Monday, October 8, 2012

Salt Lake City - Day 1

We just got back from an exciting four day weekend trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was one of the most amazing trips I have ever experienced. We returned to Boise late last night ( 7th October'2012). I am still dizzy, dazed & tipsy from the trip and I expect to remain in this state of inebriation  for a while.
But first let me fill you in on the rest of the trip to Salt Lake City undertaken last week. Continuing from my last post on Shoshone falls, we motored on to Salt Lake City (Utah) and stopped by at a highly recommended African Restaurant on South Redwood Road for lunch. The flavour of the menu is from the Oromian region in Ethiopia. We were received by a short statured docile but smiling African girl ( presumably she cooks here) and a tall strapping well built  pleasant looking African male took our order. We ordered a Vegetarian Combo (Wal Maka) plate for each of us.The thin bread named Budeena is the staple food:Thin, spongy pancake-like flatbread made from barley, rice and wheat flour and fermented over night for flavor. When available, Budenna is made with imported Tafii flour. The side dishes are served right on top of the pancake are. They have unique names like Ashakilitii, Alishaa Misira, Kochee Misira, Kochee Shiro, Raafuu, Dimaa & Dabaquila. Cannot remember which ones were served that day. Similar combos are available for non vegetarians - which has all the veggie dishes and in addition  chicken or meat is served. The vegetarian dish is pictured below: ( for more details you may log on to : www.africanrestaurant.org)
If you want to have a taste of African cuisine this is a fine place to visit. From thereon we went to down town for furniture shopping for furnishing the new house in Boise. Below is a picture of Mira our grand daughter sitting atop a table with a poignant expression.
Next we checked into Hotel Homewood Suites located on Rio Grande Street,where we had prior reservation. The accomodation was huge with two immense double bedded rooms with nice window view facing the Rio Grande Depot where you can visit to get a slice of Utah State History. Facilities included drawing room and a small kitchenette, complete with refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave. All rooms have wi-fi connectivity and large screen digital TV.
For details of Rio Grande Depot log onto: www.riogallery.org
 
After a good bit of rest and relaxation we drove to a place called Jordan in the evening and visited the Krishna Temple there. It was like finding an oasis in a desert country - a nice colourful beautiful temple where the primary deity is Lord Krishna and other deities installed are Rama,Sita,Lakshmana, Venkatachalapathy, Saraswathy, Shiva,Parvathy,Dattatraya,Nava Grahas. There was a modest gathering of devotees there - a mix of South and North Indians. Amazingly we even found an American devotee .There were two priests both hailing from Chennai. A Satyanarayana puja was in progress during our visit. We received prasadam of "kesari". Laddoos were available in packets of two at $.2.00/packet. We picked up 2 packets.
 



The temple visit was spritually energizing. It was late evening and we had by now a healthy appetite. It was time to locate a good eatery.We were delighted when spotted a nice Indian restaurant "Saffron Valley" very close to the temple - which served Indian Street Food. So we walked right in and found ourselves a nice table. The place is owned and run by an Indian lady Lavanya Mahate a green card holder who has been in the US for many years -a  person with a lot of energy and a warm and cheerful demeanour.The menu was mouth watering and we ordered respectively dahi puri,garlic cheese naan, paneer wrap, ghee dosa and gobi paratha.The food was delicious and we had a wonderful and fulfilling evening. Two young boys from Chennai were waiting on us : Sankaran and Saravanan both well mannered and courteous. Overall it a great first day at Sal Lake City. Pics taken there are posted below: 

 


 
 


55 comments:

  1. a beautiful temple. :) your granddaughter is so cute.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post as always with beautiful photos and text.
    And I say like TWG, your granddaughter is so cute!
    Mette

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so jealous of your trip. I had no idea there is a Krishna temple in Jordan, Utah! That's so interesting! Two of my favorite cuisines are Ethiopian and Indian, so I'm really envious of your dinners. What's the cone-shaped food in front of Mira? She looks ready to eat it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mira is enjoying a Dosa. Dosa is a South Indian dish.At home in India we have dosa at least 2-3 times a week. It is eaten with side dishes like chutney and sambar. You can get more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa

