Food & Drink

Have a Titanic meal

In the kitchen of a third-floor walk-up in Astoria, Queens, two chefs are debating sea salt.

Specifically, they’re discussing what sort of salt to use as a finishing sprinkle on a filet of beef that’s been placed into an air-tight bag and slowly cooked in butter and whiskey, sous vide-style, then lent a crispy sear in a pan.

Chef Adam Banks, who works for the catering firm on the Bravo show “Roble & Co.,” has a fondness for sea salt from the Philippines, but there’s a hitch: It’s unlikely the kitchen of the Titanic would have been able to procure salt from southeast Asia.

For the past year, Banks and partner Rob McCue, who appeared on “Hell’s Kitchen” Season 8, have been working on re-creating the last first-class dinner aboard the Titanic for what they call “a 21st-century class of diner.”

On Saturday, the 100th anniversary of the infamous shipwreck, they will cook up a seven-course meal at a sold-out event dubbed “Dine Titanic (41°North, 49°West).”

MORE: FINAL MEAL EATEN BY THE FIRST-CLASS

TITANIC EVENTS IN TOWN

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On the evening of April 14, 1912, the Titanic’s first-class passengers partook in a traditional Edwardian feast — think “Downton Abbey,” Season 1. The 11 elaborate courses kicked off with oysters and canapes, paraded through an array of succulent meats, and finished with Waldorf pudding and chocolate and vanilla eclairs. Many have re-created the dinner over the years, and this year more are joining them. On Tuesday, Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli of Brooklyn’s Prime Meats will host a sold-out black-tie-preferred dinner — from oysters to Waldorf pudding — in their old-school chop shop. But the “Dine Titanic” duo don’t plan to simply send out traditional renditions of the courses first-class passengers enjoyed, like salmon with mousseline sauce and cucumber. “People now, they need something more,” Banks says. “We’re changing the dishes while keeping the integrity, we’re not adding ras el hanout,” he adds, referring to the trendy Moroccan spice blend that most likely wasn’t aboard the ship.

While the chefs are secretive about their exact menu and preparations, some of the ingredients (steaks in the immersion circulator, packets of hydrocolloids laying about) give an idea of the modern techniques in store.

The cuisine won’t be the only element of surprise. While Banks and McCue fuss over the food, Jonathan Cristaldi, a 30-year-old food and wine p.r. guru who joined the Dine Titanic team in January, says a handful of performers will be part of the dinner, but the Manhattan location is being kept a secret. (Cristaldi has described the setting as “very appropriate and multi-tiered” — and possibly downtown, since the meal is being prepped at SoHo’s French Culinary Institute.) “Whenever there exists a bit of myth around a major historical event, we do our best to try to fill in the gaps. With the Titanic, we’ve always been a country fascinated with what the elite are up to. It’s our natural curiosity that asks, ‘What was it like?’ ” says Cristaldi.

Those lucky enough to score a ticket to the event (at a cost of $300, or $450 for VIPs) will receive a paper invitation in the mail designating a meeting spot. From there, a stranger will direct them. As Cristaldi, who gained acclaim last May for helping to orchestrate a lunch aboard the L train, explains: “I have this idea of trying to merge dinner with theatrical moments.”

If you want to create your own theatrical moment at home, check out the blog

thedragonskitchen.com, penned by Paula Costa, a 43-year-old computer systems analyst. “I’ve always been fascinated with the Titanic story and the romantic lore of it,” says Costa, who used the book, “Last Dinner on the Titanic,” as her guide. She spent $500 on groceries and 2 ½ days preparing the 11-course meal for eight guests. But, she says, it was worth it: “Everyone had a good time.”