Gung hay fat choy

18 Lunar New Year celebrations welcoming the Year of the Snake in Houston

Lunar New Year is upon us once again, which means there will be several spots in Houston that will celebrate with lion dances, martial arts performances and red envelopes containing fun surprises in the next few days.

Here is a rundown of events, from festivals to dinners to night markets, where you can join in and celebrate the Year of the Snake.

Wednesday, January 29

Dessert Gallery welcomes the Year of the Snake with hand-decorated, Lunar New Year cookies priced at $6.95 each. Indulge in these treats as you celebrate the festivities. 11 am (noon Sunday).

Duck n Bao will have a lobster platter for $29.99, offered with the purchase of an entree, through Sunday. Enjoy alongside their famous Peking duck and Sichuan specialities, plus soup dumplings, noodles, and fish dishes for luck and prosperity. 11 am.

Hidden Omakase is offering all customers a lucky red envelope, containing a lucky bracelet and a gift card redeemable for lunch. The Michelin-recommended sushi restaurant recently launched its new walk-in lunch menu curated by chef Marcos Juarez. 11 am.

Hongdae 33 will have BOGO Korean Soju all weekend to accompany premium AYCE Korean barbecue. In addition to Chamisul (original and fresh) and Jinro Is Back Chum-Churum, there are six flavors including green apple, strawberry and peach. 11:30 am.

Houston Botanic Garden’s Radiant Nature is still around for Lunar New Year. It features more than 50 Chinese lantern installations throughout the mile-long path, each of which is ideal for creating eye-popping Instagram and TikTok content. 6 pm (6:30 pm Sunday).

JŪN will have a Wine and Dine XV Lunar New Year Edition. This meal will include a special four-course, Asian-inspired menu, celebrating chef Henry Lu's Chinese heritage and chef Suu Khin’s Burmese roots. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to World Central Kitchen. 5 pm.

Kazzan Ramen & Bar is celebrating Lunar New Year by giving every dine-in table a red envelope with a surprise inside. Kazzan touts its "volcano" ramen that originated in Osaka, with thick noodles and vegetables. 11 am.

Stomping Grounds will have a lively Lunar New Year celebration. Pho Fix will have free appetizers, fortune cookies, gift card giveaways, and $1-$100 red envelopes. Himari Sushi will be celebrating with $25 bento boxes for dine-in customers. 6 pm.

Trill Burgers has the Indomie Chopped Cheese Sandwich for Lunar New Year. It includes fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, ground beef and American cheese, topped with pan-fried Indomie noodles, sautéed bean sprouts, garlic oil, and Sriracha aioli, all on an Amoroso roll. 11 am.

Thursday, January 30

Norigami is hosting a Lion Dance performance at 7:30 pm, with music by The Boyz of Summer at 5 pm, drink specials, and 25 percent off all day. It’s the perfect way to honor tradition while enjoying delicious food and cultural experiences. 3 pm.

Saturday, February 1

Asia Society Texas Center welcomes the Lunar New Year with performances, art and craft activities, a Lucky Lunar Mission (with a stop in their "Space City: Art in the Age of Artemis" exhibition), and food, all inspired by Lunar New Year traditions across Asia. 10 am.

Chinese Community Center will celebrate the Year of the Snake at its Lunar New Year Festival. Highlights include lion and dragon dances, Asian cuisine, cultural workshops, games and activities, a live snake exhibit, and more. 10 am.

Ginger & Fork will have a full schedule for its Lunar New Year celebration. It kicks off with a prayer ceremony and a lion dance with a martial arts demonstration. There will also be an encore lion dance during dinner service. 3 pm.

Meo Bar will have a celebration featuring a lion dance performance by the Seven Star Dragon Lion Dance Team, alongside a special menu inspired by Vietnamese culinary traditions. Customers can also enjoy festive beverage collaborations in the bar’s speakeasy setting. 5 pm.

Phat Eatery will once again host multiple seatings for its Malaysian New Year’s feast. Each seating begins with lion dance performances, followed by a family-style meal that includes a traditional Malaysian Yu Sheng “Prosperity Toss.” 7 pm (11:30 am Sunday).

Sunday, February 2

Have a Nice Day HTX will have its annual Lunar New Year Market at The Ion. This free, family-friendly event features an exciting lineup of AAPI chefs, creators, a lion dance performance, a red envelope giveaway, and complimentary Lunar New Year sips for 21+. 4 pm.

Traveler's Table will host a lion dance at 12:30 pm for customers with brunch reservations. Nearby sister restaurant Traveler's Cart will also host a dragon dance in its parking lot, perfect for patrons to enjoy while grabbing a quick bite or drink inside the establishment, at 3 pm.

Saturday, February 8

Common Bond Bistro & Bakery still has its limited-edition, Lunar New Year Entremet (in collaboration with Lee’s Golden Dragon) through Wednesday, February 12. Lee’s Golden Dragon will also do a performance at Common Bond’s Heights location. 11 am.

Have a Nice Day lunar new year market dragon dance

Photo by Alan Castelan

See a dragon dance at the Have a Nice Day market.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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