      Delete
  4. I love the look on your granddaughters face....and the food looks good. I did not know Utah had such nice stuff to offer

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ha ha ... in search of Indian restaurants in USA! I like the Ethiopian food. I happened to taste in SF Bayarea. They have nice lentils :) You have a great time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kusum ! After American BF & African Lunch the taste buds crave for Indian food :)

      Delete
  6. That was a lovely virtual tour for us! Beautiful pictures as always!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely account but I am waiting for your Yellowstone account now :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. beautiful post....
    beautiful mira........
    and her dosha :-)

    regards
    anu

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice post. Waiting for your post on Yellow stone park.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is such a beautiful post and the dosa and dahi puri especially look so appetizing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi,
    Your granddaughter is very pretty! The dishes look tasty.
    You are lucky to trip with your family. I've never been there so thank you for sharing.
    Have a nice week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are on a roll. Enjoy. Made good reading and the food - the pics make one drool

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anil. Hope I continue to sustain your interest level.

      Delete
  13. Nice informative article with good pics!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a lovely post and photos! Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I don't think you will like some of the Indian restaurants here in Hawaii, though I have not tried them all. I can't wait to eat real Indian food in northern India. We will be gone Nov 1-15. Nice photos, Ram!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have a great trip to India.North Indian food will be very spicy. In case you want the spices to be toned down you have to tell the chef in advance.

      Delete
  16. Lovely pictures, and the eating, I love vegetarian cooking.

    ReplyDelete
  17. There is very limited choice for vegetarians when you eat out in the US

    ReplyDelete
  18. Fascinating post and now I'm hungry after seeing all the delectable dishes.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm seriously getting hungry just reading this. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  20. I visit Salt Lake City all the time (my daughter lives there), but I had no idea there was a Krishna temple in Jordan, or that one could find Indian and Ethiopian food in the city. I learned something here. I have some new sights to see near home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In fact there were more Americans dining in the Indian restaurant than Indians !

      Delete
  21. Thank you for taking us along there :) The Krishna temple looks so peaceful and yes, there are more American Hindus than we, Indian Hindus realize. I've come to know this, thanks to regular visitors to my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In fact there are many Americans involved with the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement for over several decades now !

      Delete
  22. I am scrolling up & down repeatedly to view all these lovely pics again & again!! Very informative post Mr.Ramkrishnana..And your granddaughter is very pretty with a spark of intelligence in those little sparkling eyes!!Do hug her for me :)
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

    ReplyDelete
  23. great post with beautiful photos...

    thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello Ram!
    I've been following your posts with interest.You must be experiencing quite a change in temperature. Great photos.....this is a case of pictures being worth a thousand words!
    I love the way you bring food into your posts,it's all different and at the same time reassuringly familiar.
    Mira is beautiful,you must both be really proud of her.

    Ruby

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ruby. Glad you like my posts. Hope to sustain your interest level. Yellowstone temperatures were consistently sub zero - hovering between 10-32 F ! After Y.Stone Boise appears to be hot at 65 F daytime :)

      Delete
  25. wow! adorable snaps...have a great time!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Looks like you're having a real great time Ram - and the food ... i'm getting hungry now! Keep enjoying!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great shoots and more appetizing menu RR! Wonderful indeed. Have a nice time.
    ERR
    http://mymysore9.blogspot.in/

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm so happy you got to visit your family, Ram! I can't imagine being so far away from my parents!! What an awesome trip!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Maryam. Yes a very enjoyable trip with the family.

      Delete
  29. Healthy Organ required A+, B+, O+, blood group whats app Dr. Sankaran Sundar whats app/ call: +919911741218 email us:maxhealthprocentre@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

RAMAL RAMANATHAN'S 95th BIRTHDAY

Wedding Studio Photo Appa's 90th Birthday Ayushhomam at Coimbatore: 2006 Wedding Photo Photos clicked on Birthday at Coimbatore Special ...