El Rayo, Portland's newest restaurant, is now open for business. We stopped in for lunch earlier today and as is the case with most restaurant openings in Portland, the place was packed. Every seat was filled and there was a line out the door the entire time we were there.
Housed in a former gas station located at 101 York Street, the restaurant is painted - inside and out - in vibrant colors. The atmosphere is casual and fun. Orders are taken at the counter and delivered
to the tables when ready. Non-alcoholic drinks are self serve from a dispenser in the corner. Paper napkins and plastic plates prevail, though there is "real" silverware. While the restaurant isn't air conditioned, there is a ceiling fan that cools the tiny restaurant adequately. The restaurant seats approximately 30 patrons. Those who opt for seating at the funky bar can watch the cooks at work in the open kitchen.
The menu features many typical Mexican items - quesadillas, tacos, burritos, nachos, sopas and enchiladas. The drink menu is diverse, featuring everything from Corona to margaritas to lime rickeys. On the day we dined, 
complimentary white Sangrias were served, which helped patrons forgive some of the service issues typical of most restaurant openings.
While the little guy and I snagged a table, my husband stood in line to place our order. He selected the Smoked Potato Fritters, a Chicken Burrito, two Fish Tacos and a couple of iced teas - which totaled just over $20. We waited about 15 minutes for the burrito and fish tacos to be delivered - the potato fritters (our appetizer) arrived about 10 minutes later.
The burrito was by far our favorite. Pulled chicken, marinated in citrus and cumin, was tender, moist and smothered with rice, cheese, black beans, avocado and sweet onions in a flour tortilla shell. Hot sauce was served on the side, though the burrito was flavorful enough that no condiments were needed.
For those seeking lighter fare, the fish tacos fit the bill. White corn soft taco shells were filled with chunks of Pollack, cilantro, veggie slaw, avocado and a creamy cheese sauce. Guacamole is an "extra" that can be ordered for a surcharge. El Rayo's version is better than most and definitely enhanced the tacos.
The potato fritters were rolled in crushed tortilla shells then deep fried. Served piping hot, they were surprisingly light and fluffy.
My husband and I both wanted to try dessert (especially the flan), but the line was simply too long. We vowed to return as soon as they start serving dinner (currently they are only serving lunch) to try more of the menu items. If the food on our next visit is as delicious as it was today, we will be frequent visitors to El Rayo.
Bottom line: El Rayo lived up to expectations, at long last bringing fantastic Mexican fare to Portland.
Friday, May 22, 2009
El Rayo Taqueria - Portland, Maine
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39 comments:
Huh...I have a nagging feeling that I was at El Rayo at the same time that you were because I distinctly remember a woman and her husband coming in with an adorable little baby in one of those carriers. Glad that TypeA's given it kudos, I'll be posting my thoughts soon too!
Sounds wonderful! Been waiting for some good Mexican in town. Did you happen to notice if there were any vegetarian options?
Yes, there were vegetarian options. In fact, I'm dying to go back for the Grilled Mushroom Quesadilla!
had a really good little taco-- bummed it was $4 and not $2.50. Coming frmo Chicago where 3 tacos with rice & beans is $5.95, it's hard not to dwell on price. pleased with the quality but would appreciate aggressive pricing.
Have you ever been to Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill near the Mall? the Finally was 3 years ago. Only place that makes their own tortillas
Usually before eating authentic mexican food or any authentic middle american food for that matter i have that beautiful feeling of anticipated enjoyment, and I had that feeling before trying El Rayo, then the feeling was quickly lost when I opened my togo container...and even more so after taking a bite.
The food is good for sure, just not what I long for in this town. Not to be redundant with posting, but the pricing strategy seems skewed, what amounted to be $10 (inlcuded $1 and change takeout tip) got me 2 small tacos...SMALL tacos on what were clearly purchased corn torillas! Personally I would have eaten at minimum 3 in hindsight. So tacos for me would be a $12-$15 venture...I would expect to pay $6-$8 for 3 tacos the size I received.
I saw a few Burritos roll out, the proportions looked better for the price (~$7)...perhaps i'll try the burrito next time.
Long story short, El Rayo will do well in this town no doubt, in short...it's overpriced gourmet high quality mexican food.
My husband and I went there last saturday. I had been so excited about ordering and really was set to enjoy my meal. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. I ordered two ground beef tacos and felt I could eat another four before I would be full. They weren't bad, but weren't anything special. My husband ordered the chicken burrito which he didn't finish because of the odd fruit flavor which we both didn't like. The fresh salsa also had a fruity after taste to it. I was hoping for a more authentic mexican flavor, unfortunately our food tasted like it was trying to be gourmet, and lost sight of how authentic mexican food tastes. I agree that Portland will love this place but if your looking for true mexican i'd look elsewhere.
