The Last Night On the Titanic, Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, & Style
Review by Annette Dixon
Annette Dixon & Veronica Hinke
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The Book Cover
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Platters of Food
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Platters of Food
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In the heart of downtown Chicago, near Millennium Park on Michigan Avenue is an elegant restaurant, called The Gage, where the event was hosted. A re-enactment of an elegant function, with drinks and food that took place at The Gage, replicated the last night on The Titanic. This experience was the dream of author Veronica Hinke, who lived her life studying and meeting with survivors’ relatives and receiving pictures, letters and memorabilia.
Within her book, you can tell that she worked her whole life on this novel, not only by the accurate information she received and footnoted, but by speaking with survivors’ relatives. She maintains that the Last Night’s dinner on the Titanic is also accurate from the findings of the menu and the accounts of the staff, and Chefs from Waldorf Astoria and the Astor Hotel in New York City. This is a must-read book even if you are a history buff and know all there is too know about the Titanic. You will never see this compilation of who’s who on the ship and the differences between classes on this ship and the last night’s drinks, dinner, and partying. |
In August of 1987, about 453 miles south of Newfoundland, a chain was found with a large gold nugget hanging separately and two smaller gold nuggets on each end of the chain, no one could identify it, but it’s believed to belong to James Brown, the miner’s wife. Unsinkable Molly Brown, born 1867, who was on board the Titanic did a lot of entertaining and traveling after her separation in 1909. There were no confirmed knowledge of Margaret’s recipe’s but her niece Dolly
Brown recalled that she liked a Miner’s Casserole, which was served on 2nd class lunch on April 11 and 12 and may have been served as the last lunch on the Titanic in second class April 14. In this book Ms. Hinke wrote about those distinction of the classes, for example two special suites were booked by financier J.P. Morgan, but he ended up not sailing, the other suite was booked by Charlotte Drake Cardeza of Germantown in Philadelphia, with her son, Thomas and staff, they survived. The cost of one suite in 1912 was $4,350 which today would be $260,000. When passengers first boarded the Titanic, the passage had the Tier number on it, therefore your tier classified your status and which meals would be served on that Tier. |
We were introduced to Executive Chef Chris Gawronski and pastry Chef Greg Mosko who managed to put the food together for our intimate group. The pictures indicate various food served by the chefs at The Gage. My favorite was the Scotch Eggs that are permanently on the restaurant menu. “First Officer Murdock would have been accustomed to the Scotch Egg for a Scotch Egg is a hard-boiled egg, encased in a coating of sausage such as nduja, then rolled in breadcrumbs
and baked in the oven or fried in deep fryer. It dates back to the 1700’s and makes a delicious bar snack with a bit of mixed greens and a lovely mustard vinaigrette.” This book holds the secrets of cocktails and food recipes, distinction of passenger’s class and how much they paid for their passage, facts and dates of those who survived and all who perished. Thanks to Veronica Hinke’s interest in the RMS Titanic, the greatest ship on sea, before April 15, 1912. Order your copy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or follow Veronica on Twitter:@FOODSTRINGER |