Houston eatery serves up 'Titanic' feast

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HOUSTON, April 15 (UPI) -- Foodies and history buffs remembered the Titanic this weekend at a Houston restaurant that recreated the last meal served to the ship's first-class passengers.

The Cullen's Titanic Experience offered a 10-course banquet featuring the actual menu, which was packed with rack of lamb, poached salmon, squab and fillet medallions. The feast was topped off by Waldorf pudding and a course of Texas cheeses.

"The amount of silverware, china and glassware required for this sort of meal is incredible," Executive Chef Paul Lewis noted. "It just shows how much people indulged themselves during that time."

The tab was also on the opulent side. Cullen's said in a written statement the cost for 12 people was $12,000, which included a $1,000 donation to the Houston Museum of Natural History.

Lewis said the scope of the meal reflected the custom of the times, which was to make dinner stretch out for hours because "people really didn't have anything else to do."

"Our lives are so busy today that we just don't have the time to sit, talk with our family and friends, and enjoy wonderful food for hours at a time," Lewis said. "But back then, they did it every day."