Nibbles of Tidbits – A food blogger’s dream job
Shelly’s always been a “Food Person” but she hasn’t always been able to follow her dream of spending her time thinking, writing and doing all things food. Her blog, Nibbles of Tidbits, is helping her realize that dream – one sentence at a time.
Three years ago, Shelly contacted Elmer Dills, food reviewer for KABC in California, for advice on getting started as a food writer. He encouraged her but reminded her that every restaurant she reviews is someone’s livelihood. “If you say something sucked and someone reading it decides they won’t go there based on your review, there’s a lot of liability involved in that – and it’s not very nice,” she says. “I try to keep that in mind.”
Shelly says she tries to couch any negative comments within helpful commentary. She recently visited Carl Jr’s and reviewed their $6 burger, which they claim is made with fresh guacamole. “But if you look at my picture, it just looks like grocery store guacamole,” she says. “It very well could be fresh but fresh a week ago. Funny”
It looks like Shelly’s formula is working on Nibbles of Tidbits, and she’s quickly becoming an authoritative voice of restaurant dining in Costa Mesa. “I haven’t had anyone contact me for a bad review, but if they did, I’d listen to them and see what we could do to make it better,” she says. “I have had people contact me about positive reviews though and thank me for them.”
So what’s making Shelly’s palate happy these days?
Charlie Palmer : “They’re top notch and quite memorable. The service is excellent and the food is unique. I love everything there but I’m pretty adventurous and I’m always looking for something new and different. They have lovely meats that they cure in-house. You’d think they purchased them from various locations, but they actually make everything right there.”
Greek Town Grill : “This one’s more 
casual and I’d say they have the best dolmades and the service is really good there too. Sometimes I just want to go there every day.”
Catalina Fish Kitchen : “I’ve discovered that they have the best vegetable gumbo around. It’s spicy and has tons of vegetables in and a really great flavor.”
Shelly’s offered to give us the skinny on a few of her favorite restaurants, so stay tuned for more great dining in Costa Mesa, California.
Shelly Borrell is a freelance writer who specializes in writing content for the food industry. She loves to eat, photograph and write about food. Shelly publishes a food blog called Nibbles of Tidbits . She cooks too and has been lucky enough to win two recipe contests - one winning recipe was published in Bon Appetite and Gourmet Magazines. That contest was sponsored by Milk, so she was pictured with a Milk mustache. Shelly’s learned a lot about food through twenty plus years of experimentation. Food & Words comprise this writer's dream living.
