Where I stayed and what I ate

One more San Francisco post and then I am going to be all about the Fall food. I thought I would share with you the fabulous hotel I stayed at, and some of the local food I ate. One thing about San Francisco... it can be overwhelming. There are hundreds of hotels to stay at, thousands of restaurants to eat at, and millions of tourists a year. So where did I stay and what did I eat?

First things first, where I laid my head at night.

Kyle and I had a great room at the Parc 55 hotel. It was lovely and everyone was very welcoming. The hotel had a great location that made it easy to walk just about anywhere. One of my favorite things about the hotel was the little chocolates they left in my room every night, and the view...

...the breathtaking view! There were three large windows in the room, all with a great view of the city. If you go to San Francisco I would recommend staying at the Parc 55 hotel. Then I would recommend a room with a city view like the one I had.

I loved Fisherman's Wharf, but you have to be careful not to get sucked into a 'tourist' restaurant. We looked at every restaurant and menu there (like Bubba Gump... why do people pay so much at this place? No thanks!) and we decided on Pier Market. The food looked fresh, the menu prices were right, and they had a great patio.

I ordered the clam chowder in a sourdough bowl with a side salad. I ate every bite. Everything about this meal was delicious, especially the sourdough bread that had been soaking in the chowder. Drool.

I know I know, some of ya'll may be thinking 'What's so special about In N Out'? Well, there's not much that's special about it, except that you can't get it in Texas! So we knew we had to try it once we got to California. It was good, but we had Carls Jr. a few days prior and that was really, really good!

The menu at In N Out is very basic, and Kyle got the cheeseburger combo. He knew to order his 'animal style', which is secret lingo for your burger to be cooked and fried with mustard, and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added. Yum!

The Haight/Ashbury area is fun and full of thrifty little shops. It's not far from Golden Gate park, where Kyle and I walked around for a couple of hours, building up an appetite. We went to a small little panini shop (simply called Panini) that also served espresso.

I had a Veggie panini that came with a side salad. On it was spinach, tomato, avocado, aioli and pepper jack cheese, all on sourdough. Very simple ingredients, yet very flavorful. That's what I like!

As Ghiradelli lover, I knew I had to make a quick stop by their store in Ghiradelli Square. The store wasn't as large as I thought it would be, but I couldn't leave without making a purchase. I got the Vanilla Dreams white chocolate. Very delicious and full of vanilla.

I also stopped by the cafe and grabbed a small hot chocolate for Kyle and I to share. But this was a Sea Salt Caramel Hot Chocolate. It was sinful and decadent, and I want another one. Now.

I have read about Paulette Macarons in San Francisco many times before, and on the last day when we were looking at the map for somewhere else to walk, I pulled out my phone and googled the address of this little macaron shop. 3.3 miles away? Was it worth the walk?

Most definitely worth the walk. Here is the pumpkin macaron (please ignore my chipped french manicure!) The shell was crispy and the filling was sweet and perfect. I told the woman behind the counter that I had heard about her macarons all the way in Texas, but she was French and I don't think she understood a word I said. That's okay, her macarons are still killer.

We ate at so many other great restaurants (like Annabelles, where I had the best cioppino of my life) and a few spots in Chinatown, but sometimes you just have to eat and put down the camera. Hope you enjoyed my San Francisco pictures, you can see more on my other blog Nikon Natalie.