Bid adieu to the Year of the Snake in high style thanks to the spirited set of activities on offer in Los Angeles. On the heels of the holidays and in the excitement of awards season, Angelenos really know how to keep the party going with upscale Chinese New Year celebrations throughout mid-February. Shake things up and get a taste Chinese culture with these festive happenings.
Dine at The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles
Perched at the top of the towering The Ritz-Carlton downtown, WP24 by Wolfgang Puck dishes up the Year of the Horse with an indulgent eight-course, $175 tasting menu, a traditional Chinese Wish Tree adorned with dangling red envelopes, and panoramic views of the glittering Los Angeles skyline. Curated just for the lucky by Forbes Travel Guide Tastemaker Wolfgang Puck, the menu is packed with symbols of good fortune — noodles for longevity, dumplings for prosperity and oranges for wealth. From January 31 through February 14, you can kick off your meal here with a signature Wild Horse cocktail made of corn whiskey, lemon, soda and mint. Then embark on a journey that takes you from crispy daikon cake with pork belly and hoisin sauce to picture perfect, succulent whole roasted Peking duck.
Stay at The Peninsula Beverly Hills
For the ultimate experience, book a stay at Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star The Peninsula Beverly Hills. In keeping with the brand’s illustrious, legendary celebration at its Five-Star Hong Kong property, the hotel will be decorated for the Year of the Horse inside and out — ablaze in auspicious red flowers. Red envelopes with chocolate coins will be placed in each guest room and a special Chinese New Year Tea will be offered with proceeds going to The Peninsula Hotels’ charity initiative “Hope for the Philippines.” If you book the hotel’s exclusive Chinese New Year package (in partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels), plan to stay up late on February 3 — The Peninsula Beverly Hills will host an opulent, invite-only bash for 300 people that will feature entertainment such as Chinese dragon dancers and the viewing of the Peninsula documentary, Tradition Well Served.
Celebrate in Beverly Hills
Uptown, Beverly Hills brings the drama on Saturday, February 8 with its third annual live cultural celebration on world-famous Rodeo Drive, which will include a ceremonial lion dance, acrobats, music and martial arts. Throughout the month, hotels such as Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star The Beverly Hilton, Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel and Five-Star Montage Beverly Hills will offer special Chinese New Year packages and amenities, too. Local hotspot Hakkasan Beverly Hills will serve a specialty Cantonese dinner menu that includes its New Year’s dim sum platter, stewed pork trotters with black moss in brown sauce and wok-fried jumbo prawns with long beans in dried shrimp sauce. On Sunset Boulevard, Chi Lin’s acclaimed executive chef Tyson Wong offers a modern, Hong Kong inspired menu, including hand-pulled “long life noodles,” on offer February 2 to 6.
Photos Courtesy of Kathryn Russell and The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Limited
