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Order up: Try a plate of orange chicken or steamed bao buns from Lucky Lotus this Lunar New Year. Photo: Duane Tinkey
FOOD & DINING
Ring in a roaring new lunar year
When the new moon rises on Saturday, billions of Asians across the world will ring in the auspicious Year of the Dragon. It’s the fifth sign in the traditional 12-year East Asian zodiac cycle, characterized by power, strength and good luck.
For Kevin and Souriyno Chen, it’s a time to gather with family and friends over a delicious feast.
The brothers own Lucky Lotus, an Asian restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue where the menu is inspired by the foods they enjoyed with their family growing up. The brothers’ parents immigrated to Des Moines from Laos to escape the Vietnam War and owned Cafe Fuzion on the east side from 2006 until it transformed into Lucky Lotus in 2019.
The restaurant plans to offer a few Lunar New Year favorites, including orange chicken and hibiscus orangeade. “Oranges and tangerines are believed to bring good luck and happiness for the new year,” Kevin Chen said. “The color red signifies good fortune, luck and vitality” — hence the bright red hibiscus orangeade — “and noodles symbolize longevity.”
Pauli Wong Smith has good reasons to follow her family’s Chinese New Year traditions to promote wealth, health and longevity. Three of her great-grandmothers lived to at least 98.
As a kid visiting relatives in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Smith learned their traditional recipes alongside some newer “Americanized” versions. She went to cooking school in Chicago and now works as a food and nutrition training specialist for Des Moines Public Schools. She often hosts a Chinese New Year feast at her family’s home in Johnston, with steaming mountains of pot stickers, crab Rangoon, lo mein, fried rice, and beef and broccoli that she makes with her daughter, Lilly.
Phoebe Liang D’Alessandro will be piling her own plate with dumplings. As a Chinese ambassador for CultureALL, she loves teaching people about Chinese traditions.
The first meal of the Lunar New Year is important, she said. Typically, families get together ahead of time to prepare dumplings stuffed with meat or veggies. They molded them into the shape of an ear, a tradition supposedly started after an ancient Chinese doctor used dumplings to save patients from frostbite and fever.
Read more about each of these Iowans’ tasty traditions in the full story online.
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WEEKEND SECTION PRESENTED BY CATCH DES MOINES
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Nikki Hill sings at the 2020 Blues Fest. Photo: Michael Rolands
BEST BET
Time to amp it up: Blues Fest is back
Get ready to shake off those winter blues at the 29th annual Winter Blues Fest. The family-friendly affair features 20 performances over two days all under one roof at the downtown Marriott.
Each year, the lineup is completely fresh — once a band plays Blues Fest, it can’t come back for another five years. This year's lineup includes talent from around the world, including Toronzo Cannon, Carolyn Wonderland, Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal, and Cash Box Kings. Amateur musicians can perfect their skills during piano and guitar workshops on Saturday afternoon.
Buy tickets in advance or at the door for a great weekend of blues.
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Langston Hughes Project (7 p.m. Thursday): The groundbreaking writer’s epic poem “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz” is set to music inspired by blues, gospel, jazz and more in this multimedia concert at Stephens Auditorium in Ames.
“The Odd Couple” (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday): Ankeny Community Theatre presents a gender-swapped revision of Neil Simon’s hit comedy, in which two best friends get on each other’s nerves when they move in together.
Mike Conrad Trio (7 p.m. Friday): The composer who once performed at a presidential inauguration explores the music of great trios from jazz history at Noce.
“Finding Nemo Jr.” (7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Wednesday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday): The Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre tells the Pixar tale of the anxious clownfish trying to find his son.
Terrace Hill Tea & Talk (2 p.m. Saturday): Sandra Gerdes from Better Homes & Gardens chats about the inner workings of Dotdash Meredith’s 25-year-old test garden.
Des Moines Community Orchestra (2 p.m. Sunday): The works of Henry Mancini (“The Pink Panther,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”) come to life at Sheslow Auditorium.
Love is in the Village (2-5 p.m. Sunday): Pick up a sweet treat, new plant or vintage outfit for yourself or a valentine from dozens of local vendors at the Des Moines Heritage Center.
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ARTS & CULTURE
Festival fundraiser: As the Together Through Sound music festival gears up for its second year, organizers and musicians host an event 6-9 p.m. Saturday at the Surety Hotel to announce the date and play some tunes from Blake Shaw and the Bosnian duo Sonny Side Up. Guests who donate at least $100 will receive a free tumbler. RSVP online.
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FOOD & DINING
Opera and hors d'oeuvres: If you love local dining, follow fellow foodies to the Des Moines Metro Opera’s annual Wine, Food and Beer Showcase on March 8 at the downtown Marriott. The tasty event brings together three dozen restaurants, distilleries, breweries and caterers for a sampling smorgasbord. Tickets are on sale now, and all proceeds support the opera company’s education and community engagement programs.
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COMMUNITY & PHILANTHROPY
Volunteers needed: Hope Ministries will be delivering its annual Easter meals to those in need on March 30. If you’d like to help prepare or deliver the meals, sign up for a time slot at hopeiowa.org.
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ARTS & CULTURE
New “Reveal” revealed: The Des Moines Arts Festival’s next annual “Reveal” event, on March 7, will unveil the list of this year’s festival exhibitors and take a deeper dive into the festival’s jury process. In addition to participating in a special mock jury demonstration, guests will hear stories about some of the artists’ technique, background and accomplishments. Admission is free, but reservations are required.
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FOOD & DINING
Openings: Several eateries opened over the last few weeks, including:
Up next, we’re looking forward to:
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Javonte Cooke and his teammates from the Iowa Wolves visited the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden in November. Photo: Duane Tinkey
COMMUNITY
Meet: Iowa Wolves player Javonte Cooke
Want to catch an Iowa Wolves game before the season wraps up? There are still plenty more home games on the schedule through March. If you go, make sure to keep an eye out for rising star Javonte Cooke.
Age: 24
Height: 6 feet, 6 inches
Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina
Position: Combo guard, in his second season with the Iowa Wolves
Jersey number: 14
Excited for this season: “I’m looking forward to the fans — seeing the fans out there again and playing for the crowd. We were, like, No. 1 or No. 2 in attendance last year. This is a good area to play in.” (The team’s per-game average and total attendance last season was second in the NBA G League.)
Hobbies outside of basketball: Writing, reading, drawing, painting
Currently reading: “48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene. “It’s empowering. It tells you how to be a boss. My favorite ‘law’ from the book goes along the lines of not telling everybody what you got going on” — so they can’t sabotage your success.
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For good luck, forward this to your Dragon friends born in 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940 and 1928. Subscribe for free.
As always, send your ideas, tips, questions and corrections to editors@bpcdm.com.
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