Han Chiang is a busy man. He already runs a few successful (and delicious) Han Dynasty outposts in the City, one of those is moving, and he’s expanding to NYC. So it’s understandable that the dude just needs some rest. But as the saying goes, “Ain’t no rest for the people trying to avoid the PPA,” or something like that.

Han’s car was ticketed while he was napping in it, which is the PPA-iest thing we’ve ever heard. And if something similair happens to you, you can bring your ticket in and get some free (and believe us, very delicious) Dan Dan Noodle. Almost makes you wanna park illegally. Almost.

Okay. So the idea was to take two Philly mover and shakers and a Philly inspired ideal and open it in New York? Yup. But all confusion aside, we know he’s always got Philadelphia’s back.

First up is the Strawberry Mint Jam Workshop with Marisa McClellan.

We’re all familiar with traditional strawberry jam, but have you ever tried it with the addition of mint? It adds a bright, herbal note that is perfect for modern palates. We’ll make this batch with Pomona’s Pectin, which allows canners to get a spreadable set without a ton of sugar. This class will also detail the steps of boiling water bath canning and safe food preservation. Students will go home with small jars of the jam made in class. The class is taught by local blogger (foodinjars.com), canning teacher, and cookbook author Marisa McClellan.

May 18th, 2013 • 12-2pm • $35 Registration Required

If cooking isn’t your thing, check out the DIY Vertical Hydro Strawberry Garden Workshop.

It’s strawberry season. Why not grow your own?! You have a small space in the city? No problem – this PVC strawberry tower is an innovative way to grow lots of strawberry plants in a small space. The planter works great on a patio or deck. We’ll walk you through how to build your very own, step by step.
You’ve heard about all of the chemicals used on conventionally grown strawberries? Bad stuff! Learn the advantages to this clean-growing hydroponic. Conventional growing challenges can be minimized with the off-the-ground approach. We will also cover the issues you may face with the hydroponic tower methods.
You’ve seen our vertical hydroponic strawberry tower on the farm. Now, learn how to make one yourself. Everyone will get a $10 Greensgrow Gift Card or 10 bare root strawberries after the workshop.

May 18 • 12-2pm • $25 Register here.

Greensgrow Farms, 2503 E Firth St, Philadelphia, PA 19125

The front porch. It’s that place where we can put aside the irrelevant things and focus on friends and family, top-choice tunes, warm weather and all around good vibes. Since April, 30th Street Station has been opening up their front porch to the people of Philly with The Porch Beer Garden. They’re inviting y’all over again on the 16th and 17th to enjoy fresh air, live music and good food and beer. Over those two days, the station’s Bridgewater’s Pub moves outdoors for The Porch Beer Garden, and is joined by the food trucks The Cow and the Curd, Local 215, and Sum Pig on the 17th. The two-day party also includes sets from Perseverance Jazz Band (6-8PM on the 16th), The Red Hot Ramblers (3-5PM on the 16th) and Polkadelphia (3-7PM on the 17th) — who play some of your favorite jams as polka tunes and will make some old polka tunes your favorite jams. So why not head over Thursday evening to start your weekend right, because now that we’re into the swing of spring, weekends start on Thursday now. Basically.

A couple of months ago, eight of Philly’s food writers got together with Chef Pat Szoke at his restaurant The Industry. Szoke worked with the group to create 8 individual dishes based on each bloggers taste; from there diners voted on a favorite to become a permanent menu addition. And it looks like we have a winner — Foobooz founder Art Etchells’ Potato Skins. What makes it special? These are some serious grown up skins with Idaho potatoes, a Brooklyn Lager & cheddar cheese sauce, bacon bits, crème fraiche. But wait, there’s more. Other additions to the menu include:

>>>Salt and Vinegar Chicharrones
>>>Clams and Sausage, with Linguica sausage, fingerlings, tomato, scallion, shallots and a grilled baguette
>>>Sweet Corn Arepas, with mole, asparagus, snap peas, radish, and cotija cheese
>>>Mediterranean Salad made with watercress, Napa cabbage, radicchio, arugula, feta, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, crispy chickpeas and served with a red wine vinaigrette

Don’t forget, it’s always 20% off for folks in “the industry”. For folks with other jobs, try your luck with a once a week “In Your Biz” 20% off special. Reservations can be made by calling (215) 271-9500.

The Industry, 1401 E Moyamensing Ave, Philadelphia, PA

We’ve been dropping hints here and there about ideas for Mother’s Day, but now that it’s the Friday before, you should probably have something planned by now? (At least if you’re local. If you’re a transplant, may we recommend a mail-order bouquet?) But let’s not panic. After all, we don’t even have our plans quite ready. But we have whipped up a list of restaurants offering sweet deals for both you and Mom, which you can see after the jump.

First up is American-centric Trax. They’re not usually open on Sundays, but they’re making an exception this year with a 3 course prix fixe special. Course offerings include:

>>> Shaved Fennel, Green Apple, Red Onion, Hearts of Palm, Parmesan Cheese
>>> Stuffed, Braised Veal Breast with Broccoli Rabe, Aged Provolone and Sundried Tomato
>>> BBQ Glazed Berkshire Pork Chop, Cranberry Apple Compote
>>> Key Lime Pie, Whipped Cream

Reservations can be made here or by calling 215-591-9777.

