DineInPortland.com: In-depth Restaurant Reviews for Portland, Maine.

Nosh Kitchen Bar (located at 551 Congress Street, Portland, Maine) is - hands down - one of the best new restaurants to open in Portland. The blogosphere has been raving about Nosh for quite a while; perhaps my rant will have its place. In the past ten days I have been to Nosh three times; ironically my first impression was that I would not be coming back.

Restaurant Week 2010 (Maine Restaurant Week) is one of my favorite events in Portland. It is an opportunity to experience new restaurants, re-visit old ones, and experience those that I know well in a different way. In my eyes, the restaurants that do best are those that treat Restaurant Week in a special way and find ways to showcase their talents in menu items that are extraordinary. Maine Restaurant Week is a platform for raising awareness, generating business, and experimenting with dishes.  Hence, I try to look for places that offer menu choices that may not be available year round.

El Rayo Taqueria (Portland, Maine) has been an easy choice for a mid-week meal.  Location, simple parking, good beer, and a relaxing atmosphere are certainly part of that decision.  They have had their ups and downs and now - possibly - El Rayo has attained some level of stability.  Not great, but at least a solid option for a meal.

Maine Restaurant Week  2010 is coming to Portland! I can't wait. It starts March 1st, 2010, and goes on through March 10th, 2010. The Restaurant Week tradition may have started in New York during the early 1990's as a way to celebrate and promote local restaurants. It now appears in many cities (San Diego, New York, Portsmouth, Washington DC, Boston, Los Angeles, Denver, Portland, and many more) as a way for chefs to showcase their creations.  Maine Restaurant Week.

The Grill Room (located at 84 Exchange Street Portland) is a meat house not to be missed.  My last visit, also my first, was just a few weeks ago.  During that food binge I decided to visit all three of Harding Lee Smith's restaurants in Portland.