My Experience as a Food Critic

Rise and shine! Good morning,

Breezy’s Bites was first created for an assignment that I had to do for my Fundamentals of Online Media class. I’ve learned how to promote myself through the use of social media and WordPress. I’ve enjoyed creating the content of Breezy’s bites so much that I’ve decided to keep going even after the semester ends. WordPress allowed me to create artistic content through something that I love to do which is eat. I’ve always been into trying new foods and this class and site gave me a chance to be creative with online media. I’d want to improve my site by adding information about restaurants all over the world. Once I graduate, I plan on traveling and posting more on my experiences everywhere I go.

I thought it was really awesome how I could see my blog from an outsiders point of view. I enjoyed creating content and providing the world with information about restaurants here in San Marcos, Texas. The “Add New” on the Posts Tab was the most important and valuable tab for me. Once I click a tab, I can choose to add media or even input links where my viewers can follow. The tool “Testimonials” was the least valuable to me because, I never once clicked on the tab to use.

My most popular post was my very first Blog post that introduced Breezy’s Bites. I believe that it was very popular because, it was something new that I’ve never done before. It gave my followers on my social media accounts a new type of information from me that they have never seen before. It was really awesome to hear from my family and friends about content that I was sharing. I received two views on my first post and one view on my post that I   shared about “Food for Thought.”

I received two views on my first post.

As you can see my site was popular at the beginning of the semester.

As a Communication Studies major, I feel like my experience in creating a website has helped me gain more knowledge in how to communicate to people through different types of media. I’m excited for what the future looks like for Breezy’s Bites. I’ll see you next week!

 

Morning Oats with Breezy’s Bites.

Good morning,

I’ve decided to do something different this morning and show you guys how to make morning oats. I like to workout and eat healthy breakfasts everyday. Morning Oats or also known as Overnight Oats are an extremely fueling healthy breakfast that is easy for everyone to make. Morning oats health benefits are sure to explain why this dish is so beneficial. This dish is great for weight loss because the nutrients that are used are typically healthy.

The ingredients that I used are HEB Quick Oats, Organic Chia Seeds, Almond-milk, Crunch Texas Peanut-butter, and strawberries. I chose these ingredients because I personally like Almond-milk, strawberries, and peanut butter together. I sometimes add bananas instead of strawberries but, it just depends on your tastebuds and what you like. You can switch up any ingredients if you prefer other types or milk or chia seeds.

A step by step slideshow at the bottom shows how to create morning oats. There are many recipes on the internet that anyone can find. Here are some of my favorite traditional morning oats recipes. Everyone has different preferences on what kind of fruit and milk they like. So, it’s mainly up to you to find out which flavors you like best together. Since I enjoy strawberries and Peanut-butter together, I like to group them with almond milk and oats. My morning oat recipe takes 20 minutes to make and all night long to cook in the refrigerator. Whenever you wake up, just go downstairs get a spoon and enjoy. This dish is very convenient if you are in a hurry.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Alvin Ords- San Marcos, TX

Hi Pals,

I’ve been super busy with school and just wrapping up the semester. I always enjoy taking breaks and eat good food to fuel my brain this time of the year. My friend Sydnee thought I should try a place here in San Marcos called Alvin Ords. Alvin Ords is a deli/sub sandwich serving restaurant. However, guests can also choose salads and jalapeño wedges. This restaurant is located on 204. University Dr. right down the street from Texas State University.

I actually wasn’t too impressed with the sandwich I ordered. I ordered a  Italian ham and cheese sandwich that came with mustard and a pickle. I felt like I could make this sandwich at home and was pretty disappointed that I waisted $7.00 on this sandwich. Besides the food,  I enjoyed this booth section where customers could write all over them with sharpies. I took advantage and wrote my name in a spot that I would remember. The people who work at Alvin Ords were very nice and brought me my order extremely fast. I was pretty happy to receive my sandwich so quickly.

I’ve decided to rate Alvin Ords a 6 out of 10 because of the sandwich quality. I enjoyed the sandwich but, I believe that I could of saved money and made my own at home. I enjoyed the environment and friendly staff very much.