I really wanted to love it, but I didn't. I noticed the weird fruity taste....almost fruity in a fermenting way. This is definitely NOT authentic, and I felt completely ripped off. I could get 4 tacos in San diego for the price of one here.
Yeah, the portobello taco was a bit of a joke, although the similar burrito wasn't as bad, but nothing authentic here. Thankfully I'm visiting LA again soon and will be indulging in endless Mexican culinary debauchery.
Yeah, Mexican culinary debauchery!!!
Went there are lunch time today with some co-workers. The place is a disaster. We waited 45 minutes - no joke - for takeout burritos. I'm generally pretty patient, but it was insulting.
The burrito was good. Nothing to rave about, but I'll go back if they can manage to get their act together in the kitchen. Gordon Ramsay, where are you????
waited 45 minutes. ordered 2 chicken burritos one comes with guacamole and think they ran out and put none in mine. other options in downtown than to walk to a location out of town if your happen to drive by and there is no crowd then stop beware of how long it takes to get your order
I haven't been to there yet but i think you all should give them a minute to settle in and get into a groove.
After much anticipation my wife and I went to el Rayo this weekend. I ordered two tacos. The pescado and al carbon. Both were solid tacos but the fish taco was amazing. Like other comments on this entry, I found the taco value equation pretty whack. $3.75 and $3.95 is REALLY expensive for these small tacos. Yes, they are well done but they aren't that premium. $8+ together and still hungry. Something needs to change. I'd expect to pay $2.75 and $2.95 at most for those tacos.
My wife decided on the Verduras burrito which had portabello mushrooms, carmelized onions, cheese, peppers, salsa, etc. This burrito was excellent and much more reasonable at $6.25. It was a healthy portion, what you would expect.
Granted there is probably a better margin with the burrito than a taco per unit but with this balance in prices it won't take long before people catch on and just order burritos.
Atmosphere is great, the interior is fun and well done. All kinds of little details.
Already disappointed and haven't even been there yet. When I saw it was coming, I was hoping for some real Mexican food (for a change). Why are there only these Tex-Mex places around here? I lived in Mexico for over 5 years and NEVER saw a ground beef taco - that's not Mexican - beef is always shredded, not ground. Does this place offer enchiladas?
The closest I've come to finding a real Mexican restaurant is in Kittery at Loco Coco's. If you haven't been there, try it. It's not perfect but it's good. And they have several different salsas too. One good way to judge a Mexican restaurant is by its salsa.
No "gourmet" Mexican for me! (isn't that an oxymoron, anyways???)
Ate there for lunch today and thought the food was good...but have to agree with other comments: tacos overpriced and authenticity was not there. Good service though! I will go back, prob get a burrito...but not as often as I would with different pricing.
Yes, tacos are pricey, but the fish ones rocked--best in Portland. Great chips & guac and the potato fritters were tasty as well. I was hoping they'd have refried beans, but they only do black. The line was out the door, but service was fast. We'll be back...
I finally tried it today. I had a chicken burrito which was tasteless except for one spot in the middle. It tasted like one gob of salsa was put on one spot in the middle and the rest had none. Based on today's limited test, I'll probably wait a while before trying it again.
Was there today and found the experience completely disappointing. The food was overpriced and underwhelming. Everything was just terribly bland. There was virtually no sauce, salsa or cheese on our food. The staff of 7-8 people couldn't seem to get a handle on ANYTHING. The only reason the line was out the door (at the time I was there) was because the staff moved so dreadfully slowly. Will not repeat.
When the restaurant opened, people showed up in droves which clearly shows there's a big market for Mexican food in Portland. Hopefully they get their pricing and quality issues fixed or they'll be just another failed attempt at providing mediocre and above Mexican food.
overpriced. very long wait. ok food.
We ordered out there and found it to be taco-bellish. By far Costa Vida is MUCH better. Sorry guys - maybe after you hone your skills a bit. It was mediocre at best and very overpriced for what you get.
Was totally stoked for this restaurant and now may not even show up. Is "Carne Asada" even on the menu. The menu will let you know as you pass the threshold if your gonna get Mexican or Fexican. I've spent many days in SD and Mexico dreaming this food will make it here to my home state. However Hispanics are the fastest growing population currently so hopefully mom and dad pass on those tasty secret traditions and in another decade we'll be smiling.
I found the food to be very good. Spent time in Mexico and SD and this was as authentic as I've seen. Try the grilled corn on the cob. Pork Burrito was excellent, chargrilled chicken was tasty as well.
Every restaurant has growing pains. Give them a break! Tacos may be a little overpriced, and the Americano (ground beef) is on the menu for kids who want to have nothing but what they eat at home. Fish and others taste authentic and delicious.
Go back and try again!
