3rd annual Portland Lobster Fest.  Join Maine Governor Paul LePage, the Winner of Survivor, Bob Crowley and Miss Maine USA Ashley Marble as they judge the lobster eating contest at 1:00pm.

Proceeds benefit Maine Children's Cancer Program.

Rain or shine - Maine State Pier, Portland Maine. June 25 11:00am

Buy Tickets Here:  http://portlandlobsterfest.com

I put together an unofficial map of restaurants participating in Maine Resturant Week March 1-12, 2011. If you know of any I missed please email me.

View Maine Restaurant Week 2011 in a larger map

Infused Skyy Vodka Tasting October 27 at The Salt Exchange

The Salt Exchange will host a tasting of naturally infused Skyy vodkas for a fun and casual Happy Hour on Wednesday, October 27, from 5-7 p.m. The tasting is $10 per person; reservations are not required for this 21+ event, which will feature specialty cocktails.

The focus of the tasting will be on the ginger, pineapple, passionfruit and raspberry vodkas made by Skyy Vodka. The Salt Exchange kitchen will present specially prepared, off-menu bites to accompany the Infused Skyy Vodka Tasting.

Future scheduled tastings include Scotch on November 24 and brandy and cognac in December.

The Salt Exchange is known for artfully prepared dishes using locally sourced seasonal ingredients. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday; the lunch menu features soups, salads and sandwiches as well as a popular business express lunch. In the evening, the restaurant serves a bar menu in addition to an a la carte dinner menu. The a la carte menu opens with small bites and includes options from a series of cold and hot plates to encourage diners to taste their way through the menu with three to five courses.

The Salt Exchange offers free parking on Commercial St.; the restaurant is located at 245 Commercial St. The restaurant also functions as a gallery, featuring a different artist’s work quarterly. For more information about the restaurant, the artists involved and to see current menus, visit www.thesaltexchange.net or call 207-347-5687

Pumpkinhead Festival Weekend in Eliot October 29-30
Fundraiser for the Maine Cancer Foundation
ELIOT, Maine – Pumpkinhead Festival Weekend October 29-30, held at the Regatta Banquet & Conference Center in Eliot, features two days of Halloween and pumpkin filled fun. The weekend schedule of activities includes a Friday night five-course beer dinner featuring Shipyard Brewing Company’s fine ales, a family-friendly festival with scarecrow building, pumpkin tosses and a costume parade as well as a chef cook-off competition Saturday afternoon and an adult Halloween party with a costume contest and live music Saturday night. Proceeds from the Pumpkinhead Festival Weekend will benefit Maine Cancer Foundation.  

All events will be held at the Regatta Banquet & Conference Center, located at 28 Levesque Drive (Route 236) in Eliot.

On Friday, October 29, the Regatta will host a fun and interactive Hops and Harvest Beer Dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy a five-course harvest menu expertly paired with some of Shipyard’s award-winning brews.  Trade brewer Bruce Elam will talk about the beers, the brewing process, and the ingredients. The dinner and beer pairing is $35; seating is limited, reservations are accepted in person at the Shipyard Brew Pub (located next to the Regatta) or through calling (207) 351-4623.

On Saturday, October 30, the Pumpkinhead Family Fun Festival will run from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Children and adults will enjoy live music, entertainment, food, and activities including a pumpkin hurling contest, cookie decorating, scarecrow building, and pumpkin painting. Musician Dan Blakeslee will entertain the crowd with his humorous and spooky Halloween songs. Children are encouraged to come in costume for a costume parade at 12:15 p.m. This is free and open to the public.

Beginning at 1:00 p.m. the Chefs’ Pumpkinhead Cook-Off will have chefs from the region competing to create enticing appetizers, entrees, and desserts featuring the great flavors of either pumpkins or Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Sampling is encouraged, attendees will vote for their favorite. The Regatta’s own kitchen will also provide delicious tastes of pumpkin foods ranging from savory to sweet and just in time for ordering for the holidays.   Entry to the cook-off is by a suggested donation of $10, in support of Maine Cancer Foundation.

Knowing that Halloween isn’t just for kids, on Saturday evening, beginning at 7 p.m., Shipyard will host a Halloween Party featuring the Beatles Tribute Band All Together Now at the Regatta Banquet & Conference Center.  There will be prizes awarded for the best costumes.  Call (207) 351-4623 for tickets or purchase them in person at the Shipyard Brew Pub.

Halloween will be celebrated all week long; the Shipyard Brew Pub will host a series of Halloween-related activities beginning Monday, October 25, including Halloween trivia and horror movies chosen by pub votes. A full list of activities leading up to the Pumpkinhead Weekend Festival is available online at www.regattaroom.com.

For those of us who bid adieu to the blur of flowing beer, long lines and loud music of fraternity parties, the Maine Brewers Festival was a chance to relive those days.

After paying the $30 ticket fee to get in on Saturday’s Happy Hour, I was handed a small glass and a handful of beer tickets.  I entered the Portland Expo Center and was greeted by 2,100 other people who thought bright lights and long lines for beer and bathrooms sounded like a good idea.