tips, techniques and videos to simplify your life!
Thanks so much to Tasting Table, New Times and Miami Herald for spreading the word!
photo credit: all horizontal photos by Geraldine Ramirez, square food shots by me!
Hakkasan at the Fontainbleau Hotel
4441 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33140