A little bit western
With a down-at-heel exterior, Ping’s Café (2702 Main Street) belies a sleek, modern interior complete with Rodney Graham art. Many might think yoshoku is izakaya-style food, but owner Josh Olson, formerly at Dunbar Street’s Modern Club, describes it as postwar Japanese Western-style food. Sample dishes include “regular” items like gyoza, edamame, and yakitori, plus pork cutlets, breaded seafood, and a Ping dog (grilled bratwurst with daikon).

A bouquet of Mother's Day brunches
A quick whip around town shows Elixir (350 Davie Street) is doing two- and three-course deals ($29.50 and $36.50). The prix fixe ($35) at Trafalgars Bistro (2603 West 16th Avenue) kicks off with a mimosa or OJ and concludes with lemon mousse cake. There’s a kid’s menu too ($18), and remember this is the only Sunday Trafalgars is open for dinner ($50 set menu). Aurora Bistro (2420 Main Street) can spoil her with smoked salmon-and-asparagus pancakes and other good stuff. Opening specially for Mother’s Day brunch are Fuel (1944 West 4th Avenue), La Terrazza (1088 Cambie Street), and, serving brunch from this Sunday on, Metro (200 Burrard Street).

Tea and gratitude
If you’re lucky, you might nail seats at the opium bed table for the special Mother’s Day tea ($18) this weekend (May 10 and 11), from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Farfalla (57 East Cordova Street). And if you’ve yet to get your mom a gift, this charming shop and tea salon is stuffed with gorgeous European soaps and lotions.

Get back to nature
Trot your junior farmers/scientists out to Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (6947 Highway 7, Agassiz) for the facility’s open house on Friday and Saturday (May 9 and 10) to celebrate 120 years of research for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and 100 for UBC. See cows, poultry, berries, and bug research projects. See www.100.ubc.ca/events/may/dairycentre.html for details.

A higher-level relationship
Take a date to a First Crush/Old Flame wine dinner at The Observatory at Grouse Mountain. On May 17 there’s Globetrotting with Wine—new and old world wines and B.C. ingredient-focused dishes. Vive La France, which features dinner, French wines, and killer views, is on June 14. The price of $150 per person includes the Skyride; reserve at 604-998-5045.

Souped up celebration
Seeds, seedlings, snacks, and local farm produce are all part of this year’s 12th annual Stone Soup Festival. Head there—and bring the kids—on Saturday (May 10), from noon to 5 p.m. at the Napier Greenway (near Britannia Community Centre).

Batting 1,000
It’s hard to believe that CityCooks has hit 1,000 episodes, but major props to host Simi Sara, producer Manuel Fonseca, and crew. Tune into CityTV on Monday (May 12) at 6 p.m. and watch Sara cook mac and cheese and chat up chef Robert Clark (Nu and C restaurants), Vikram Vij of Vij’s, and the Straight’s Angela Murrills. And don't forget to read Carolyn Ali's interview with Sara in the next issue of Living magazine, available online and also in print across Greater Vancouver next Thursday (May 15).