Everything she ever wanted and more
She’s your mom, dammit. Spoil her. Local hotels pull out all the stops for Mother’s Day (May 11)—and you’d better book early. At Bacchus (845 Hornby Street), sit down to a grand afternoon tea ($39), or a three-course brunch or dinner ($55). Draws at the Pan Pacific Hotel (999 Canada Place) are a waist-expanding buffet brunch that runs the gamut from oysters to a chocolate fountain ($75), and mind-expanding views.

A little something for someone special
JC Poirier, the chef at Chow (3121 Granville Street), has picked some of maman’s favourites ($10 to $18) for his first Mother’s Day lunch on May 11. Brunchier items include croques—both monsieur and madame—and poached eggs with mushrooms, grilled baguette, pesto, and Parmesan. More lunchlike are housemade duck terrine, grilled asparagus salad, or taglierini with braised lamb.

Roll your tongue around this
Today (May 1) marks the launch of Sympathy for the Devil Icewine by Ex Nihilo Vineyards. If you haven’t already heard, the Okanagan-based vineyard has partnered with the Rolling Stones to produce a limited, Canada-only release (222 cases) of sticky-tongue-logoed 2004 Pinot Noir. The $125 bottle (375 millilitres) comes with a special collector’s book and is available only on-line at www.celebritycellarscanada.com/.

Walk the talk
Raising awareness of food-access issues (and their long-term project, a low-cost mobile grocery store), the Westside Food Security Collaborative is offering a free grocery-store tour Saturday (May 3) at 10 a.m. Public transit, street design, and cultural diversity will be just some of the issues up for discussion. Register at www.thinkcity.ca/.

Something to work toward
Slide into a designer chair at Goldfish Pacific Kitchen (1118 Mainland Street) and dive into daily $10 gold-plate specials. Mondays feature West Coast bouillabaisse; Tuesdays, slow-roasted pork shoulder; Wednesdays, miso sake chicken; Thursdays, flatiron steak; and on Fridays you get seafood fricassee. Lunch is between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., with the bonus of free wireless.

See spot swim
Check out False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf (1505 West 1st Avenue) for the second annual Spot Prawn Festival kickoff on Saturday (May 3), noon to 5 p.m. Sample prawny bites from restaurants such as Aurora Bistro, Go Fish, the Pear Tree, Elixir, and Boneta, and buy straight from spot-prawn boats ($12 per pound) on launch day and daily for the next six to eight weeks between 2 and 6 p.m. Check out www.chefstablesociety.ca/events.php for more details.

Return of the kick-ass kiwis
New Zealand wine reps are back with a raft of new vintages—140 wines from 34 wineries—ripe for tasting at Tuesday’s (May 6) New Zealand Wine Fair at the Fairmont Waterfront (900 Canada Place). Cheese, other wine-friendly nibbles, and a chance to win airfare for two to New Zealand are included in the $50 ticket price. See www.nzwine-events.ca/.

Breakfast to break for
Pear-and-goat-cheese and the “Vancouver”, stuffed with foraged mushrooms, spinach, and feta, are two of the omelette offerings at So.Cial at Le Magasin (332 Water Street), now open weekdays for breakfast from 7 a.m. There are bacon and eggs, muffins, and other classic starters too.