The Mayan Restaurant

In addition to the Tea Grotto, my adventures in Utah took me too the one-of-a-kind restaurant called The Mayan.  I was pleasantly surprised when I went inside.  I felt as though I was in the queue for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland! 

The restaurant has multi-story seating centered around a pool at the base of a "cliff" off which professional divers take the plunge every half our, I guess in the fashion of the ancient Mayans.  The weekend shows include a fire dancer which we were lucky to catch. 

There are 4 different diving shows, so even if you enjoy a leisurely dinner, you won't get board.  Along with sounds of the rain forest, the dining areas appear to be resting in the trees surrounding the pool. 

The Mayan is so far not a chain restaurant although, I think they would be successful in other touristic locations.  Enjoy a delicious Mexican dinner at this restaurant next time you are in Salt Lake City!

Utahans on Tea

On my recent travels to Salt Lake City, Utah, I discovered with my friends a great place to hang out. I am a big fan of coffee but I am equally as fond of teas. We found a tea bar in the classy Sugar House area of Salt Lake City called The Tea Grotto .
The first thing I noticed was the large and extremely unique chandelier. It's a conversation piece for sure!They have numerous loose teas to choose from, nearly overwhelming. After staring at their expansive wall-menu we finally decided on a White Earl Grey and a Walnut Green tea, which its their highest selling tea.The tea bar shares the building with an importer of east Indian wears and gifts as well as an Italian deli which feature gelato. We were able to lounge in a private booth, semi enclosed with semi-circular Asian soji panels.

If you ever are in the are I highly recommend stopping by this eclectic tea cafe.

Images by Rebecca Ward

Architects and Designers Can Help Haiti

I read an article in Interior Design Magazine regarding a call to Architects and Designers to use their talents for reconstructing Haiti. They are developing short and long term plans for people who would like to donate their talents for the relief effort. This is being done through the organization called Architecture for Humanity. They are especially looking for professionals who are also french speaking (which I guess would be me!)
If any of you are interested in helping with your talents or monetarily, you can register here.

Happy New Year!

Best wishes for you in the new year!! Looking forward to what 2010 has in store!