Order Number 1! ;)

Talk about going from one extreme to another! Yesterday my dad, my sister, and I went to San Francisco and it was super cold! The sky was grey and little droplets of water hung in the air! I, of course, wasn't thinking and expected it to warm up so I didn't bring a jacket. Needless to say, I paid the price for it!

However, perhaps because of the cold weather we all desired warm, comforting food. So, we decided to go to our favorite San Francisco joint, Americana Grill in the Richmond District. We've been going there for over 10 years and the people who run it still recognize it! The man who runs it never fails to ask if my dad needs another wine glass for me, hahaha. :D But first, Fiona and I went shopping while my dad met with a client. We walked around Japantown for a bit, and I picked up some cute folders for school. Then, we walked up to the Fillmore to do some clothes and pastry shopping! I got a nice shirt at Crossroads and then we went to the Boulange Bakery! I picked up some macarons and Fiona got a chocolate croissant. Yum!

I took some pictures of the lovely white and lavender flowers on the way. :) So dainty!

Yay!!! Macarons! I love these little guys! I got two chocolate ones, a vanilla one, and a caramel one. The chocolate was divine, so rich and not too sweet. The caramel one was good and the bits of caramel on top were a nice crunchy touch. The vanilla is very sweet, but still good.

Here is my dad and Fiona putting change into the parking meter in front of Americana Grill! Look at how cloudy and cold it is!!!!

Apparently, my dad was in the mood for an appetizer so we got fried zuchinni, which were delicious! Not greasy or heavy, they were so hot and fresh! I, who generally stays away from fried things, really enjoyed these. :)

Okay, my dad and I had made a plan prior to going. We were going to split one of their giant hamburgers and split a bowl of their pho. Two of my favorite things!!! :D

Here is our hamburger-doesn't it look amazing??? It's so tasty and succulent and filling! The meat is cooked so well and bursts with flavor. The fries are good too. (And yes, that is considered ONE burger! For about $7 that is a great deal!)

And here is the huge bowl of pho! I ordered the #1 combination with tripe, tendon, meatballs, and other things. The wife of the man who runs it told me to order that one since it is a bigger bowl! :D She said it was their most popular soup! So, always order #1!

Here are the fixings that came with it: the usual bean sprouts, herbs, lemon, jalapeno, and sauces. I have really grown to love the bean sprouts. They taste so good in the broth!

The pho was amazing. It really was. I couldn't believe how light and tasty the broth was! My dad and I couldn't stop drinking it! I ordered extra noodles for a dollar, so I was a noodle hoe! :P For $7 that bowl of pho is such a wonderful deal. I thought this pho was so much better than the pho at Le Cheval. I sometimes wish my dad still lived in SF so we could go eat there all the time like we used when he did live there. We lived up a few streets so we would always walk down to Americana Grill. Ahhh~ Those were good times! I think one of the reasons I love finding hole-in-the-wall restaurants with Andrew in Stockton is because they are so homey and remind me of some places in SF. You can almost always find awesome family-run places in cities or large towns. I can't wait to go back to Stockton and explore some more!!! ;D

Today has been alright; I went to work and ended up helping my dad out a lot. He was proud of me, which made me happy. I also went to the Farmer's Market in Martinez down the street from my dad's office and picked up some things! I got some tomatoes, potatoes, grapes, bok choy, green onions, and yellow onions. It really made me excited for Stockton's farmer's markets!!
I also took a little rest before writing this blogpost, and that relaxed me a lot. I also found a book that a family friend had given me full of poems and stories that have to do with the Central Valley, places like Stockton, Lodi, and Sacramento. I find myself becoming more and more interested with that part of California since I live there most of the time. I really want to write about it.....but I think I need more experience living in Stockton. Maybe by next summer or so I can start on something good. :)