When I heard the latest rumors about Freebirds finally coming to Waco earlier this week, I wished I had a time machine so I could go back to 2001 and give a flip.

At this point in time, being that I've eaten Freebirds burritos on a regular basis for most of the last 15 years, they are no longer a special treat. Time was, a trip to Austin necessitated a stop by Freebirds. That certainly isn't the case anymore. Oh, I'm not opposed to Freebirds, but other hot spots have taken its place.

Nonetheless, I write a restaurant blog and therefore feel I should at least address the Freebirds-in-Waco rumors.

Midway through the fall, something new came into the Waco restaurant scene that became a delicious facet of my morning routine.

Taqueria El Crucero and Common Grounds linked up to provide breakfast burritos at the Baylor bubble's most beloved coffee shop. For me, and others I witnessed, this became an instant hit. Coffee plus tasty breakfast sustenance plus the ability to sit in a comfortable chair and read and listen to music. That's the way to start the day.

Unfortunately, because of bureaucratic hurdles, which I understand to be necessary but still roll my eyes toward, have at least temporarily halted the partnership between Crucero and Common Grounds. I have no doubt some Baylor folks arrived back in town only to learn this fact earlier this week.

I'm tempted to write about how I like the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl and, for that matter, the BCS National Championship game more than the holidays. I don't know that I really believe that, but I'm tempted to make a case for it. So I will.

It's an easy thing to state now that the holidays are over and it's the longest possible time until they'll be around again. But I still kind of think it's true because the holidays aren't really about what they're about. But NFL playoff football and the national championship game are almost completely about football. Some people, I realize, like to watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Some people, perhaps, would claim that Super Bowl Sunday is the one day of the year when we watch television strictly for the commercials. Those people aren't invited to my house to eat pizza and watch the Super Bowl.

Ahh, pizza. I haven't written enough about pizza in the 9 months since WacoFork began. Today, however, seems like an extremely appropriate day to write about pizza.

Just in time for the start of the Baylor spring semester on Monday, two new campus restaurants held a dress rehearsal on Friday.

Moe's and Which Wich, which officially open on Monday in the Baylor University Science Building, unlocked their doors for an "invitation only" lunch on Friday. The word on the street was that mostly Baylor Student Life folks were invited, but if a person showed up and acted like they were supposed to be there, then they could eat lunch at either Moe's or Which Wich. Or both, I guess.

Like many of you, I'm sure, I gathered with some friends on the first evening of this year to celebrate the fresh start of a new year. Being that we're almost a whole week into 2012, it seems like a long time ago already.

But we ate black-eyed peas, watched the Cowboys lose and claimed new year's resolutions. Being that we're almost a whole week into 2012, I'm sure many of those resolutions have already been abandoned.

At any rate, my friend, who will remain nameless due to her transgression, stated that one of her resolutions was to dine out less often. She said that to me! Can you believe it? I scowled at her.

It's January 4, so I figure we're far enough into this new year that I've earned the privilege of having a beer with lunch.

That's one of the perks of being a restaurant blogger, right?

Another Mexican food restaurant has taken over the space recently vacated by Sebas Cocina.

This morning, I stopped in to verify that Mi Tequila had expanded its universe to include the Austin Avenue location. The new joint is called Me Tequila Too and despite the difference in spelling and other dissimilarities, it's the same operation.

It's a day for reflection, whether or not this makes any metaphysical sense.

I mean, ok, it's the end of a calendar year and tomorrow begins a new calendar year, which feels significant, mostly because we assign significance to it. But where does anything actually begin or end? Tomorrow the sun will probably rise just like it did today. Like Bono sang, "Nothing changes on New Year's Day" and while I'm not sure he was singing about the kind of existential ambiguity I'm describing here, it still applies.

It's late on New Year's Day almost January 2, which as we know this year is the day when many college bowl games will take center stage.

So it's like Monday is New Year's Day 2.0.

Therefore, I'm choosing right now to write about food and football once again, specifically RG3 and the Baylor Bears and San Antonio Mexican food.

In other words, the Alamo Bowl.

I think this slideshow will do one of two things, maybe both. It includes many pictures of food from many Waco restaurants, so it might cause viewers to crave something. Also, it is pretty much chronological from the time we launched in April, so it's an interesting way to reflect on 2011. It was for me, anyway.

Hope you enjoy it.