The Year of the Rabbit is upon us. The Bay Area will be celebrating the Lunar New Year with festivals, lion dances, performing arts shows, exhibits and lucky red envelopes.
And then there’s the food — special dishes that highlight traditional flavors and ingredients enjoyed during the new year season as well as innovative new creations.
Here’s a roundup of special offerings for the holiday season. Know of others? Let us know via the comment field at the end of the article and we’ll add them to the list.
Martin Yan’s spicy crab at Fog Harbor: from Jan. 22-Feb.5, the Fog Harbor Fish House at San Francisco’s Pier 39 will feature a recipe created by Martin Yan, the celebrity chef who will be the grand marshal of the 2023 Chinese New Year Parade. His Spicy Red Envelope Chile Dungeness Crab ($58) is based on a Singaporean recipe found in his “Martin Yan’s Asia” cookbook. https://fogharbor.com
PF Chang’s: All locations will be making a signature cocktail called Down the Rabbit Hole, made with Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Rye Whiskey, Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur, lemon and honey. The cocktail is served on a special drink coaster that offers an augmented reality view when the QR code is scanned. PF Chang’s will also be selling Year of the Rabbit T-shirts and socks and fortune cookie keychains. www.pfchangs.com
iChina: This Valley Fair/Santa Clara dining palace has added several Lunar New Year specials to the menu: Braised South African Abalone with Iberian ham, fat choy, and broccoli; Live Boston Lobsters; Canada Dried Oysters with fat choy and dried scallops; Alaska Silver Cod marinated in a sesame mala sauce; Red Bean Sweet Dumplings served in a tangerine peel soup; and Dungeness Crab Fried Rice made with egg yolk and scallions. These dishes will be available from Jan. 20-Feb. 5. www.ichinarrestaurant.com
85-Degree: All bakery locations are offering a newly created Honey Cream Cake for the Lunar New Year. Also, there’s a “buy three, get one free” deal on mooncakes — either the Golden Yolk Red Bean Pastry Mooncakes or the Taro Mochi Pastry Mooncakes — available through Jan. 29, with a gift box. www.85cbakerycafe.com
Maison Alyzee: These Mountain View and Burlingame bakeries will be making a special Year of the Rabbit cake featuring citrus cream and mandarin confit accented by floral notes of jasmine tea mousse. Individual desserts and full-size cakes available through early February. www.maisonalyzee.com
SF Bodegas: For three nights, Jan. 20-22, this San Francisco restaurant will offer a tasting menu with its signature Vietnamese twist. The $108 menu features Abalone, Crab Egg Rolls, Sashimi Salad, River Prawns, Noodles with Lobster, Duck Pho and dessert. Vegetarians may order an $88 menu that includes Mushroom Banh Khot, Prosperity Salad, Scallop Mushroom, Charred Cauliflower, Vegan Ap Chao, Vegan Bun Bo Hue and dessert. http://bodegarestaurants.com
Luce with Momofuku Ko: East (Coast) meets West (Coast) for one night only, Saturday, Jan. 21, when executive chef Esther Ha of New York City’s Momofuku Ko collaborated on a five-course tasting menu with the new chef de cuisine at Luce restaurant at the Intercontinental San Francisco, Dennis Efthymiou. This $195 menu of reinterpreted classics includes a Chef’s Welcome; Kanpachi Spring Rolls; Dumplings with Tempura Drop Soup; Quail with taro, butterscotch miso, green onions, peanuts; Branzino with scallops; and for dessert, Nian Gao with macadamia, coconut matcha ice cream and forbidden rice brittle.
LB Steaks: The restaurants at Santana Row in San Jose and Bishop Ranch in San Ramon will mark the new year with a special chef’s creation, Wagyu Fried Rice, from Jan. 22-Feb. 12. The dish ($42) features Miyazaki Wagyu, Maple Compressed Pork Belly, Black Rice, Fuji Apples and Shishito Peppers. https://www.lbsteak.com
Four Seasons Hotels Silicon Valley: At this Palo Alto hotel, the Quattro bar mixologists have crafted a Lunar New Year cocktail with fig-infused Hendricks gin, cranberry juice, St. Germain and truffle honey. Hotel guests will receive an in-room treat from pastry chef Guillermo Soto Torres — a red Sugar Cookie Envelope, filled with chocolate gold coins, strawberry verbena macaron and a chocolate bonbon. www.fourseasons.com/siliconvalley
Humphrey Slocombe: For the Lunar New Year season, these Bay Area ice cream shops are scooping Hong Kong Milk Tea and Black Sesame flavors. Those two are also available in pints to go, as are two other riffs on Asian flavors, Matchadoodle and Vietnamese Coffee. https://humphryslocombe.com
E&O Kitchen and Bar: from Jan. 24-Feb. 4, this San Francisco restaurant will offer several Lunar New Year specials. Available for both in-person dining and takeout will be Prosperity Salad, with Dungeness crab, greens, avocado and citrus; Pork and Kimchi Pot Stickers; Long Life Noodles, with Wagyu beef, maitake mushrooms, chrysanthemum and carrots; and Steamed Fish Fillet, with sea buckthorn ponzu, ginger, scallion and rice cake. https://eandokkitchen.com
China Live: through Feb. 4, this San Francisco epicurean center will offer specials including Ningao New Year’s Cake, with pork, chives and China Live XO Sauce); Chinese “Rarebit,” baked vegetable buns topped with four cheeses; Shanghai Lobster Trap, whole lobster in spicy JiuNiang wine sauce; Whole Dungeness Crab, prepared with ginger scallion sauce or Chinese salt and pepper style; and for dessert, Longevity Buns shaped like peaches and filled with chocolate ganache. All diners will receive complimentary gold chocolate coins. https://chinalivesf.com
