Alton Brown Live Eat Your Science Tour

Last weekend Jeff and I had tickets to see Alton Brown's current tour, Eat Your Science, at the Paramount. The evening show sold out before we could get tickets, so we were relieved when a matinee was added. So, what did we learn this time around?

First, Alton named some rules he would make if he was a food god. These included tortilla chips being able to support 500 times their weight, the elimination of children's menus (unless the restaurant actually serves children... you know, for the main course), all rats being required to taste like bacon (eew), and limiting sriracha use to those with a special permit (yes, please). This opener was just as funny as his story telling from the last show and made me laugh a lot. I think he does really well with comedy.

Next, we moved along to a game of cocktail making. A lady from the audience had to spin three wheels (think smaller version of the wheel from the Price is Right) in order to get the ingredients for her cocktail. She ended up with gin, jagermeister, and pickle juice. Sounds fabulous, right? Not. Alton did some food magic to make her drink more palatable using a simple chef's work table. In the end, she said it really just tasted strongly of pickle juice and that was ok with her!

After a short intermission, Alton and a few of his crew came out and performed some popcorn synth music. Seriously, they poured popcorn over a big stage light and played some music that screamed 80s to me as the popcorn popped all over. Next, they invited a man up from the audience to assist in making a large version of popcorn from a balloon to show the science behind what makes it pop. This involved a balloon stuffing machine and a tank of helium (funny voice play included). After the faux kernel popped, Alton brought out the Astro Pop (a giant popcorn making machine) and blew real popcorn sky high. It was quite the sight. Alton ended the show with a Q&A session from Twitter.

Overall I think this show felt a little less science-y and more comedic than the first tour, but I really enjoyed both. I love the mix of comedy, science, and music. It really keeps things interesting. Most importantly, we learned two things: Good Eats is coming back and Alton will now be playing the part of the chairman on Iron Chef Gauntlet. I think Jeff and I are already ready for Alton's third tour that probably doesn't exist (yet), but you can bet we'll be there if it happens!