Italian Ham and Cheese sandwich I ordered.

Vitality Bowls- Youtube Video

Hi everyone,

For this post I decided to interview Ashley James who is the Owner of Vitality Bowls here in San Marcos, Texas. Vitality bowls was the first restaurant that I reviewed for my blog. Vitality Bowls has become my favorite place to eat here because it has a variety of healthy and nutritious foods. I decided to apply for a job to work at this restaurant and I was hired at the beginning of October.

Ashley explained her story on why she decided to open a Vitality Bowls close to campus. As a student here, I’ve grown to appreciate restaurants that offer healthy foods and a welcoming environment. I’ve quickly become obsessed with Acai Bowls and the ingredients they are made up of.  I had so much fun interviewing my boss and the owner of Vitality Bowls.

I created this video for an assignment for my Fundamentals of Online Media class (FDOM).  I had so much fun interviewing my boss and the owner of Vitality Bowls. I’m very excited and I hope that you’ll enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed making it.

 

Flaming Bird- SM, TX

Good morning,

As someone who is new to the San Marcos area, I’m always open to try new foods and restaurants. I was with some friends last night and they asked if I have ever tried the Flaming Bird. The next thing I knew I was at this restaurant located in the HEB. The Flaming Bird is located at the HEB on 641 E. Hopkins st.

The menu at the Flaming bird has so many choices to choose from. However, I chose the “Build your own Bowl.” This bowl can come with Mexican rice, chicken or beef, corn, beans, cheese, and guacamole. I only chose the rice, beans, corn, and chicken in my bowl. I was very satisfied with all the flavors in one bowl.

I chose to rate the Flaming Bird a 10 out of 10. I enjoyed the bowl and I felt that the service was great. I was greeted upon arrival and the cook helped me decide what to get. Overall, satisfied with my experience at the Flaming bird. It was a Unique idea that HEB came up with and I’m glad I got to experience it with my friends.

 

Flaming Bird Bowl that I chose. Consisted of corn, beans, chicken, and cheese.

Santis Tacos- SM, TX

Hi everyone,

Here in San Marcos, Texas we have a place called the square where people can go to bars, shop, or just walk around. I was shopping with my friends one day and I stumbled upon a food truck called Santis Tacos. My friends explained that this was the spot to go when you want some good authentic Mexican tacos.

Santis Tacos is located on 128 S Guadalupe St. by the bar called rooftop on the square. This food truck is painted red, white, and green just like Mexico’s flag.

I decided to order 3 small mini tacos and a bottled coca cola. I always feel that coke always tastes better in a bottle for some reason. The first picture on the left is what I chose to order and the the third picture on the right is what my friend chose to get.  My mini tacos had Bistec meat, cilantro, lime, and red salsa. Usually people can choose wether to put avocado and onions on it, however I chose to opt out out of it.

I decided to rate Santis Tacos a 10 out of 10 because of the overall food quality. I’m from the El Paso area and these tacos reminded me of home. The salsa and lime complimented the bistec meat perfectly. I would definitely recommend this food truck to anyone.

My Choice of Bistec Mini Tacos.

Santis Tacos in San Marcos, Texas.

My friends choice in tacos. She ordered bitec tacos with onion and avocado.

Food for Thought-Blog

Hello!

For this blog post, I decided to try something new and search different blogs who also critique restaurants. I really enjoyed the blog called, “Food for thought”  because this person critiques restaurants all over the globe which is amazing. This blog also includes cooking recipes and how to recreate them. Critiquing restaurants all over the globe is something that I would love to start doing once I graduate college. This blog mainly has posts from over seas in Europe. However, I could not find the owners name of this blog or where they are from. I only assume that he or she is from that side of the world.

Food for Thought homepage.

Food for thought has included food from London, France, and even Bali. I thought it was pretty fascinating to read upon the different types of food I’ve never even heard of before. I enjoyed reading their latest post called the Potter lobster that is located in Northumberland, Bamburgh in London. This blogger gave their mood for the day and what made them stumble upon this restaurant. They included many pictures of their food that gave the reader and insight on how their experience was. He/She tried the carrot soup and bread while their friend or partner tried the potted lobster.

