As you guys all know that I am a student at Texas State University and I created this blog for my Fundamentals of Digital Media(FDOM) class. The semester was the first semester where I decided my major in Public Relation and this class made me thankful that I chose this major. This class made me enjoy all the parts about mass communication and now I am even more excited for what come up next. FDOM taught me how to code HTML, edit using iMovie, create a prototype for an app, and many more. By making a blog post, it allowed me to understand what creating content is like.

My weakness is writing even though I want to major in PR, but these blog post gave me an opportunity to expand my knowledge and do something I’m afraid to do. This class helped me for my future in Public Relation because it allowed to see what I need to learn for my future job. For my blog posts, the one thing I would change is that I should’ve promoted my blog on my Instagram because I had more active follower there which could’ve help expand my viewers.

The interesting part about my blog is that I get to see the stats of my blog. I’ve learned that my most popular week was on 12/03/18 – 12/09/12. On that week, thirty-one people viewed my blog and I had twelve visitors. My most popular post of the semester was my food review of the restaurant, Industry. I had 15 views on that post and I think the reason why it was the most popular is because the restaurant is located in San Marcos where most of my followers are from.

Since my blog has come to an end and if you are interested in more food post, follow my instagram account below for more: https://www.instagram.com/annanguyeenn/

KBBQ on the grill

Spicy pork belly, korean pork butt, and spicy radish

Spicy Korean fried chicken with gimbap

Korean Fried Chicken with radish and French fries

Adobo Tacos

Finals week is coming up and everybody is stressed. Since the semester is ending, my friends and I decided to plan a gathering together before everyone leaves over break. We decided to do-it-youself Korean barbecue at my apartment because I already had grills for us to cook it with. Korean barbecue is usually expensive when you go out and eat it, but when you buy all at the grocery store, it’s much cheaper which is perfect for us college student.

Since there isn’t an asian grocery store in San Marcos, we decided to drive to HMart in Austin which is a chain Korean grocery store. The first we did when we came was to grab lunch in the food court. They have many options of foods such as Korean fried chicken, Korean street food, Chinese food, and many more. As seen in the pictures above, we ordered tacos, Korean fried chicken with fries, and Gimbap which is basically Korean sushi. All the foods we got to eat were delicious.

After we ate lunch, it was time to go grocery shopping. The one great thing about HMart is that they have pre-marinade which was perfect for us because we did last minute shopping. Therefore, everything is quick and ready to go. We got spicy pork belly, beef bulgogi, and regular pork belly. Then, we got the side dishes for the meats which is called, “banchan,” in Korean. We got kimchi which is everyone’s favorite and spicy radish. And of course, every meals needs veggies, so we went to the produce aisle and got bokchoy, king mushrooms, and enoki mushroom to grill. Usually, Korean barbarque is expensive when you eat it out, but the overall price split among thirteen college students was great. Everyone had a great time eating and enjoyed all the meats.

If you are interested in where to get Korean groceries, click on the link for more info: https://www.hmart.com

Sushi is one of my favorite foods to eat. This sushi restaurant has been my go to place to eat on a Sunday. The reason for that being is that they have a happy hour menu for sushi all day on Sunday’s. Mikado usual hours for their happy hour menu is Monday through Fridays from 3-6:30 p.m. Their happy hour menu includes drinks and foods that ranges from three up to twelve dollars.

The appetizer I would order here is the Chicken Karaage and Crab Puffs. They always come out hot and crispy which means that it came fresh from the fryer. Every time I go out and eat sushi, my all-time favorite fish to order is salmon. I could give all kinds of food and eat salmon for the rest of my life. My favorite part about the happy hour menu is that you can get two pieces of nigiri for four dollars, so of course I order the salmon nigiri every time I come here. The sushi at this restaurant is very fresh and the cut thick slices of the fish. Therefore, eating at this restaurant is worth for the price.

The simple sushi rolls I like to eat here is the yellowtail scallion roll and the full sushi rolls I order is Hottie Susan as seen in the picture above. That roll includes spicy tuna and cucumber inside with fresh salmon and avocado slices drizzled with spicy mayo. I’ve also ordered food items from the menu that wasn’t on the happy hour menu. Their mushroom soup was delicious because the broth was very potent of mushroom flavor and it had truffle oil in it too. If you are looking for a cheap and fresh sushi restaurant in Austin, I recommend going to Mikado Ryotei.

Click on the link to look at the menu for the restaurant: http://mikadoaustin.com/menu/2634634

Since my cousin was visiting me from Boston, it was a must that I had to take her to eat the most Texan food I could think of which was barbecue. Even though I’ve been to many food places, I never ate barbecue restaurant in Austin. I’m honestly not a fan of barbecue because my dad would make it all the time which lead me to not like it. Therefore, I asked my friend from Austin to recommend me a place to eat. He recommended us to eat a Franklin’s Barbecue, but it was dinner time already and usually that restaurant sells out early. The next place he recommended was Terry’s Black, so then we decided to eat there.

