The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering. – Bruce Lee
The Chinese New Year officially kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 25, with festivities persisting through Feb. 8. But you can celebrate for an entire month at Hotel Madrid, where they will be offering the public an opportunity to share in their staff’s annual Chinese New Year tradition.
"Every year, the crew at Hotel Madrid gets together to watch Bruce Lee movies and order Chinese food," says Sean Wille. "We decided it would be great to do a night of that at Hotel Madrid … but then we thought: Why just one night when we can do it for the whole month?"
And so, a Bruce Lee-filled celebration was born.
During the special "Enter The Dragon" takeover event, which will take place Jan. 10-Feb. 10, Hotel Madrid will be transformed by the deft hands of local artist Michael Cerda, who will create a number of themed pieces for the event, each of which will provide the perfect Instagram backdrop for group shots and selfies galore.
During the event, Hotel Madrid’s bar menu will showcase numerous beautifully presented fire cocktails like the Game of Death featuring Corralejo reposado Tequila, Mandarin liqueur, lime and Szechuan Pepper syrup… and starring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ($12); and the giant Fist of Fury, a flaming masterpiece created with Zaya Rum, lychee, orgeat, lemon, pop rocks and fire! ($40; serves four). Be smart; your eyebrows will thank you.
You can pair up your drinks with any number of dishes from the Hotel Madrid menu, which will include smoked pork eggrolls ($9); smoked beef short rib potstickers ($12); crab rangoon ($15); and a variety of other Chinese-American inspired plates like firecracker shrimp ($16); General Tso’s chicken ($22); and Mongolian beef ($24).
Guests will also be treated to a feast of Bruce Lee films, including "Enter The Dragon," a movie which would make its debut in August of 1973, just weeks after Lee’s untimely passing at the age of 32.
Stay tuned to Hotel Madrid's Facebook and Instagram feeds for updates and information about contests related to the Enter The Dragon takeover.
Hotel Madrid is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday from 5 to midnight (food until 11 p.m.) Saturday and Sunday they are open for brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to midnight (food until 11 p.m.).
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
