Lunar New Year is here. Also known as Chinese New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan, and Seollal, it’s a holiday celebrated by millions of people throughout Asia and the Asian diaspora. In Washington, Lunar New Year is now recognized as an official state holiday. Some Lunar New Year events have already taken place, but with the Year of the Wood Snake officially kicking off on January 29, there are a bevy of celebrations and food specials to look forward to.

Here’s a guide to some of notable restaurants, bars, and bakeries doing specials and events for Lunar New Year 2025 in the Seattle area:

• At the new Capitol Hill Vietnamese restaurant Ramie, Tet comes with an array of special menu items, including banh beo (rice cakes) with crab stew and chicharrones, a head cheese wrap, and che troi nuoc (rice balls filled with mung bean paste served in ginger syrup). On February 2, Ramie will host a Lion Dance, a traditional way of welcoming the Lunar New Year. Sibling restaurant Ba Sa on Bainbridge Island will be serving some of the same specials and also hosting a February 2 Lion Dance.
• Monsoon, one of Seattle’s most well-known Vietnamese restaurants, is also featuring a number of Tet specials, including the traditional banh tet (filled rice cakes boiled in banana leaves) and pork braised in a clay pot. These specials will run until February 2.
• The Asian American brewery Lucky Envelope always goes big for Lunar New Year and this year is no exception. The Ballard beer-maker will be releasing four new beers — including a sesame chili cream stout and an imperial stout brewed with tea — at a Lunar New Year party on February 1. There will be red envelope giveaways and food truck Panda Dim Sum will be on site from 3 to 8:30 p.m.

• Recently opened Peruvian restaurant La Mar Bellevue is serving a special Lunar New Year menu from January 29 to February 2. This may sound like an odd combination, but Peru is home to a large Chinese community and there is even a culinary style, called Chifa, that fuses Cantonese and Peruvian traditions. The La Mar menu will include items like aji relleno — crispy sweet peppers stuff with crab and glazed with a chili and condensed milk sauce.
• From January 29 to February 12, the Smith Tower’s Observatory Bar — home to some of the best views in all downtown — will be serving three Chinese-inspired cocktails, like the Empress’s Elixir, which has Szechuan-infused gin, lemon juice, honey. What’s the deal here? The Smith Tower has “deep ties to China,” according to a press release, and the Chinese Room (where the bar is located) has a bunch of furniture and decor gifted by Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi.
• Fremont dessert destination Paper Cake Shop — run by Joule’s Rachel Yang and pastry chef Gabby Park — is serving a special cake, the Good Fortune Cake, until the end of January. It has gluten-free chocolate sponge, mandarin orange caramel, walnut praline buttercream filling, walnut praline frosting, and slices of kumquat on top.
• Another sweet option can be found at the Central District doughnut shop Raised, which from January 30 to February 2 will be featuring red and gold mochi doughnuts and furikake (!) mochi doughnuts.

• Finally, the mega popular Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung is celebrating Lunar New Year by collaborating with Taiwanese American artist James Jean. While supplies last, guests to any DTF location (including the four in the Seattle metro area) get a gift card with Jean’s art on it that can be redeemed for a seaweed and bean curd salad appetizer. Anyone who spends more than $175 on a takeout order gets a limited edition James Jean tote.

The Seattle Seahawks snuck in their hiring of Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator during the Championship Weekend games.

The former New Orleans Saints coordinator has twice now been victim of his head coach getting fired, resulting in finding a new home.

Despite the fact that Kubiak has never held the position for more than a full season, and despite the fact that we were all watching Saquon Barkley restore order to Pennsylvania, people still weighed in on the hiring.

And the reactions were highly positive.

A wide range of voices chimed in over the weekend. The following is from a Denver radio host.

For any that had the time to check in on the first two games of the 2024 Alvin Kamara Saints, it does make one wonder about the future of Kenneth Walker.

Thanks, Gee!

Obviously not everyone agrees dissenting voices were issued as well. Not the least of which was just this past Wednesday, when Daniel Jeremiah indicated (as seen below) that Kubiak might not be the best fit for these current Seahawks.

Regardless, here we go. With somebody far more familiar with actual NFL offenses than Ryan Grubb. Seattle can now head to the draft, free agency, Senior Bowl, contract negotiations, and all important decisions-to-be-made with their offensive mind able to weigh in.

A new art-centric hotel is making its way to downtown Seattle.

Hotel Westland, a boutique lifestyle hotel, will open in spring 2025 in the heart of the city’s RailSpur micro-district.

Located in the charming Pioneer Square neighborhood, RailSpur is a block of adaptive reuse historic buildings that has become a lively community and cultural hub in the Emerald City. Developed by real estate developers Urban Villages and managed by Aparium, Hotel Westland’s rich history will be at the forefront of the property’s design as the original 1907 structure will remain intact.

With architecture from Miller Hull and interiors designed by Curioso, the hotel’s color story will be reminiscent of the hues found throughout Pacific Northwest landscapes. Rich blues and greens adorn the 120 guestrooms and will mimic the tones of Washington’s wildlife-filled waters and lush greenery, while warm textile finishes, patinated metals, natural brick and exposed timber pay homage to the building’s original architectural expression.

Art is also at the center of the hotel, with a thriving art program spanning across the property’s vibrant lobby, and beyond. A robust collection of 328 Pacific Northwest-inspired works have been carefully curated by art production house ARTXIV to give guests a deeper look into Washington’s vibrance and charm. In summer 2024, the company debuted its art collection that is to be featured in the hotel with exhibitions at at RailSpur’s 419 Occidental Ave building and the Seattle Art Fair. 30 commissioned artists spent three months working on hundreds of original pieces that show just why Seattle is a known as a city for creatives.

“Pioneer Square has deep history and roots as a center for the arts and it’s been special to develop a space where artists can collaborate and be inspired by their surroundings, creating artwork for the hotel on site that reflects a sense of place,” Jon Buerge, President of Urban Villages, said. “This art production studio and resulting collection serve as an example of how developers and creatives can work together to cultivate the next vibrant community, and we’re excited to bring together the best of art, design, culinary, and hospitality at Hotel Westland.”

The hotel will feature Pioneer Square’s first-ever rooftop bar and restaurant, with jaw-dropping views of the Puget Sound and Seattle skyline.

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