When we arrived there, there was no parking available and there was a line of people waiting. My friend dropped us off so we can wait in the line while he finds parking because it was going to probably take a while. The wait of the line wasn’t that long as we thought it was going to be. It was probably a 20 minutes wait until we reached to the front.  The first thing we got at the restaurant was the sides. They restaurant offers sides such as potato salad, macaroni and cheese, beans, cole slaw, and many more. My favorite side to get at a barbecue place is cream corn.

The way that a Terry’s Black restaurant works is that you order meat by pounds. Usually most barbecue restaurants are like that. We ordered 3 slices of fatty brisket and two pork ribs. My cousin ordered the brisket sandwich and she really liked how everything taste and how the barbecue meats were juicy and not dry. Terry’s Black had 3 options barbecue choices of regular, spicy, and tangy. We tried all the flavors and my favorite one overall was the regular because it had a good balance of flavor for a barbecue sauce I would like. I would recommend this restaurant to eat because the food was good. After eating here, I look forward into trying more barbecue restaurants!

Here’s a link to their website to find out more information about Terry’s Black Barbecue restaurant: https://www.terryblacksbbq.com

My cousin from Boston came to visit me because she was thinking about moving to Austin to work, so I decided to take her to Downtown Austin to explore. As we were exploring Austin, it made us hungry due to all the walking. Therefore, we searched on our phones to look up the nearest cheap and quick place to eat. We then came up on fried chicken food truck called Tumble 22 because I mean who doesn’t like fried chicken.

When we arrived, the food truck wasn’t opened yet because the dinner hour for the food truck was from 5-9 p.m. We didn’t mind waiting because the food truck was located next to the bar. Me and my cous

in decided to chill and grab a drink there until the cooks were ready for us to order. When we were waiting, we took a look at the menu and how cheap everything it was and it made us more excited for the food.

How they food truck works when you order is that first you order what type of chicken you want. After that, you pick the heat level of how spicy you want your chicken. They have options from wimpy to cluckin’ hot. I ordered the bone-in 1/4 dark which means it comes with a leg and thigh with the spicy level of hot. The chicken also comes with option of two sides and I got the potato salad and coleslaw.

Tumble 22 is delicious! It had the perfect level of spice for us and the chicken was fresh which means it wasn’t dry at all. The crispness of the chicken was perfect. My favorite part about the meal I ordered was the potato salad because I usually don’t like potato salad due to most are mustard based, but here they make it mayoannise based. Since I am a college student, I highly recommend this food truck because of how cheap everything was.

Check out their website for more information about Tumble 22: http://tumble22.com

A Taste of Koko is a blogger that inspired me to create a food blog. The reason why she inspired me is because she lives in Texas specifically Austin. Her blog isn’t only a food blog but also an travel blog including other cities she’s been in. I like her blog because I can relate and try places she tried because Austin is the nearest big city to San Marcos. By her being an Austin native, the places she recommends makes me want to go check it out!

Koko has travelled to many cities such as New Orleans, Miami, Colorado and many more. On her blog, the different cities she’s been to, she wrote a city guide about the places she’ve been to. Another aspect I like about her blog is the aesthetics of it. She keeps it simplistic and chic which is pleasing for the audience to enjoy. She’s been featured in big companies such as InStyle, The New York Times, Austin American-Statesman and others which makes her blog credible.

Her my favorite post on her website is that she has section called Things To Do In Austin. I like this because since she is from Austin, she is expert of what to do there. In the post Things To Do In Austin, she blogs about best breweries for craft beer, things to do in Austin this winter, and many more. This makes her blog stand out to other blog. I highly recommend checking her blog out because it definitely one to see.

Click on the think to for her blog: https://www.atasteofkoko.com

Last weekend, me and my friends went to Dallas to visit. our friends. My favorite thing about Dallas is that they have a bunch of Korean food places and of course I would go to one of them. Korean barbecue(KBBQ) was a something I wanted to eat in Dallas because it’s very well known there. The two places I ate were Gen Korean BBQ and Breakers BBQ.

BREAKERS BBQ

The reason why I went to Breakers was because my friend told me that this place is a well known KKQ restaurant. At Breakers, I ordered the all you can eat option B which was the price of $26.99 person. The interior of the place is very modern and open. They served us many fresh side orders such as Kimchi, Japche, and others. Breaker service was great, but the one things I would say is their meats taste okay. They have great quality meat than Gen, but the one negative thing I would have to say about this place is that the marinade of the meats was way too sweet. The sweetness over powered the meat too the point to where I couldn’t enjoy it. Otherwise, I would recommend this place to other people because its worth it for the quality meat options you can get.