Trax Restaurant & Cafe, 27 W. Butler Pike, Ambler, PA

If you’re thinking a little bit more along a European line, Bisou in Manayunk has a deal for you. And hoping the weather stays this awesome, consider the outdoor patio with ample people-watching opportunities. Here are the specials:

>>> Creme Brulee French Toast with Chocolate, Dried Cherries and Candied Pecans
>>> Four Egg Omelette with Swiss & Fine Herbes
>>> Fried Eggs with Hash of Chicken Liver, Caramelized Onions and Fingerling Potatoes
>>> Oeufs en Meurette, Poached Eggs with Smoked Bacon, Cippolini Onions and Mushrooms, Red wine sauce

There are also bottomless Bloody Marys, Mimosas and and Bellinis. What mom doesn’t like that? Make reservations here or by calling 215-487-1230.

Our last 3 listings are for y’all out there who are looking for a little more spice (and tequila). Sister restaurants Cantina Feliz and La Calaca Feliz are fixing a little something special for their mama’s and yours.

Cantina Feliz, 424 S Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, PA 215-646-1320

La Calaca Feliz, 2321 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA (215) 787-9930

Main Line spot, Verdad, is pulling out all the stops. On Monday, by the water cooler, when someone asks what you did for your mother, you can tell them that you took her to brunch and dined on a whole roasted pig and roasted turkeys and then got a little tipsy on too many Bloody Marias. And there were frittatas. For only 30 bucks too.

Verdad, 818 W Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA Reservations can be made here or by calling 610 -520-9100.

If none of these or any other of Philly’s numerous dining establishment seem to entice you, Hooters is offering free food for Mother’s Day. So that’s always an option too.

Bourbon might be having its moment right now as America’s whiskey, but it isn’t our first love when it comes to the drink. Before Bourbon County began distilling corn mash into charred barrels, farmers in Western PA were using their excess grain to create what would become rye whiskey. In spring of 1791, a group of said farmers started an uprising that would last 3 years and be named the Whiskey Rebellion (Remember it from 8th grade history?). The already shaky United States was thrown into a whirlwind by the insurrection, which was only put to rest by ol’ George Washington riding out with his troops for one last time. While some believe that some rebels simply followed the Ohio River to Kentucky to begin making bourbon, the Whiskey Rebellion acted as a catalyst for rye production in Pennsylvania. In the early 1800s, the state was producing around 6.5 million gallons of what was called Monongahela Rye. (The concept of aged rye might have occurred by accident– it obviously took a while for shipments to travel west to east, which allowed the rye to age as it sat in the barrels, therefore creating a better flavor.) Distillery numbers reached into the hundreds — but today, Old Overholt and Rittenhouse rye are the few that remain. What killed the whiskey dream? The lawmakers behind the Voldstead Act. After Prohibtion was repealed, distillers realized that it was cheaper and faster to make bourbon than sit around and wait for rye to mature. Bartenders replaced it with other whiskies in their Manhattans and Old Fashioned’s and rye simply vanished from the American palate.

So why the history lesson? Pennsylvania Rye is on it’s way back thanks to folks at Mountain Laurel Distilleries out in Bristol. Co-founder Herman Mihalich, along with John Cooper created Dad’s Hat Rye as a tribute to both his father and his state’s legacy. And this is the real deal — the pair are dedicated to using state-souced grain and techniques. Hell, even the bottle is shaped like the damn keystone. The product has been on the market for over a year now, but PA Preferred has whipped a video about the brand; check it out above. So here’s a glass to history, quality, simplicity and some good old fashioned PA pride.

If you’re an avid food reader then you already know that we love national holidays, especially ones that involve copious amounts of food. One spot that’s gonna be giving an ode to the burger is the Iron Hill Brewery, who are dishing up a different burger each day for 31 days. If you’re at all like us, then you’re also wondering what the hell the The George Costanza Burger (May 23rd) is gonna taste like.

Iron Hill Brewery, 8400 Germantown Ave, (215) 948-5600

And over at Hard Rock Cafe, fans will have a chance to win an all-inclusive trip to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana. The competition is simple: just take a picture of yourself with a Hard Rock Legendary Burger at Hard Rock Cafe Philadelphia anytime between now and the 31st of May and post via Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #hardrockburger or upload it to www.hardrockburger.com.

We’re kinda late on posting this, but you have about twenty some days left, and let’s be honest, chances are that you probably not gonna win anyway.

Hard Rock Cafe, 1113-31 Market St, (215) 238-1000

It’s no secret that beer is the drink of choice for most Philadelphians– from the classic Lager to a Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. We’ve always known this, and seems we’re not the only ones. CNN has put together a study of the top 8 beer cities across the country. They’ve measured each city using 4 catergories (history, bars, breweries, and events) which are measured out of 10. Here’s our results.

History: 9
Breweries: 6
Bars: 8
Events: 7

Seems like a pretty fair score. They’ve got their history covered with McGillin’s, but we would think that they would’ve mentioned the fact that we have an entire neighborhood that was once dedicated to breweries and beer. But we can’t complain. This is a list that we can raise a glass to.

It’s about time Philly stops saying we can’t have nice things, because we’re about to get a really, really nice thing. The folks at University of the Arts, Groundswell Design and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society have gotten together, did a little brainstorming and created a “Pop-Up Garden.” Located in the lot next to UArts across the from the Kimmel Center, the garden will feature “a canopy of locust trees, vintage metal rocking chairs, a sculptural wall constructed from old shipping pallets, and market lights.” In other words, it’s gonna be real nice y’all. Four Corners Management is bringing chef George Sabatino along — which is always a good thing — and he’s bringing craft beers, sangria and tasty food with him.

The garden opens May 16th and will be open from 5 PM to 10 PM, Monday through Thursday; 1 PM to 11 PM Friday and Saturday; and 1 PM to 9 PM on Sunday. We will be seeing y’all there, and thanks to the rendering above, we’re already there.