Food Face - Elizabeth Bryant

Welcome to Food Face. I have some awesome food interviews lined up for your enjoyment. Lots of variety and people you wouldn't expect. I'll be posting one every-so-often. Here is the first one...


Who is Elizabeth? Oh, just total awesomeness wrapped up into one pretty little package. Elizabeth is my blogging soul mate. Yes, blogging. I have actually never met the girl, but I know we met before this life. Elizabeth is a food person like myself. We both like food and she actually has been edumacated in the ways of food. I have the pleasure of Elizabeth being my first Food Face. So here is Lizzy on food.

What foods do you remember
most from your childhood?

Two things stick out in my mind: my mom's homemade bread and Swiss steak. Coming from a family of eleven children, we went through bread like you would not believe. Everyone thinks their mom makes the best bread and I am no exception. There was nothing better than coming home from school and smelling freshly baked bread. I knew that there would be butter and honey out on the kitchen counter with which I would slather on a generous helping. I still love that (but I've had to cut down on the butter and honey over the years). The Swiss steak is a funny memory because one year for my 10th birthday my mom asked me what I wanted for dinner on my special day. For some reason, I really loved my mom's Swiss steak and promptly answered that it was my choice. It was tendered round steak slow cooked with tomatoes and peppers. I haven't had it in years but it sounds really good right now.

It's raining cats and dogs and it freezing outside.
What do you want to fill your belly with?

Oh, that's easy. I'm obsessed with rainy days and often pretend like it is so that I can make three of my favorite things. It would start with Chicken and Dumplings, then my favorite chocolate chip cookies for dessert and finish the evening off with some Mexican hot chocolate. A weird combination but I have sentimental feelings for each.

What is your favorite restaurant?

Whoa, whoa, whoa. When asked this question, I normally go into a rant about the different cuisines and how I can't choose. I love Flancer's Cafe and Tuscany and La Grande L'Orange but it all boils down to this - Rancho de Tia Rosa. On any given day, I could eat their salmon tacos with mango salsa or gladly eat the salmon enchiladas with avocado sauce or devour their amazing tomatillo salsa with the perfectly thin, fresh tortilla chips or enjoy some fantastic Mexican hot chocolate. It's not your typical Mexican restaurant - it's "upscale" Mexican and very fresh. They have an enormous green house where they grow their own tomatoes, herbs and chilies. And their salmon - oh, the salmon. There are several different restaurants that I've loved over the years but I always go back to Rosa's for more. If you're ever in the Phoenix area - call me so I can take you there.

Where is your ultimate food destination?

Not sure if you mean an internal destination or a physical place - I feel pretty good about where I am as far as my own food abilities so I'm going to go with a physical destination. My ultimate food destination is France. When I went to France at age 17, I loved food but didn't know as much as I do now. I've experienced so many other things since then (including culinary school) and I am aching to go back to try the same things I had before and dissect their components and then try things that I didn't know existed when I was there before.

Are there any foods you just can't
seem to make turn out right?

My mother-in-law's cheese enchiladas. I think I've got the sauce down pretty well but hers are infinitely better than mine. Someday . . .