Monday, January 22, 2018

The Alienist: A New Guillaume Cook/Eat/Watch Tradition? (Updated)

Brain cancer is...

Darrell's Shrimp Cocktail

 
Warm Lobster Dip

Steaks and arugula, which was good no matter what Darrell says.

 ...always on the prowl for new excuses to Eat/Cook/Watch together.

Our three favorite cook/eat/watch traditions--wherein we first prepare the food together and then eat it as we watch something important on television include:

1. Zachary's birthday
2. Game day for the Packers (and other lesser NFL teams)
3. Game of Throne feasts

Today we are excited to launch a new Guillaume Cook/Eat/Watch endeavor:  The Alienist.   We've read and seen great press on TNT's new series, which premieres tonight at 7 PT, so we did some research.
  • "Alienist" is an old fashioned word for psychiatrist.  (Word lovers:  Click here to hear Merriam Webster's podcast that explains "alienist" as the Word of the Day a decade ago.)
  • The new television series is based on a best selling novel of the same name by Adam Carr, written in 1994 (Book lovers:  Click here for more information on the novel.)  I am just finishing reading it, and I give it five stars as a work of historical fiction and a crime story.  
  • New York City's Delmonicos is the main characters' favorite restaurant.  (Food lovers, click here for a reservation.)
Thus, we deem The Alienist show as worthy of a try as new Guillaume Cook/Eat/Watch tradition.   Let's share our ratings tomorrow, yes? (Feast pictures to follow as well.)

Update After the Show

What?  Apparently the show plays several times.  We watched it on TNT at 7 p.m., and it plays again at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on TNT-W.

Viewers' advisory:  As in the novel, the content is sad (murder of children) and explicit.

The show struck me as even more explicit than the novel and much darker.  It also struck me as much more stylized than the novel.  Maybe shows always need to be stylized because they cover so much territory so quickly.  I like the book better than the show, but I always do. 

With their fresh perspective, Darrell and Zach say it's worth a second Cook/Eat/Watch next week.  My goal is to appreciate the show without relying on my understanding of the book.  The episode definitely kept us talking into the evening.


The food?  It's a good thing the Word of the Year is not "restraint."  Yummy.

Here's the Guillaume The Alienist Kick-Off Party Menu 

(Recipes are based loosely on Delmonico's menu items.  We've never been there. Hey, we've never been to Game of Throne's Westeros or Castle Black either; we tend not to let such things interfere with our feasting.)  

Appetizers

 The Meal

Titans:  Happy First Day of Class for Spring 2018! 

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