We have several friends in our neighborhood and we like to get together occasionally for dinner and cocktails. It is a lot of work for one person to put on a dinner for three other couples, so several years ago someone suggested ‘why not a progressive dinner?’
We’ve been to progressive dinners at restaurants, you know, pile onto a mini bus and travel from one restaurant to another eating one course at each. They can be fun, but sometimes you feel a lot like cattle.
Having a progressive dinner at home is great. The only real requirement is you need at least two, preferably four houses within walking distance. I suppose you could drive between stops, but they would need to be relatively close.
We typically have 4 courses/stops. An appetizer, soup and/or salad, main course and dessert. Each location only need to prepare one course so the planing and prep is easy. Here’s a typical dinner we’ve had with an Italian theme (not all dishes were Italian, but they sound it when you use the Google translator).
Appetizer:
- Funghi Farciti (Stuffed Mushrooms)
- Smoked Bluefish with Dill Sauce
- Assorted Hot Hors d’Oeuvers
The First Course
- Minestrata del Lasagna (Lasagna Soup)
- Caesar Salad
- Cosmopolitan Cocktail
The Second Course
- Polo con Olio: Sautéed chicken, sun dried tomatoes, black olives & artichoke hearts over capellini
- Selection of Italian wines
Dessert:
- Pizzelles del cioccolato
- Wandies
- Bread Pudding w/ Bourbon Sauce
