Progressive Dinner Suggestions

Hey all!
I'm planning a progressive dinner on Sunday (tommorow) to celebrate several September birthdays. I've got three potential routes but cant decide which to go with. It being a Sunday makes things slightly more complicated because so many places are closed... In a perfect world we would make it to quite a few restaurants for cocktails and apps, however i'll be happy if we make it to at least three with everyone still in tow .

1) Downtown: Proof, the new Sapporo, Mortons, z's fusion, brownings, seelbach for drinks
2) Frankfort Ave: Basa, Bourbons, El Mundo, Porcini, Varanese, North End, Irish Rover
3) Bardstown: Asiatique, Cafe LouLou, Avalon, Jack Frys, DKD, Dittos
Any suggestions?

[Robin Garr]

A lot of those look really good, Madi! Did you decide against 732 Social? Or is it closed on Sunday? Speaking of NuLu, I really like Wiltshire on Market, too, but d'oh, maybe it's closed on Sunday, too.

Morton's, in my opinion, isn't up to the others - and it is, after all, a ch- ch- chain.

Robin,
We are limited because of the Sunday factor... Social and Wiltshire are both closed. So is Mayan Cafe, The White Oak, The Blind Pig, Rivue, Vincenzo's, Jeff Rubys... trust me I checked!
As for the ch-ch-ch-chain, they have drink specials at the bar and I hate to miss a happy hour!

No but really the point of this excursion is for us to make lots of stops at places where we dont usually hang out. That's why, even though i love all those restaurants, I'd rather stay off of bardstown rd because thats where we usually hang. If a ch ch chain slips in, well so be it. There are local servers and bartenders there that will be happy to take care of us and benefit from our business and thats good enough for me!

I got you on this:

Why not play into each of the triad? Each of these selections are open for dinner and I chose the last to get you as close to home as I guess. All are open, according to thier websites.

Proof = Appertivos and Charcuterie. Spice and flourish to set the mind...

Varanese = All-around goodness and the beauty of al fresco dining in fall. Try to be there for sunset! They give a discount on apps for industry types- small plates?

Asiatique = The cool evening mirrors the restrained, eloquent flavors of the chefs.

From experience... keep it to three!

[Robin Garr]

Madi, it sounds to me as if you're on a roll! Hit Morton's for the drinks, but leave room for a sip at the bar Proof!

Your plan does sound good to me, although Stephen's advice is worth listening to as well, even the part about "hold it to three." Or four, anyway.

I've always wanted to put one of these together. Query - do you just pop in each one and hope to get a seat at the bar, or do you make staggered reservations at each place?

We had one hell of a progressive dinner planned on Sat., but 732 Social put a quick end to the evening. The original plan was Proof, Social, Rover, Volare, and Jack's. We had our food selections made before we left the house. We had a couple drinks and fries at Proof, then moved on to Social. This is where the evening took a twist. We grabbed a couple seats at the bar and we immediately served a tomato/watermelon salad ("here try this"), followed by ratatouille, followed by short ribs, followed by hanger steak and yellowtail nigiri. I have never been so full in my life. Top that food with 4 or so cocktail and bed is looking very good. We did manage to make it to Jack's for a S'more and a nightcap.

Awesome!