fertility and noodles indicate longevity -- the longer the noodle the better, so don't cut them! Never serve tofu because white is bad luck. Duck mean fidelity, and turnips are also good luck.
If you don't want to go whole hog in this year of the pig, just order take out and make some simple dishes to bring a bit of luck into your own home. A simple dessert of mango sorbet, lychee nuts in syrup and a touch of pineapple will bring a bit of the festivities into the home.
Find Li Yuen at 112 Lafayette Road in North Hampton. 964-8181.
The Dish
There are many special dinners coming up in the end of February and March. Mission Oak Grill in Newburyport, Mass., is doing a Hess Wine Dinner on Tuesday, March 6, with dishes like seared sea scallop with fresh beet salad and braised beef short ribs with a roasted onion mash all paired with fine wines from Hess Vineyards. The dinner is $60, tax and tips not included. Call (978) 463-9009 for reservations. www.missionoakgrill.com.
Up in Portland, Lee Skawinski, of Portland's acclaimed Cinque Terre and Vignola restaurants, hosts a two-part evening on Feb. 26 to celebrate Venetian cuisine and wines. The events feature Bisol winery, producers of "the finest Prosecco of Valdobbiadene" since the mid-16th century. Bisol Wine Manager Giovanni Oliva will be there to visit with dinner guests and answer questions.. The reception kicks off at 5:30 at Vingola then moves next door to Cinque Terre with a traditional Venetian five-course tasting menu beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Vignola reception fare and wines will be $15 per person (+ tax/gratuity), and the Cinque Terre dinner and wines will be $65 per person (+ tax/gratuity). ($70 per person for guests who attend both events) Reservations are required. For more information about either event, or for reservations, phone Vignola: (207) 772-1330 or Cinque Terre: (207) 347-6154.
Rachel Forrest is a former restaurant owner who lives in Exeter. Her column appears every Wednesday in the Portsmouth Herald. Her restaurant review column, Dining Out, appears Thursdays in Spotlight magazine. Hear her on Food and Drink with co-host Susan Tuveson Fridays at 6 p.m. on WSCA-FM 106.1. She can be reached by e-mail at rachelforrest1@aol.com.