To learn more information about Breakers KBBQ, click here: http://breakersbbq.com

GEN KOREAN BBQ

Gen is another well known KBBQ restaurant to eat in Dallas. The reason why it is well know is because the price for all you can eat is only $15.99 during lunch hour. In my opinion, I like Gen KBBQ better than Breakers is because of the price. As a college student, I would highly recommend this place to eat because the price is worth it. Another thing about Gen that I like better than Breaker is that even thought the quality of meat isn’t as great Breakers, the marinade of the meats is more flavorful and theres more options to eat.

To learn more information about Gen KBBQ, click here: http://genkoreanbbq.com

A new restaurant in that just opened in San Marcos and it’s a must try! The new restaurant opened by Texas State alumni is very popular place to eat right now. The way that Industry is set up isn’t like a normal typical restaurant where you walk in and order when you get seated at the table. It’s set up as where you order at the counter, then the bring out the food you. Also, Industry layout makes it comfortable for everyone to enjoy. This makes the place a unique place that I want to try. 

When I walked in Industry, I was surprise by the interior of the restaurant because it was very modern and chic. I was craving Fish and Chips a few days back, so I decided to order that item from the menu. The Fish and Chips is fried Texas Catfish served with pepita pesto and smoke red chili aioli. The dish is usually severed with smashed potatoes, but I got regular French fries instead. The dish was delicious! The fried fish had a great light crispy crunch with the fish in the middle cooked perfectly moist. Also, the French fries was perfectly crisp and good to dip with the smoked red chili aioli. The only con about the dish was the pepita pesto because it was slightly salty. 

This restaurant has excellent food with a great price! The have many options of healthy foods such as Bahn Mi tacos, Brisket Sandwich, Shroom Wrap, and many more. The vibe of the place makes it a great place to stop by and socialize. The restaurant is opens from 11 a.m. to Midnight every day and has happy hour from 3-6 p.m. on the weekday including most items $2 off. That makes it perfect for anyone to stop by and grab something to eat. I highly recommend this place to anyone who lives in San Marcos.

Click on the link to find out more information about the restaurant:https://www.industrytx.com

One night I was scrolling through Yelp finding new places to eat in Austin and I found a place that caught my eye. Kermuri Tatsu-ya. This place caught my eye because it is Texas-Japanese izakaya. Izakaya is a Japanese bar the serves small dishes or plates. I was curious on how this Asian fusion restaurant would taste so I had to try it out the next weekend.

“Kermuri” in Japanese means “smoke”. Therefore, I had to try something from the menu that was smoked! I ordered the smoked duck breast and it was honestly my favorite plate I ate that night. The duck breast had a nice smokey, wood-fired flavor that was very tender. The plate came with an orange ponzu dipping sauce which is a citrus -based sauce popularized in Japanese cuisines. It made the flavor even out by the sweet and savory balanced together.

This restaurant has many small dishes that fit the setting of what to expect in an asian fusion place such as Chili Cheese Takoyaki (octopus balls), Yakitori (skewered chicken), Texans Brisket Ramen, and many more. Unlike a traditional restaurant where it is usually one menu item per person, expect to order a number of smaller plates instead. This is normal in a Japanese izakaya. Also, you should come in with an open mind because these dishes are definitely something you never tried before. I would highly recommend going to eat here because this restaurant takes your typical Texas barbecue with the a Japanese twist in the most delicious way. I rate this place an 8/10.

Check out their website for more information about the izakaya: http://kemuri-tatsuya.com

Hello Munchies!

My name is Anna Nguyen and I would like to welcome anyone who loves food to my blog. I am currently attending my third year at Texas State University and majoring in Public Relations. I am originally from Houston, Texas which is a city known for foodies. Therefore, my hometown made me who I am today: A BIG FOOD LOVER.

All my life, food has always interested me because of variety. I am attracted to the variety of aesthetics of different dishes, the variety of flavors and textures, and most interesting is the variety of cultures.Throughout my life, my parents influenced me to be more open-minded about what food is out there. They taught me that each person can express their culture through the food they make. That is how I came to believe that food is a culture where everybody can enjoy.

Hopefully, my blog will influence people to be more open-minded about the types of food that is out there in the world and try something new. There are many options outside of what is popularized today such as burger and fries. You shouldn’t judge food by how it looks or where it’s from, but instead you should give it a chance. This blog is going to be about my journey this semester of my experiences of trying new foods.

Follow me on Twitter @annanguyeeenn for more updates about my reviews on new restaurants I never tried before.