We visited the Grand Canyon to celebrate a sister's birthday, and found ourselves captivated by the ever-changing light, color and shadows displayed across the immense canyon walls. The allure of the canyon draws you down to see what is just around the corner, while curious ravens and bold squirrels look on. The canyon is so convoluted that you can only get small glimpses of the mighty Colorado River, and it is necessary to go below the rim to fully appreciate this natural marvel. Yet Rim-to-River treks require extensive pre-planning and excellent physical conditioning. This 4-post series highlights how we maximized our Grand Canyon experience more or less spontaneously – no backpacks or mules required. We dined twice at El Tovar with no reservations, enjoyed spectacular sunsets and sunrises, took several small hikes below the rim, and even got up close and personal with the Colorado River, the easy way.

After a fantastic New Year celebration with family in San Diego, we drove north to enjoy Paso Robles and Pacific Grove with two chow chows. Both communities were dog friendly with lots of outdoor activities and dining options. In Paso Robles we stayed in a fantastic AirBNB and enjoyed wine country, brown butter cookies, an olive oil tasting, many excellent meals and a walk amidst craggy oaks on rolling hills.

On our second day at Acadia National Park, we enjoyed a bit of sunshine and seeing 3 of the "Big Four" for Maine kayaking wildlife sightings. We rounded out our visit with an afternoon stem-loop walk along the carriage roads, enjoying spooky, misty scenes along a string of ponds near Witch Hole Pond, before some rain from the tail end of Hurricane Henri finally caught up with us.

Kayaks on a Bartlett Island Beach

Passing Indian Point on the way to Green Island

Eagle Lake

View from an Acadia Carriage Road between Duck Brook Bridge and Witch Hole Pond

Day 2.

View of Newport Bay from southern point of the Great Head

About midway up the Beehive

Wild blueberries on the backside of the Beehive

Seagull gazing out at the coast along Park Loop Road

Blackwater Falls from the Gentle Trail overlook

Elakala Falls

Hot pastrami on rye from Big Belly Deli

Blackwater Gorge from Lodge (left); Yellow Birch Trail (top three, right); Elakala Trail (bottom right)

Balanced Rock

Mid-October is the perfect time to enjoy the brilliant yellows, reds and oranges of Pennsylvania's hardwood forests. And, as it turns out, the cooler weather is great for spotting otters and other wildlife. In less than two days, we managed to hit many highlights along the 47-mile long Pine Creek Gorge in north central PA.

From base of Turkey Path Trail in Colton Point State Park

Nearly three years ago, I went on a culinary pilgrimage to see Grace Young demo one of her recipes in Brooklyn. We met up at Aux Epices, an amazing Malaysian-French bistro run by Chef Mei Chau. Among the highlights was this delectable salmon perched on a plinth of rice surrounded by a rich deep yellow sauce. Now, Mei Chau has graciously shared the recipe for this signature dish in a fantastic Zoom cooking lession, co-hosted by Grace Young and the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). 

Other dishes we enjoyed at Aux Epices. Chinese Broccoli stir-fried with fresh garlic and soy sauce drizzle; Rendang Lamb with roasted coconut, blue ginger, curry spices; Kuala Lumpur-style Seafood Laksa with shrimp, mussels, salmon, calamari, tofu, eggplant, bean sprouts and Udon noodles in a yellow coconut curry broth; French Pear Tart. Not shown: Green Mango Jicama salad, Malacca Laksa in red curry sauce,  French apple tart. ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Malaysian-Style Turmeric Salmon with Crispy Skin.

It has been stated that America is not so much as a melting pot of cultures, but rather a stew pot, where ingredients meld together to create a greater whole, but individual characteristics remain. From the very earliest days of our nation, our culinary traditions have been enriched by the melding of African and Caribbean influences with European and Native American cooking. Southern cuisine was not the only beneficiary of this rich African-American heritage, but also the pepper pot stew popular in Philadelphia, rumored to have sustained the Revolutionary Army at Valley Forge. This wonderful cultural exchange continues to this day, and some of my favorite stir-fries from the Chinese diaspora feature African-Caribbean spices and flavors. Yet the invaluable contribution made by African-American cooks to our culture and enjoyment of life has remained in the background, often invisible, instead of receiving the widespread recognition and honor that it deserves.  

