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  • #1

    Progressive Dinner



    Last week my food blog TastyIslandHawaii.com was featured, along with AkuEats.com and BakersHours.com in The Honolulu Advertiser's TGIF section for a cover story on Progressive Dinners.

    Contributing to the story was Mari Taketa, Martha Cheng, and Kawehi Haug, the Advertiser’s Entertainment Editor.

    Never heard of a "Progressive Dinner"? Neither have I! In fact, approximately 9 of 10 people I asked if they heard of it, including folks from the mainland, said they never heard of a "Progressive Dinner".

    Kawehi Haug explains it as “A social trend in the 1970s and ’80s, progressive dinners were essentially mobile potlucks. A group of eaters would go from home to home, with homeowners preparing and hosting different courses of a meal.”

    Oh, ok, Potluck, yeah, everyone in Hawaii knows that! This is just that with a mobile twist.

    So for example you and two or more neighbors would get together at one of their homes for pupus (appetizers), then come to your home for the main entree, and then all of you would go to another neighbor's home for dessert.

    In the case with The Advertiser TGIF cover story, instead of going to folks homes, we were asked to choose restaurants for each course that adhered to a specific THEME.

    The Progressive Dinner theme could be anything such as area (Kalihi, Koreamoku, Waikiki, Waialae avenue, Waianae, Waimanalo), cuisine (Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Soul), food type (fried, baked, steamed, BBQ, raw), or caliber (cheap, street, hole-in-the-wall, bust out the credit card).

    For my theme, I chose "A Progressive Dinner on Waikiki Beach", which I knew wasn't going to be entirely original, yet I still felt confident in my choices. Those choices were Duke's Waikiki on the Beach for pupus on Sunday afternoon with Henry Kapono, Ocean House in another Outrigger hotel on the beach just a walk away for fantastic seafood dishes as the main entree, and Michel's in the Colony Surf at the foot of Diamond Head for dessert, noting their AMAZING Pineapple Lilikoi Mac' Nut Cheesecake.

    Ironically, Stanley Ehara of AkuEats.com also chose Waikiki as his theme, except his was a "walkthrough", and not specifically on the beach.

    Also ironically, Edward Morita of BakersHours.com also chose Michel's as his choice for dessert! Ha ha!

    Which has me thinking that I wish I had chosen a more off-the-beaten-path area such as Kalihi or Waialae avenue. Or perhaps a lunchwagon or okazuya theme.

    The question I have for all you HT foodies is, if you were asked to organize a Progressive Dinner, what theme would you choose and which restaurants would YOU pick?!!!
    sigpic The Tasty Island
    Tags: eating out
  • #2
    Re: Progressive Dinner

    Would I date myself if I said I knew all about progressive dinners? I haven't done one in years. California style was to go from friends' home to friends' home in a big caravan. Each home did a different course. Never have done one at a restaurant(s).
    Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

    People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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    • #3
      Re: Progressive Dinner

      I've done another version of "progressive" dinners. I belonged to a gourmet dining group. Each month, the host would pick a theme & recipes and would be responsible for all the cooking. The guest/other members would be responsible for the groceries. It had to be something that didn't require a lot of long prep work because the groceries would arrive when your guests did. But, it always worked out and it was always an adventure. The adventure was because it had to be an entree that we had never cooked before! Then we would all go out to the neighborhood bars to finish the evening!
      "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
      – Sydney J. Harris

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      • #4
        Re: Progressive Dinner

        I vaguely remember progressive dinners, maybe because I never actually participated in one. But I seem to remember a bunch of my former co-workers organizing one for one of our Christmas parties. Everyone would go to one person’s house for appetizers, then on to another person’s house for the main course, then to a third person’s house for dessert. I thought that was crazy.

        Going to restaurants sounds a lot easier. If you’re looking for a theme, how about pupu only? Actually, come to think of it, I used to do a lot of that during my younger days. Only thing is, we used to call it bar hopping (progressive drinking?)

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        • #5
          Re: Progressive Dinner

          Progressive dinners have been a standard social activity in evangelical churches for some time, 'though not as much nowadays as, say, ten years ago (yes, the church tends to be behind the times by about a decade, so I suppose things take longer to fade away from favor).

