I Know It's Not Right, But I’ll Be Cheating.

Before I indulge myself in food, and enter unknown territories that actually serve edible things, I admit that I am somewhat scared and hesitant about this whole restaurant-reviewing thing. First off, I have never ever done this. I have never in my life thought about writing what my experience is about a certain place I ate at, especially their food. Before, whenever I ate out, it’s just because of the fact that I was hungry and wanted my fill, hoping that what I would order would be delicious. If it were like an orgasmic feeling in my mouth (Warning: Even if it’s not really an appropriate adjective, I still like describing things as orgasmic so, you might encounter that in my blog a couple of times.), I would most probably crave for it and then come back another time to have the same thing. On the other hand, if I did not like the food, I would just not go back to that place ever and remember not to get the same dish again.

It would be different for me in the following weeks though. Every time I would go in a restaurant, there would be another more important purpose. It would not only be to have my fill, but also to see if the place is as great for me as it would be great for other people. This time around, I have to look in at the details, absorb the things happening around me in the restaurant, take in the taste of the food fully. Now that I think about it, it’s like working while having my meal for lunch or dinner. I picked this topic because I thought that it would just be a breeze talking about food and what not. I guess it was a wrong move on my part. Ha. We’ll see. Maybe it would not be as hard. I’m crossing my fingers.

Since I am a novice on matters of reviewing restaurants, I knew I needed help. I was pretty sure I could not be able to do this alone. So, I called a friend. Her name is Dianne Jacob. Okay, fine. She’s not really my friend, and I didn’t really call her. I had her sent to my apartment though. She’s the author of Will Write for Food. In this book, one chapter is what she calls the Secrets of Restaurant Reviewing. I figured that if I had this cheat sheet, well, there are a lot of pages so I guess I have to make it plural and call them cheat sheet(s), I would have a guide and maybe I’ll get this whole thing right.

I guess you could say that I will be doing restaurant reviews with Dianne Jacob’s Will Write for Food book as the basis. So, not only would I be writing my criticisms about a place I ate at and their food, I will also be writing my thoughts about the book/cheat sheet/guide/whatever-you-want-to-call-it in most of the blogs I will post. Let me actually start with the introduction part of Chapter 5. Being a restaurant reviewer is one of the greatest jobs one can ever have since they get to go to all these places, and eat the best food in town. However, these people also encounter what the author describes as mediocre or bad food, and might think that that place was just a waste of their time. I agree that people may see the work of a restaurant reviewer as having pros and cons because my experience as a normal consumer of food confirms it. Never have I ever gone out to eat and went home extremely satisfied every single time. There were times that I still had the bad after-taste of a dish or get annoyed at the service of a place. I just couldn’t imagine how people could make a living out of it. True, they do have the time of their life by getting paid for it. However, you still have to think about the fact that they do go through some bad restaurants and actually have to tell write their criticisms about them, no matter how negative their experience may be.

By the way, I might use DJ in short for Dianne Jacob. We’re not really close, but I’ll be mentioning her a lot in this blog so I chose to give her a pet name to spice things up a bit. (Ms. Dianne Jacob, if you’re reading this blog, which I doubt you are, I hope you wouldn’t mind!)

So, you think restaurant reviewing is easy? Think again. I’ll be using a cheat sheet.

Just Another Food-Slash-Restaurant Review Blog?

First off, let me warn everyone that I'm not that great of a writer. I am not like others who would elaborate on things in a very flamboyant and extremely embellished way. I do not use fancy words. I don't really care though. I just speak my mind with my own words, simple words, in my own way.

Not to scare you off that this blog is going to be an elementary-style thing, but I'm just being truthful. This is my first time to type my own thoughts, more so criticisms, and share it to internet for everyone to see. I guess this is where I tell you a little bit more about myself as a person so you will know and understand whose brain these so-called typed thoughts are coming from. I am a just a normal full-time student from a university in Tampa, FL, now in my third year of majoring in Psychology. At the same time, I work two jobs. Yeah, it is a hectic life. However, I should be thankful that I'm still breathing and I haven't dropped to the ground from brain overload malfunction or pure exhaustion. The other things you should know is that I am female, which I would say adds up to the possibility that I might be more meticulous and tend to criticize things more. I am also Asian, particularly Filipino. I was born and raised in the Philippines, hence my taste buds are very accustomed to food from the far east.

So, what exactly is this blog going to focus on? The title probably gave it away already. Yes, I am going to review restaurants. However, these restaurants must fall under certain specifications. If you live by Tampa, by the scope of the 813 area code, then you are in luck since I'll be visiting the ones nearby, which would be not more than a 20-mile radius from my place. I am just doing a food blog, not a food-and-travel-infused-together blog.

I am not just looking for good eats, but also affordable ones. Everyone would agree that money is tight nowadays and I cannot really spend a lot of money. For one restaurant, the maximum amount of money shelled out would only be around $10-$15 per person. In order to be able to taste more than just one dish or viand, I have asked my best friend to accompany me throughout my food adventure. Not only will I be able to blog about what his feedback is, but also have a comparison on the fact that he grew up in America, thus making him less accustomed to the different Asian cuisines. I am not saying that he does not have the ability to, it's just that I was born and raised in an Asian country, making me very used to and familiar with the weird tastes Asians have.

In addition, I will also not forego giving comments about the appearance and ambiance of the place. I might even be peeking in the restroom too. I presume that an excellent restaurant does not only focus on the taste of the food, but the amenities that the customers use as well. Since I am a server myself, I am also going to rate their service with 3 criteria, which would be friendliness, efficiency (includes attentiveness), and promptness (depends on how busy). I am still undecided whether I should stick to 5 Asian cuisines and visit 2 restaurants each within the ten weeks that I am planning to do this or 10 different restaurants with various cuisines. I am leaning toward the previous one since I think the latter one would be harder to have a standard rating system. Either way, I am just extremely excited to enter a restaurant and have a taste of their cuisine.

I do know that there are hundreds of sites that do restaurant reviews, heck, there might even be thousands. Although the people behind these may have different goals in doing so, may it be to let others know where to eat or where not to, what dishes to get and what to stay away from, or even to either praise or bash the owners, there is still one main interest, which is the love for food. The purpose and importance of these blog reviews are clear. Time is gold and they advise people what restaurants are worth going to so as not to waste their precious minutes. Food is a necessity, and it is definitely one thing we cannot go without. So, why not make sure that you'll enjoy what you consume? Through this blog, I would like to share with you good eats worth every penny spent.

Come tag along with me while I journey through various restaurants by the 813. (Sounds Dora the Explorer much?) Let the food adventure begin!

Just another food-slash-restaurant review blog? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.