BOUNCE IN THE STEP… Spring is definitely springing. Noticed a few mosquitoes in the house the past week; spiders also are showing up unannounced. It’s fascinating how they just appear out of nowhere, fully formed and looking all scary and hairy (I have telescopic vision). I know it sounds cilia of me (oh that’s rich) but I do enjoy the spiders. Naturally, I don’t necessarily want to sneak up on a black widow or brown recluse or some other such well-protected models, but overall, I rather enjoy the little buggers. I do put on my slippers if I’m walking around in the dark late at night, though – no sense ruining a perfectly good plantar fascia.

Another byproduct of spring weather is the feeling that tourism might begin to pick up steam around these parts. Especially when things heat up inland, folks want to head to the ocean and the laid-back style of the Monterey Peninsula. Plenty of good stuff coming on the docket, like this year’s Cooking for Solutions at the Aquarium on May 16-17. That has turned into one of the best events in our area and this year will be no exception. The special guest is Food Network’s Alton Brown. His show “Good Eats” is one of the most creative and informative shows on television across all genres, not just cooking shows. I heard he’s going to shoot a segment inside Dory Ford’s office while Dory simultaneously sends e-mails, talks on his cell and office phones and comes up with new menus.

Another cool food show is happening on May 7 at the Monterey Fairgrounds. Each year, Better Brands Foods puts on a very fun day of supplier tastings and showcases with loads of products on display. There are always a lot of giveaways, deals galore for restaurant owners and buyers, plus lots of upbeat, delicious insider food stuff restaurant geeks like myself and others just go nutty for. I believe this year Better Brands’ Chuck “Wagon Train” Hunsaker is going to dress up in chaps, a cowboy hat and boots and demonstrate the art of roping a steamship round from 10 paces away. If you register early you’ll get a free gift at the door (an 8-by-10 photo of you and Chuck tasting cheese)… call Better Brands at 724-7243 and tell them Hunsaker told you to sign up, or get on betterbrandfoods.com.

TAP INTO IT… Hey, speaking of Monterey Fairgrounds events, my man Jeff “The Producer” Moses sent me the lowdown on this year’s Monterey Beer Festival. It is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, from 12:30 to 5pm. Believe it or not, this is the seventh year for this iconic confluence of happy people and hoppy brewers. It’s the only beer festival in the tri-counties (Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito) and will once again feature great local bands, great food from local vendors, fresh air, lots of fun and a boat load of the best beers brewed around the world. Funny how the same simple ingredients – water, hops, yeast and malt can – yield so many different styles and diversity. I believe Jeff when he says you can bring the world together one beer at a time. Call the festival hotline at 373-2843.

EVOLUTION OF THE GREATS… Got a nice e-mail from Jean “Fresh Air” Hubert, who manages at Casanova. He told me the venerable Carmel bastion of good eats is kicking off Sunday Brunch beginning May 4 from 10am to 3pm… that sounds like just about how long I can sit there indulging in a leisurely brunch on a lazy Sunday… oh yeah.

Don’t forget Maholo Mondays at Hula’s. Each Monday, 10 percent of total sales go to that month’s charity – kicking off May it’s the Surfrider Foundation.

Those veterans at the Sardine Factory have added a bunch of great new menu items to spring into the new season. I guess they’re anticipating all the new business to expect from the influx of folks coming to see IMAX and Hotel Intercontinental. It’s exciting to see Cannery Row redefining itself – we needed an injection of newness to the region. YO MAMA… Mothers’ Day on May 11. What better way to show Mom how much you love her than by treating her and the loved ones to a fabulous meal at one of our area’s great restaurants. If you want my advice, though, think about maybe the Saturday evening, or even a great long lunch on Saturday, rather than fighting the enormous rushes in most restaurants on the actual Mother’s Day Sunday. It is notoriously one of the busiest and most grueling days for staff, plus families tend to be a bit stressed too so the tendency is for groups to have less than desirable experiences. Spend the actual Sunday being Mom to your mom like mom does the rest of the year.

REEL DEAL… There is a very cool screening on May 4 of Alison Eastwood’s film Rails & Ties set for the newly reincarnated Lighthouse Cinemas in P.G. It’s the inaugural screening at the new theater featuring the inaugural directorial effort by Eastwood. And as if that isn’t wonderful enough, there is a sold-out after party across the street at Melange Restaurant, where Chef David “Scorsese” Frappiea will be directing his own cinematically inspired dishes along with the wines of Paraiso Vineyards. See the film, it’s only a tensky ($10)… hey, it’s the Monterey County Film Commission… it’s Clint’s daughter… it’s 646-0910.

PARTING SHOTS… May 1 (now), Quail Lodge, Tequila and Rum with the Surf n’ Sand gang, 6-9pm, hurry, get out there… May 17 at Paraiso Vineyards, 30 artisanal wineries from the Santa Lucia Highlands, santaluciahighlands.com… Alberto “The Hipster” Bonatelli of Alberto’s will be bringing in guest chefs from time to time to spice things up at the Italian hotspot. I asked if I could be one but he just laughed… chow.