Of all the crazy ideas to land on my virtual desk recently, this one probably takes the cake for audacity and sheer creative genius. On April 14th, 2012, the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s fateful sinking, a group of culinary masterminds are recreating the final dinner aboard the ill-fated ship.
You heard that right.
Remember the L train pop-up luncheon? The brain behind that stunt, Jonathan Cristaldi, along with chefs Adam Banks (sous chef and sommelier on Bravo’s Chef Roblé & Co.) and Rob McCue (Hell’s Kitchen Season 8 contestant), has whipped up yet another quirky culinary event.
For first-class diners on the Titanic, no expense was spared and gaiety was at its height, anticipating an early arrival in New York. The event here in New York will honor the spirit of the Titanic’s dedication to the high art of culinary decadence, but with some welcome revisions. As Cristaldi tells Untapped, the last supper on the Titanic was a whopping 11 courses and frankly, “so 1912.” Foodies like us are pleased to hear that the event in April will get a 21st century “culinary upgrade.” The dinner will be reduced to a more palatable, but still daunting, 7 courses with wine paired with every course. There will also be a cocktail hour featuring period-specific cocktails reinvigorated with modern mixology.
I asked Jonathan what would possess them to do this and he said they see the centennial as an opportunity to pay homage to the Titanic, “by creating a window into what it might have been like to be a diner on a vessel the world was watching, so we aim to re-imagine the moments during the last meal when unencumbered exuberance was in the hearts and minds of the passengers.” Well then, we’re sold.
The event is called 41 °North, 49 °West, in memorium of the exact longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates where the Titanic struck the iceberg in the winter of 1912. To RSVP, interested diners must visit dinetitanic.com where they may provide an email address for the chance to receive an invitation.
Untapped New York will be following the event, with exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage leading up to the event–what on earth goes into planning one of the most sumptuous dinners to hit New York City since the Gilded Age?–and of course, a photographic recap of the actual dinner itself.
On March 14th, invites to purchase tickets will be released to the first eighty sign-ups, providing information about the menu, the collaborators and certain elements of the evening. After three days another round of tickets will be released, depending upon availability. The exact location of the dinner to take place in NYC, will be kept secret until 48 hours prior to the event.
The price is steep, but sure to be an event to remember: $300 per first class ticket (60 available), and $450 per VIP elite class ticket (20 available). VIP ticket-holders will experience the same menu plus additional courses and premier wine pairings.
Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.
