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Two Falls Church restaurants are marking the Year of the Snake with more than a month of special dishes, themed cocktails and prizes, including trips to Vietnam and Las Vegas.
Chasin’ Tails and NUE Elegantly Vietnamese, both at 944 W. Broad St., will host the celebration from Jan. 1 through Feb. 13, 2025. Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 29.
The restaurants’ $25,000 “li xi” giveaway draws on the tradition of giving lucky money in red envelopes. Through a custom Animal Dice game, diners can compete for an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Vietnam with 25 million Vietnamese dong in spending money or a Las Vegas trip with $2,500.
Other prizes include 2025-edition Hennessy “Reimagination” trio sets, jewelry by designer Mindy Lam and gift-card packages lasting a year.
Executive Chef Daniel Le is also introducing a five-course Lunar New Year tasting menu built around ingredients associated with luck, prosperity and renewal. The menu combines Vietnamese traditions with reworked American favorites, while snake-themed cocktails carry the celebration into the bar program.
Tuyet-Nhi Le, founder and CEO of NUE and Chasin’ Tails, said the festivities were inspired by her childhood Lunar New Year celebrations in Saigon. Her memories include preparing with family, visiting a temple with her mother, collecting li xi envelopes from relatives and playing games with her grandparents late into the night.
Le said her family celebrated for at least two weeks and that she wanted to bring the same expansive spirit to Falls Church through a month-long program centered on food, gifts and craftsmanship.
The restaurants are collaborating with jewelry artist Mindy Lam, the Thieu Vy Collection, tattoo artist Kim Truong, and poet and artist Thu Anh Nguyen. Reservations for the Year of the Snake experience are available through OpenTable for dates between Jan. 1 and Feb. 13.
NUE presents Vietnamese cuisine through a contemporary Viet-American perspective and serves as a venue for programs exploring Vietnamese history, culture and art. Chasin’ Tails, founded in 2012, introduced backyard-style crawfish boils to Northern Virginia and has since expanded its menu to feature seafood traditions shaped by American and Asian influences.