Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook by Alan R. Moon, Reviewed

 

 Years ago on PBS there was a program hosted by delightful Englishman, Graham Kerr, called “Dinner on the Diner.” Each week he and a number of fortunate guests would board a luxury train and explore one part of the world or other. Celebrity chefs were invited to cook along with the train chefs while touring, doing local food shopping, all the while seeing exciting points of interest along the way. I was a big fan of that show, and ever since then, have been very interested in taking a train trip, not only to see beautiful scenery, but also to stop in quaint towns, and be served marvelous meals, prepared by awarded chefs, and served by handsome young men in tuxedos.

 Sigh. Where was I? Oh, yes…

Because this doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me, I have to live vicariously in other ways, and have done just that by way of the recently published (April 2024), Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook by Alan R. Moon based upon his iconic board game of the same name. Prior to being introduced to this cookbook, I had heard of neither Moon nor the game, but having investigated, I must say that the game looks pretty darned cute. If only, she sighed heavily, I had someone to play with, but I digress.Those familiar with the game will find this cookbook easy to navigate as the recipes are organized by the destination tickets awarded in the game. These feature dining car menus inspired by the cities visited during your railway adventure.  Those unfamiliar with the game may be interested in knowing that it was first published in 2004, and later that year won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres Board Game of the Year award. Whether you are familiar with the game or not, this cookbook is a real winner. Visually it is most attractive. There are some truly wonderful pictures inside, the layout is inviting, and I love that there are specially designed menus for each destination, including a cocktail.The recipes look absolutely delicious, each of which is accompanied by a photo. I like that in a cookbook, in fact, I have come to demand it. In order for a cookbook to engage me, it has to be visually appealing first and foremost, and this one most definitely is. The recipes in the book, in nearly all cases, are easily doable, and utilize ingredients that you generally have at home. My mouth watered as I paged through. At the back of the book there is a comprehensive index of all of the recipes, handy conversion charts, and a map showing all of the train routes. There is a code in the back that you can scan in order to get the game so that you can play it yourself.Game fan, or not, train fan, or not, this is a delightful culinary tour of North America featuring recipes for delicious regional foods, accompanied by beautiful photography. Seasoned veteran or novice cook, gamer or otherwise, this is a must have for your culinary library.

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 Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.