On our second day of driving, we traced a smiling arc from fountain and soaring towers of Linlithgow Palace, birth place of Mary Queen of Scots, through the ornately pillared nave of Rosslyn Chapel, to the rough stone ruins of a 12th century kirk believed to be John Knox's childhood church. It was a day of contrasts as we pondered how the Reformation shaped both Mary's and John's lives, and whether dueling column designs was worth the murder of apprentice by master. How did the many Rosslyn Green Man carvings fit in with the angels, one of which is playing a bagpipe? After returning to Edinburgh, we did some shopping and discovered more J.K. Rowling connections before dining, quite appropriately, at Angels with Bagpipes.

Linlithgow Loch from a Linlithgow Palace turret

Angels with Bagpipes desserts: Highland rhubarb duck egg custard/tonka bean/rose hip; Heather honey milk/hazelnut/lemon balm; Dark chocolate sea buckthorn/orange/wild walnut

Every year, we wait with anticipation for the 3-day Rib & Wing festival at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, a four season playground in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania. Come with a group for the opportunity to relax, enjoy the live music and try ALL the vendors as you feast on ribs, wings, brisket and sides!  

Full rack of Armadillo's ribs

The owners Mandi and Jeff Horn, have also run a CSA from their 270 acre organic farm, since 2007. They recently opened a deli for take-out service, and the restaurant is dog friendly. Whether visiting Bedford or passing through central PA, Horn O Plenty is the perfect place to stop for a refreshing, healthy meal — whether your preference is wood fired pizza or salad, vegan or thick cut bacon!

"This is new on our menu, and it is soooo good!  Try the meat-bread," gushed our server Lana. Having grown up enjoying her cousin Tahmina's fantastic Uzbekistan cooking using fresh ingredients bought and prepared daily, she was eager to share the delightful mixes of flavors and textures at Pittsburgh's only Uzbek Halal restaurant.

A few minutes later, a glorious wreath of fragrant dough arrived at our table. Cutting its crispy crust revealed fluffy layers of bread cradling thin slices of tender beef. I suggested that they should give that scrumptious bread another name, or simply use the Uzbek words for meat-bread. Although food is a universal language, that delightful wreath deserves something more poetic. For example, the name Kavsar refers to a crystal clear, paradise river. According to their website, "Everyone who plunges into this river, will never thirst and will always be healthy."
Interestingly, the inside of the non or bread reminded me of steamed Chinese flower rolls, or Huā Juǎn 花卷, which are traditionally layered with sesame oil and scallions. Perhaps this should not be surprising given that the Silk Roads funneled right through Uzbekistan and neighboring Turkmenistan, linking northern China with Europe. Several types of dumplings also grace the menu -- chuchvara stuffed with ground beef and onion dipped in sour cream, manti stuffed with beef, pumpkin or spinach, vareniki with  sweet cottage cheese or potato-onion fillings -- as well as golden samsas reminiscent of Indian samosas and Greek tiropitas (at least from the outside) and baked piroshkis. Given the time required to prepare manti, we opted for the chuchvara on this trip.

Chuchvara dumplings

Kavsar's spicy cucumber salad ranks as one of the best salads I have had, taking Asian influences of cucumber marinated in soy sauce and garlic to a whole new height with the burst of bright, grassy anise from the abundant dill (a feature of almost every dish). We quickly devoured the julienned cucumbers, onions, red pepper and fried beef, ladling the leftover dressing onto rice. It was not at all spicy "hot", but rather had a rich blend of contrasting flavors reflecting what I have decided to call the original East-West fusion cuisine dating back up to two thousand years before Pacific Rim or California fusion.

Spicy cucumber salad and Beef borsch soup

Beef stroganoff over mashed potatoes

Lagman - pulled noodles, beef (or chicken) and vegetables

Kavsar special chicken

Tips: 
🐾 Kavsar, on the corner of Southern Ave and Shiloh St, has its own parking lot one block down on Southern across from Natchez St. 
🐾 Although not in the heart of the new Shiloh St shopping area off of Grandview Ave, it is definitely worth walking just one block farther down the street.



DID YOU TRY EATING AT KAVSAR?    Tag @love2chowblog and hashtag it #love2chow