Happy New Year (again)!

Chinatown is friendly territory for anyone looking to save a buck, and that's especially true on holidays like Chinese Lunar New Year. Not only do you get the usual cheap eats, clothes, bowls, what-have-you, but free entertainment, as well.

It falls on Feb. 7 this year, when they'll have the firecrackers and dance troupes. Then this Sunday's the parade. Both events are great photo opps.

Firecrackers
Chatham Square (where the arch stands for Chinese-Americans who died in WWII)
Feb. 7; 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Intersection: Bowery, Mott and E. Broadway
Subway: J, M, Z to Chambers; 4, 5, 6 to City Hall; N, Q, R, W to Canal

Diagonally from the square (and across Bowery) is Doyers Street, which you might've seen on TV and stuff. People say the merchants way-back-when made it crooked so that ghosts, who can apparently only fly straight, couldn't haunt them. Of course, the firecrackers are meant to ward off evil spirits, too, but a double-dose of luck couldn't hurt.

Lion Dance (martial artists, drums, gongs, fun)
Feb. 10; 11 a.m.-Noon
125 E. 65th St. (outside the China Institute @ Park and Lex.)
Note: this is in the Upper East Side
Subway: 6 to 68th; F to 53rd

Parade
Feb. 10; 1–5 p.m.
Mott St. (between Canal and Bayard)
Subway: J, M, Z, 6, N, Q, R, W to Canal; B, D to Grand

Mott Street probably has the most restaurants of any in Chinatown, so you should have no trouble finding a delish deal, but if you'd like some suggestions, well, here. Also, nearby Eldridge St. hosts two great spots: Super Taste (#26) has pretty authentic pulled noodles and Prosperity Dumpling (#46) has, ya know, tasty dumplings.

Hoping it's Year of the Rat in fortune ... but not so much literally ...

Do I have chicken-foot breath?

Back in Chinatown with an old high school friend Sunday for a dim sum brunch, including ...

• 2 orders of chicken feet


• Flat noodles with soy sauce


• Egg noodles with mushrooms


• Tripe


• Small fried fish (not anchovies, but something related?)


• Dumplings


• Fried pork


• Another pork dish (white)
  


• Chinese spinach or broccoli
  


• Fried tofu in pineapple sauce with tomatoes


• Tofu soup


• Scallop and shrimp balls


• Rice balls
  


• Vegetable spring rolls


• Two types of tea
  

... and there could easily have been others I'm forgetting.

This easily fed 7 people for $13 per person, including tax and tip.

We arrived around 12:30 and probably waited about 20 minutes to be seated. The room was massive and filled with families -- apparently it's also a popular wedding venue. This made it perfect for large groups but definitely not a place to sit and read the Times over coffee.

Oh, and if the list above isn't familiar and you're one of those folks nursing a Gatorade on the train Sunday morning/afternoon ... well, you may want to stick to a fried egg sandwich.

OK, so I admit, I'd normally pick french toast over tripe, but even I can nibble on chicken toes (mind the bones). We were also hoping to get turnip pancakes, but seated in the middle of the crowded banquet hall we didn't have much luck -- the carts were always out of them -- though service-wise it helped to have Cantonese and Mandarin speakers in our group (sorry I can't remember any of the proper food names!).

Golden Bridge Restaurant
50 Bowery St. (@ Canal, across from the Manhattan Bridge entrance)
Subway: B, D to Canal; J, M, Z to Bowery or Canal; N, Q, R, W, 6 to Canal

As of this posting, it has (out of five) 3 1/2 stars on yelp and 4 1/2 on citysearch.

Afterwards, we stopped for bubble tea (bubbles = gummy tapioca balls the size of blueberries, very sweet). The staff was nice and served all seven of us, plus a line of others in no time. The shop is tiny, no seating, but it looks like they serve snacks (fries, popcorn shrimp), too.

Vivi Bubble Tea
49 Bayard St.
Subway essentially same as above.

2 meals = $10.90

We made our way to Pho Viet Huong last night and left with full bellies and leftovers. I got the spicy No. 200 Curry chicken and rice. She got No. 194 Ginger chicken with rice, which was verrrry gingery. Not the most adventurous, I know, but we were so hungry we just wanted something nice and filling. Each dish was about $5 and they serve free tea, so there you go — a tasty meal out for two for under $15 including tax and tip.

Though we certainly didn’t have to wait to be seated, it was pretty crowded for a Thursday night and everyone else’s meals smelled and looked delicious, too. Most of the rice, vermicelli dishes and pho were under $6 (some as low as $4). Entrees went as high as $16 for fish.

As of this writing, the restaurant has 4 of 5 stars on menupages, 3 1/2 of 5 on yelp, 4 1/2 of 5 on citysearch and is recommended by Frommers.

This place delivers, but mainly just Chinatown/Wall Street.

Pho Viet Huong
73 Mulberry St. (near Bayard)
10 a.m.-10 p.m.
212-233-8988
Subway: J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6 to Canal St.

Sidenote for those wondering: “Pho” is a kind of rice noodle that’s served in soups, which is a staple, which is why you see it in so many restaurant names.

Afterwards we went to nearby Dragon Land Bakery and picked up two pastries — I’m not really sure what they are, but they taste good — for $1.50. The worker was very patient. There are little tables if you choose to eat there, but we needed to walk off some of our rice!

Dragon Land Bakery
125 Walker St. (near where Walker, Baxter and Canal meet)
212-219-2012
Subway (same as above): J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6 to Canal St.