Aah! The smell of skunks in the air! Spring is near by

Truly, one of the first harbingers of spring is the smell of dead amorous skunks. It not only reminds us that spring is VERY close but that love can be dangerous. Nature has it so perfectly timed to occur a week after Valentine's Day. Ironic, eh? I think I counted close to 30 of these love casualties on the road yesterday between Thayer and Springfield. I am pretty sure I noticed more of the white with black stripe variety this year. Or maybe the white stripes were just much wider. The fur was longer too. Makes sense when you think how cold this winter has been. Maybe the heavier coat slowed them down.

Are you ready for a continuation of a warm up? I am! It was quite thrilling to put tables outside, at last. As long as the wind isn't brutal, the spot in front of the windows can be quite comfortable.

A couple of updates for you—

• We are now making our own yogurt. It is the primary ingredient in the Tzatziki sauce on the gyros.
• I have made a new dressing option—Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• We now have a suggestion box where you can leave your ideas. We hope you will use it.
• We now have a sign-up list for getting our weekly emails about the specials. Check near the register.
• We are working on a new sandwich using our own buns. We may need you to test it out. Samples this week.
• We are growing our own spicy sprouts. This gives you an option in sprouts—alfalfa or spicy. The spicy sprouts have mustard, clover, radish, and onion in the mix. Kicky! 
• I've been experimenting in various bread options. Watch for them.

This Friday night Renee and Tom will join us for lovely saxaphone and guitar. This duo enchanted us a few weeks ago and packed the house. Plan now to make this Friday evening one to share with us. You won't be disappointed.

Now onto this week's menu—
Monday: White chicken chili, Italian Shrimp Salad.
Tuesday: Tamale Tuesday— Vietnamese Chicken Tamales with red curry and fried rice. Soup is Tom Ka Kai—the coconut chicken soup
Wednesday : French onion soup
Thursday: Sausage and mushroom quiche with soup or side salad; French onion soup
Friday: Lunch: Miso soup, cucumber salad and Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
     Dinner: Pad Thai or beef and pepper mastacciolli (Italian casserole)

We are having so much fun creating new dishes for you. As you may have heard, it is one of my personal missions to expand your palate. At A La Carte Café, we make trying new flavors an adventure. We use as many fresh, local ingredients as we can find. Sometimes we make an ingredient run to Springfield or St. Louis just so we can have the authentic flavors. We hope you are enjoying the flavor journeys. So far, the response has been encouraging.

As the season evolves you can expect more salads and sandwiches and fewer soups. Let me know your favorites. We are planning on adding locally made pickles to our sandwich plates. Do you have favorites? We might even make them ourselves. I didn't grow up eating pickles, so I am somewhat slow to come around to this ubiquitous inhabiter of sandwich plates. Be sure to share your pickle thoughts! What makes a good pickle to you? Are you an adventurous pickle eater or only like one or two varieties?

I was delighted to get the feedback from several of you last week. If you missed the ceviche, fear not. It will return. Bruce's Kapusta soup got rave reviews and disappeared sooooo fast. The quiches are being well received. They will continue—especially since we will have farm fresh eggs, once again. I am now making my pie crusts from scratch. My Home Ec teacher would be so proud!

If you didn't try the over-the-top Blueberry Bread Pudding, you missed a truly decadent dessert. Also the Mayan Chocolate Pecan Pie got lots of attention. I'll bring those back. (The Mayan part is the chili in the chocolate.)

Thank you for making A La Carte Café one of your lunch options. We appreciate each visit you make. You are helping to make our dream come true. Thank you.