          The last progressive dinner I participated in involved campus ministries at UH-M. Almost anyone familiar with the University area knows that the Wesley Foundation's building is right on University Avenue, across the street from the architecture building. That was one of our stops. We started, however, at the slightly less-visible Baptist Student Center (on Vancouver Drive) for appetizers, then headed (in order, as near as I remember) to the Wesley Foundation, the Canterbury House, and the Newman Center (there may have been one other stop before Newman, but it escapes me). It was fun, mostly.
          But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
          GrouchyTeacher.com

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          • #6
            Re: Progressive Dinner

            Originally posted by scrivener View Post
            Progressive dinners have been a standard social activity in evangelical churches for some time, 'though not as much nowadays as, say, ten years ago (yes, the church tends to be behind the times by about a decade, so I suppose things take longer to fade away from favor).
            That timeline sounds about right. The progressive dinner thing (at least the one I vaguely remember) was from the late 70’s and into the 80’s. I think it faded away because it was such a logistic nightmare to go from one house to another, especially if one house is in Hawaii Kai and another in Kaneohe, etc.

            The progressive dinner you describe makes a lot more sense. I’m familiar with that area (Wesley Foundation, Baptist Student Center), and that kind of dinner sounds like it would be fun.

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            • #7
              Re: Progressive Dinner

              Originally posted by Pomai View Post
              The question I have for all you HT foodies is, if you were asked to organize a Progressive Dinner, what theme would you choose and which restaurants would YOU pick?!!!
              I guess I would suggest going to the Ala Moana Shopping Center, mainly because there is lots of parking and lots of buses passes through it and it is about the right size to walk around with in it to go to the various places as well having two seperate large eating areas. The Food Court for the budget minded and the 4th floor for the more up scale eating and drinking.

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              • #8
                Re: Progressive Dinner

                Scriv's UH campus theme is certainly original! I heard Teddy's Bigger Burgers is opening a location in or around here. Anyone here the latest scoops on that?

                Anapuni, honestly I'm not so fond of the concept of being the cook while someone else does the grocery shopping, but hey, it does indeed sound challenging!

                Honoruru, Roy's is all about the Pupu (appetizer) menu. We find the best way to dine there is to order a bunch of pupus as the appetizer and main entree. But, oh yeah, Roy's makes a killer Chocolate Soufflé ooey-gooey onolicious dessert too, just to name a few!

                Matapule, Duke's and Ocean House are pretty much within walking distance (at least I think it is), but not Michel's, which would require a cab or drive there from Ocean House, particularly for the wahines who might be wearing high heels.

                I'd like to see someone do a Progressive Dinner where you have your appetizer in Waimanalo, main entree in Waianae and your dessert on Waialae avenue, which would be themed as "Oahu's W's". Sounds impossible if you ask me. lol
                Last edited by Pomai; April 25, 2010, 08:37 PM.
                sigpic The Tasty Island

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                • #9
                  Re: Progressive Dinner

                  Originally posted by Pomai View Post
                  I heard Teddy's Bigger Burgers is opening a location in or around here. Anyone here the latest scoops on that?
                  Do you mean the one on Beretania next to the Japanese Cultural Center? I just rode by there yesterday, they've got a sign up but I can't remember if it gave any opening date.

                  Maybe it's just my lack of experience, but the progressive dinner seems like an awful lot of work, going from place to place, waiting for everyone to finish off before you can head to the next course. But then I'm the sort who likes to find a spot and stay there most the night.
                  Four Thousand Miles (blog) | MacRatLove (comic)
                  Better Holes and Garbage (rats) | Perfectly Inadequate (music)

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                  • #10
                    Re: Progressive Dinner

                    Originally posted by Pomai View Post
                    Anapuni, honestly I'm not so fond of the concept of being the cook while someone else does the grocery shopping, but hey, it does indeed sound challenging!
                    Ah, but we all loved to cook! and the cook provided the grocery lists so there was no problem. We were very, very detailed with our lists, including the wines - and never had any problems. and this way, the cost of the dinner wasn't all on the host.

                    and yes, it was challenging!
                    Last edited by anapuni808; April 25, 2010, 09:24 PM.
                    "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
                    – Sydney J. Harris

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