www.facebook.com/CantinaElRayo

If you’re looking for a casual dining experience with elegant appeal, Cantina El Rayo on 85 York Street in Portland is the place for you.

Featuring Latin American and Mexican dishes, this up-and-coming restaurant hosts a variety of fun activities for customers to enjoy – such as this Sunday’s Tom Brady and Madonna Lookalike Contest to win a $50 gift card!

Cantina El Rayo also serves late night Happy Hour beverages from 10 p.m. – Midnight, including $5 Margaritas & Rum Daiquiris, $2 Bud, Sol, Tecate, and $3 Dos Equis Draft.

Visit Cantina El Rayo for a fun, exciting dining experience! And be sure to check out the restaurant Facebook page here!

Restaurant Week

Dozens of restaurants in the area will be participating, offering dinners at $20, $30, or $40 depending on the restaurant. At some, there will be $15 lunches available as well. By making meals more affordable, food fans will be able to try out a variety of dishes in many different restaurants.

Below is the list of participating restaurants in Portland:

Back Bay Grill, Corner Room Kitchen and Bar, David’s Monument Square, DISTRICT, Eve’s at the Garden, Farmer’s Table, Front Room Restaurant & Bar, Great Lost Bear, Grill Room & Bar, Gritty McDuff’s, Local 188, Porthole Restaurant, Ri Ra Irish Pub, Sonny’s, Twenty Milk Street, Walter’s, Zapoteca Restaurante Y Tequileria

For more information about Restaurant Week, visit www.mainerestaurantweek.com

photos from mainehomeandlifestyle.com

Portland Harbor Hotel’s famed Ice Bar is making its grand return in just a few short days, so get ready to try out all types of specialty martinis, wines, and beers in a unique setting!

With bars sculpted completely of ice, the Portland Harbor Hotel invites you to celebrate winter in a new way!

Inside the hotel, there will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment for guests to enjoy.

Tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets

This event is only open to ticket holders, so be sure to get yours early. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., January 26-28.

Don’t miss out on this creative and fun celebration!

And be sure to check out these videos of previous Ice Bars!

Ice Bar 2010
Ice Bar 2009

The Nonatum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine will serve brunch on four Sundays in October and November (October 9 & 16 and November 13 & 20, 2011) featuring the Matt Fogg Jazz Trio.

The picturesque setting overlooking the Kennebunk River is a wonderful spot to enjoy a great dining experience. The Sunday Jazz Brunch will run from 11am to 2pm at the Nonantum Resort, 95 Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport, Maine. Reservations Requested. Plated Brunch. Open to the Public.

FMI, please visit: http://www.nonantumresort.com/reservations-packages/upcoming-events

I’ve personally been to a number of these events, and the Gritty’s one in particular and it was wonderful. A great opportunity to enjoy different food and drink combos while meeting great people.

This is a very popular event – reserve your seat today! Note: Chamber of Commerce members get PROPEL pricing! To register please visit Propel Eats Registration – Gritty McDuff’s

This fabulous event will feature culinary creations from Greater Portland chefs from DiMillo’s, Nosh Kitchen Bar, The Salt Exchange, Figa, Zapoteca, The Porthole, and Hannaford. You’ll enjoy wonderful wines paired with each food item.

The event will feature a number of great packages available for bid through a silent auction, as well as culinary auction packages in a live auction format.  Local sponsors include; Wright Express, ProSearch, Martin’s Point Health Care, Native Maine Produce, Living Wealth Partners, and Maine Magazine.

One hundred percent of funds raised will directly serve the March of Dimes and their mission to help moms have full-term pregnancies and fund research to solve the problems that threaten the health of babies. The Maine Chapter of the March of Dimes funds over $600,000 in research, local community grants, NICU Family Support at Maine Medical Center, and education projects across the state.

Courtesy of PJBPhotographic.com

The folks from Nosh Kitchen Bar have delivered another awesome spin on the Portland food scene with Taco Escobarr at 548 Congress Street and their slogan (directly from the menu) “Beats Any Mexican in Portland” and I would have to agree from the overall atmosphere and surroundings to the food itself, that’s what you’re there for right?! The menu is pretty simple – tacos, burritos, or salad – with your choice of ingredients, toppings, sides, etc. At lunch I devoured the chicken burrito which was monsterous and certainly filling. Oh yes, and they do have a full bar that runs nearly the length of the interior with plenty of seating and space to check out on a Friday or Saturday night, or during lunch or happy hour any day of the week for that matter!

While in Taco Escobarr, a friend was sampling and photographing the culinary and artistic works of the establishment and provided his own thorough review of Taco Escobarr at his site PJBPhotgraphic.com. I would agree that the film posters adorning the bathroom provide the extra touch that makes the restaurant even more special. Enjoy!

Fans of the show are familiar with Zane Lamprey, co-host, who along with his drinking companion Steve visit various drinking establishments and restaurants across the country in sort of a road trip style approach, experiencing a variety of special drinks, local customs, and just have a heck of time doing what we all wish we could get paid to do for a living, drink and have a good time.

In following the crew, we understand they filmed at some well-known bars and restaurants, and even took in a brewery…..it is an educational show after all, right? This Thursday and Friday they made appearances at local favorite, The Great Lost Bear, which coupled with it’s 69 beers on tap and great atmosphere will represent Portland well on the show set to air this season. We will keep our eyes open here at ILovePortlandMaine.com on the Drinking Made Easy episode guide as to when the Portland, Maine episode will air.

Keeping a close eye on Twitter and Facebook, we discovered that filming also took place at Allagash Brewing Company, where they likely took a brewery tour of the facility and perhaps “sampled” Allagash Curieux that is aged in aged in bourbon barrels. Man, I think I need a beer now. After the trip to Allagash, Zane Lamprey and the crew visited Sonny’s on Exchange Street, Vignola on Dana Street, and Grace on Chestnut Street.

While I can understand making the visit to Allagash Brewery for the show, and stopping at Grace due to the character, charm, and fascination with drinking in a renovated and restored former church, I wonder about the details of the filming at Vignola. Don’t get me wrong, and my apologies to those employees, owners, and patrons of Vignola, but I pictured from my knowledge of the show that Drinking Made Easy would have preferred and made for better television a visit to Novare Res, Gritty’s, or Three Dollar Dewey’s….all great establishments, well-frequented by the locals who appreciate their beer, and would be your typical followers of the show.

Either way, we greatly appreciate Zane’s visit to Portland, Maine, and look forward to viewing the episode when it airs later this year. We’ll keep you posted. Until then, have a nice cold one to cool off this summer, it appears it will be a warm one again in Portland.

The new Sebago Brewing Company location will open Friday, May 27, at 11am. Again, come out and celebrate! That day, Sebago will be releasing their brand new Single Batch Series beer, Trekker Pale Ale, which is a “classic American pale ale. It is light bronze in color, with a moderate malt character up front that gives way to an increasing hop aroma with a clean dry finish”. Enjoy!