My friends and I are avid hot pot eaters, and our favorite place is a stylish restaurant deep in Chinatown called Nine Ting. Since my birthday was Wednesday, and Chinese New Year was Saturday, we went for hot pot to celebrate. (I credit my friend K. for introducing me to Nine Ting. K. has the ability to polish off an extraordinary amount of hot pot and is an all-around food enthusiast.) If you eat at Nine Ting on your birthday, your hot pot is free! They require proof of your birthday and a little post on Facebook. Otherwise it is about $22 a person.