I grew up in Arizona and I long for authentic Mexican food. When Granny's Burritos opened up I was so happy to go try it out, but my to my dismay, it was "gourmet" burritos. I have spent a lot of time in Mexico as well. I just wish someone would open a restaurant with authentic Mexican food. I think I'm going to pass on this place based on what I've read and heard. I just want a good ole fashioned taco or burrito and I don't want to pay 7 bucks for it. I wish them all the success in the world, but I'll wait for an authentic Mexican food place. I actually like the food at upstairs Amigos. It's not perfect, but it's more authentic than anything else here in Portland that I've discovered so far.
It's not Mexican but a good alternative is Tu Casa on Washington Street, serving San Salvadorean food. There's about 10 tables and they do a lot of takeout. The food is good, authentic and the price is right.
I don't recall the sign saying "Mexican Taqeruia"- A well followed blogger put it well when She said to me that she too thought it was "Unfortunate that there is such an emphasism on Authenticity when authenticity should driven by the location of the restaurant."- I agree, and I think that if people want MExican, go to Mexico. Otherwise, eat the food for the flavor, enjoy the ambiance for what it is, and stop obsessing over wether or not it is "Real" mexican.
What a bunch of nonsense. Of course, a Taqueria (note the correct spelling) should draw from Mexico (or whatever locale it seeks to invoke) for influence in terms of flavor, etc. Hiding behind the "location of the restaurant" argument is a pretty weak way to try to explain away the poor job this place has done.
Hey- for a town that wants Local and Organic and Sustainable etc etc, you can't complain to much about Foreign authenticity....
I didn't see anything in the reviews that was related to using local products. Many comments were related to the price of tacos. Several talked about fruity flavors. Maine doesn't grow fruit, especially this time of year, so that isn't related to the use of local products. Some comments were related to lack of flavor, especially spices, which also aren't grown in Maine. Other comments concerned long waits and slow service. I agree with a previous comment that hiding behind "location of the restaurant" argument is pretty weak way to try to explain away a poor job in launching this restaurant.
I don't see where any of the comments can be related to using locally grown food. Many of the comments complained about the price of tacos. Some comments complained about slow service. Some comments complained about a fruity taste in some of the food but Maine doesn't grow any fruit this time of year. Some comments complained about lack of taste or spice and Maine doesn't really grow spices this time of year except maybe cilantro and that should taste the same. So blaming lack of authenticity on using local produce is a bogus arguement.
Got the carne taco -- tasted fine, but nothing to write home about. Girlfriend got a pork quesadilla. Again, taste was OK but slightly bland. Prices too high for a simple taco; also, unlike most any Tex-Mex places, they make you pay for chips and salsa...
Drink prices are also pretty high ($8 margarita???)
Wanted this to be a fun and tasy dinner. Turned out to be confusing to order, way to crammed inside, pricet, and my lime rickey was way too sour. (I used to make these for a living). My girls don't want to go back.
I was born and raised in Mexico and have lived in Maine for almost 10 years now -- this is the ONLY place in town with authentic Mexican food, period. The food in excellent but it's too expensive.
Good but expensive, small portions for what you get. The tacos are very small and the price very high. They should some some reasonable lunch deals and what is a Medican restaurant without the churros?
The food was delicious, although it wasnt really authentic. Tacos al pastor are nothing like they serve them there, the meat is actually red and has a different taste altogether - and I would know that being a native of Mexico city. The tacos al pastor at El Rayo tasted more like carnitas. Also, the tacos were very small - kind of a rip off for almost $4. The whole concept of tacos, is that is a cheap meal and you get several of them, they should cost $1 or $1.50 max. And last, if you're going to have a menu in Spanish, you have to put someone who actually speaks and understands it taking the orders.
Not impressed whatsoever! I had 2 flavorless tacos on flavorless corn tortillas with not much filling in them at all! My companion had a steak burrito which seemed unseasoned. Quite disappointing. No return visit for me nor would I recommend to friends. Sorry! Can make better Mexican inspired food right at home.
The first time my daughter and I went it was worth the wait. (35 minutes)We both had chicken burritos and were quite pleasd. Something has to be done with the seating. To wait that long and to have to stand and try to grab somebodys seat from the picnic table reminded me of trying to snag a parking spot at the Maine Mall at Christmas. The second time I went was for a take out. The gray haired owner could barely speak to me when I placd my order. Very unfriendly. Orderd a pork burrito and slice of key lime pie. Was very disappointed in the portion of the pie. No bigger then a half dollar. Needless to say I will not hurry back. Give me bck Granny Burritos!!!!!
I went last Saturday...anyone mildly interested should try it at least once- especially while the weather is warm (some outdoor seating to diffuse the crowds). It is not authentic but I expected the creative twist and enjoyed it. Menu is so a la carte that you can easily keep your spending under control. Had already done deck beers around Portland so didn't partake in the wonderful libation menu but will next time! Fun, very casual- maybe I hit it lucky on food and service...but I will go back. Get the corn cob with the coating. Yes that owner can be grumpy but maybe she was filling in for the younger, very pleasant staff that day.....
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