Potter Lobster post that I enjoyed reading.

 

This blogger included ratings on their posts just like I do. It was pretty cool to see someone from the other side of the world use something that I would include on my blog on theirs. Overall, this blog was very interesting to read. The format and coloring was very simple. I loved how this blogger really focused on his/her content instead of design. Sometimes, simplicity is key in terms of creating a blog.

 

Centerpoint- SM, TX

Good afternoon everyone,

I decided to try Centerpoint Station Dinner and Bakery this week. Centerpoint is located on Old Bastrop Highway on exit 200. This restaurant is extremely interesting because it’s a combination between a restaurant, boutique, and it use to be a gas station.

Centerpoint station was opened in 1871 by Garland Warren and his daughter Cheryl Warren Cuppetilli. They explained on Centerpoint website that they opened a gas station and they realized that this area was in need of a restaurant. They introduced their own homemade buttered bun and burger recipe. Shortly after, Cheryl introduced the boutique side of counterpoint that drew crowds in the area to check out fun and style that Centerpoint added to San Marcos. To learn more about counterpoint check out their website for history and interesting facts.

Centerpoint has an amazing breakfast selection of french toast, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and more. However, I went during lunch time and tried the 1/2 lb bacon cheeseburger with fries and fried pickles as my appetizer. It seems a little basic, but counterpoint uses hawaiian bread and their homemade burger recipe for burgers. I’m a huge bacon fan, so it seemed perfect to add that on top of my burger.I f you are a Texas State student and show them your bobcat ID, they will let you have a free appetizer which is amazing for college students who are on a budget. I enjoyed the fun atmosphere and food I tried. Overall I decided to rate Centerpoint a 10/10. I think it’s perfect for families and college students. The price is a little pricy for a restaurant like this, but overall I was very satisfied.

Bacon cheeseburger on Hawaiian bread with fries. I included two of my fried pickles I got for my free appetizer.

 

Blaze Pizza – SM, TX`

Happy Sunday Everyone!

On this beautiful day, I tried to take some advice from some friends I met here at Texas State. They suggested that I’d try Blaze pizza that is located on Springtown Way by the Wash Tub and big HEB. This restaurant is very different from my last post. I’m a huge pizza lover so, I automatically did not hesitate on going with them to try this pizza.

I ended up getting a “build your own” pizza which allows you to put whatever amount of toppings you like. However, I’m pretty basic when it comes to ordering pizza. I ordered a pepperoni pizza with extra garlic butter and basil. I ordered garlic pesto sauce with shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.

When I think of Blaze Pizza I think of my family back home. I feel like this is a very welcoming restaurant that makes sure their customers are well taken care of. My favorite part about eating at Blaze is choosing your own ingredients and watching your pizza come to life in a New York style oven. I chose to rate Blaze Pizza a 10 out of 10 because of options, location, and tasteful experience.

Blaze “Build your own” pizza.

 

Vitality Bowls – SM, TX

Hello,

For my first restaurant, I decided to try Vitality Bowls located underneath The Local Apartments by the square. I first fell in love with healthy eating restaurants when I was introduced to a juice shop in my hometown. Acai bowls were my favorite thing to eat and I decided that I should look for a restaurant that supported healthy eating and my love for acai bowls.

I tried the medium “Vitality Bowl” this time. Acai bowls are made with a fruit base that looks like a smoothie. My base consisted of Organic acai, VB blend, bananas, strawberries, and flax seed. The toppings that came with this specific bowl was organic granola, bananas, strawberries, gojia berries, and honey. I really loved the taste of bananas and strawberries together so this was a perfect bowl that suited my taste buds.

Vitality bowls had a bright color vibe that I felt suited the menu very well. I enjoyed reading all the ingredients on the walls of the restaurant. Posters were put up to show the health benefits in each bowl. I chose to rate Vitality bowls a 10 out of 10 because this bowl was so refreshing and fueled me up for the rest of the evening.