Welcome to this edition of Dimanche (That Means Sunday), a roundup of things that caught my eye this past week.

This week was the first one that really felt like spring in St. Louis. I enjoyed it by getting outside more, hiking, and going to the first farmers’ market of the season. Then today, it devolved into winter again. I had to turn my heater on and as I write this post, I’m curled up in a blanket on my chair with a cup of tea, watching my windows fog up.

Spring in the Midwest can be an infuriating thing. You can’t depend on the weather to be warm so you have to dress for two, or sometimes three seasons at once, and every now and again, you’re hit with snow or freezing rain. You want to believe that the first day above 70 degrees means an end to winter, but year after year, you realize that this will never happen.

Still, there are a lot of things to love about a Midwestern spring. The season unfolds slowly so you have more time to appreciate everything that’s blossoming and growing. There’s a palpable excitement and relief when most of the cold days are over and you have warm ones again. You might even feel more inclined to treat yourself because you’ve survived a Midwestern winter, so you deserve an extra ice cream cone, a tall glass of lemonade, or whatever else beckons spring. I’ve been trying to focus on these simple pleasures instead of getting irritated at back-and-forth weather.

I hope wherever you are, you can find ways to enjoy spring. I’m not going to lie: I feel bad for you if you’re in Maine and stuck in the snow, but maybe you’ve also found ways to enjoy that. I think we can all agree that the best part about spring, or “spring” as many would call it, is that eventually, it will come.

Without further ado, here is Dimanche:

As I mentioned before, I went to Tower Grove Farmers’ Market for the first time this season on Saturday and I had a great time. The market is one of my favorite places in the city to get fresh produce and artisanal goods. If you’re in St. Louis and you stop by on Saturday morning, I’d highly recommend getting a pastry from Prioritized Pastries and a bouquet of flowers from Urban Buds. 

I love this Q&A with Priya Krishna, author of a new cookbook, “Indian-ish.” Reading the interview makes me want to get back into Indian cooking. I like what Krishna said about using whole spices and slowly adding layers to Indian food as you cook. Read more about her cookbook and cooking tips in this Food & Wine article.

This old but good April Fool’s story deserves some attention. I meant to post it last week but I wrote about my friend’s new restaurant, Bulrush, instead. I respect the LA Times for its satire and I hope that New Yorkers will be humbled by it. Realistically, they probably won’t be. Still, beyond the joke it’s important to note that New York isn’t the best food city in the country. Check out the story in the LA Times.

Speaking of Bulrush… I have it on good authority that Bulrush, a new foraging-focused restaurant from Chef Rob Connoley, will open this week in St. Louis. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant in one of my latest blog posts.

I made buckwheat waffles this morning for breakfast to soothe myself during this cold spell. It worked. I’d highly recommend making a bunch of them and freezing whatever you don’t eat so you can quickly toast them in the morning for breakfast. Stay tuned for the recipe on the blog later this week!

Ultra-premium ice cream is getting more and more expensive, and it’s taking over grocery stores’ frozen aisles. I perpetuate this trend by buying $8 pints of ice cream because I think it tastes really good, but I can see why some people would find this unreasonable. Still, this Eater story gives a good rundown of the situation and what goes into making “super-artisanal” ice cream. Read the article for more information.

In case you missed it, St. Louis is a food lover’s dream. The food scene in town has been growing steadily for the past decade and has reached a high point in recent years. Check out this blog post from HEC-TV for more about the city’s burgeoning food scene.

Last but certainly not least, I really want to try a Nanaimo bar. I’d never heard of the treat until I read this New York Times‘ story. I’m not sure how I feel about it being called the “Kardashian of Canadian desserts,” but it sounds good enough to try anyway. Read more about Nanaimo bars in this NYT piece.

Enjoy your week! Here’s a song to get you started.