Lafleur

On a quick trip into Montreal, Richard and I decided to stop at the iconic Lafleur -- a chain of fast food restaurants -- this one right off the Highway 20 in Ville St. Pierre.

We split a medium and it was full of curds and pretty yummy. Richard wasn't fussy on the fries. He thought they were just too darn soft.

We both loved the gravy and the ample curd coverage. I'm guessing a solid 4 out of five curds. I might even be tempted to give it a 4.5 out of 5!


To find a Lafleur near you: http://restolafleur.com/

Poutine pros spar on Canada's gravy-soaked battlefields

More about poutine in today's Globe and Mail. To read the latest on our favourite food, click here.

Restaurant Ma-am-m Bolduc

A review from poutine connoisseur Brendan W. Thanks Brendan!


A couple weeks ago five friends and I went to Montreal to enjoy the nightlife. I, being the poutine connoisseur that I am, decided to look up "the best poutine in Montreal" prior to leaving. According to various websites Ma'am Bolduc held this distinction. It is a small cafe style restaurant with an outdoor seating section, though it was rainy so we had to sit inside. It was extremely busy; we were lucky to scoop up the last open table. 
We all ordered the traditional poutine, the women all ordered the small poutine but despite the waiter's warning me and the other guy in the group, we ordered the large. We waited a very, very long time for our food, but given how busy the restaurant was we were patient. And it was well worth the wait and only $9 for the large. 
I have eaten many poutine in my day and that was by far the best poutine I've ever eaten! And the others all agreed. The fries were fresh cut, crispy and hot with a bit of skin still on them. The gravy was perfectly seasoned, hot and in good supply. And the cheese curds were fresh, squeeky and plentiful.
I give this poutine 5 cheese curds out of 5! Absolutely perfect. Note : The poutine in the attached picture already has a few bites missing, it looked even better when it first came out.  

Restaurant MA-Am-M Bolduc, 4351-4355, Avenue De Lorimier,Montreal, QC H3H 2B3
Phone: 514-527-3884
Website: maammbolduc.com

Louis' Restaurant

A few weeks back found us in Chesterville, shopping for trees. Since we were early, we decided to stop at Louis' Restaurant on the main drag.

We ordered the poutine, natch, and it came nice and hot.

 Unfortunately, there were no curds but shredded mozzarella. What's with that?

In order that we don't die prematurely from an overdose of poutine this summer, we "tasted" the poutine and split a lovely Greek salad.

The poutine was okay. But rules are rules. You lose one full curd for lack of real curds. Overall, this poutine rated a 3.5 out of a possible 5 curds. Not bad. Fabulous plates though!


Louis' Restaurant, 1 King Street, Chesterville, Ontario  K0C 1H0
Phone: 613-448-2051

Sign the "Poutition" Today!

It's time to make poutine Canada's national dish! Sign the "poutition" at poutition.ca today!

Sign the "Poutition"

To celebrate Canadian's favourite food, Wendy’s Canada is encouraging Canadians to visit Poutition.ca or Wendy’s Canada Facebook page to sign the online “poutition” to make POUTINE Canada’s national dish. Once 100,000 signatures are received, the “poutition” will be submitted to Parliament for consideration.

To read more about the idea, click here.

Vert Fourchette & Mary's Fine Foods

Thanks to Natalie and Gordon for this review.

Keep 'em coming people!

We always enjoy eating at Vert Fourchette, but until last weekend, I had never tried their poutine, a relatively new item on their menu.

And it's not just any old poutine! It's  the house garlic/rosemary frîtes , with cheese curds and  homemade pulled pork slathered on top. To heck with the calories! I was determined to try it. And I was not disappointed.

The fresh, crispy fries were layered with a generous helping of cheese curds, topped with an even more generous helping of succulent, spicy pulled pork. This combination worked very well: the marriage of skinny fries and juicy pork was most harmonious.

Every mouthful featured potatoes, cheese and pork, right to the bottom of the bowl. With a little help from my husband, I cleaned my plate.

 I give this poutine 4.75 curds out of 5. If the pulled pork had been slightly hotter, so as to melt the outer curds more, I would pushed it to a five. The restaurant itself is a beautifully restored century home, with wonderful atmosphere and attentive, friendly serving staff. Love their innovative poutine.

 Vert Fourchette & Mary's Fine Foods

117 Main Street E, Vankleek Hill, Ontario K0B 1R0

Tel. 613-678-3984

Christine's Restaurant

On Main Street in beautiful downtown Alexandria, Ontario is a cute little joint called Christine's Restaurant.

It's open for breakfast and lunch only and closes at 2 p.m. We went for a late lunch so by 1:30 p.m., the place had emptied out. At noon it's hopping!

I ordered their small poutine. The fries were fab! The gravy was delicious and not too salty. They used real curds but I wish there had been a few more of them.

Still, the plate of poutine was pretty good. I'll give Christine's a 4.5 out of 5. A few more curds would have pushed them into the solid 5 category. Pretty darn good though!


Christine's Restaurant, 16 Main St. N., Alexandria, Ontario K0C 1A0
613-525-2423

Poutine in the Montreal Gazette

An article in the Montreal Gazette from March 17 about Smoke's Poutinerie spreading poutine goodness across the Great White North.

To see the entire article click here.

Bistro Soleil Westwood

This review just in from my friend Susan who lives in Los Angeles, California. She's married to a Canadian friend of mine, so comes by her love of poutine naturally. And now they're passing it on to their daughter. Well done Susan! Here's what she said:

I finally tried Poutine! I had seen pictures of it on Ronna's blog and even improvised a version at home but now that I have had the real deal... WOW!

My husband, daughter (almost five years old) and I went to Bistro le Soleil in Westwood and tried the poutine Christine. It was amazing! Shoestring frites with a delicious cognac and peppercorn gravy and light as air cheese curds. They offer many other varieties as well.  

My next trip I will try poutine with mussels and maybe a poutine with merguez sausage. They even offer a poutine sampler! As I was leaving, a family arrived (obviously regular customers as they received hugs from the staff) and their little girl ordered poutine with broccoli.  I may have to ask for that next time too or maybe with spinach and garlic? 

 If you happen to find yourselves in my neighborhood stop by Soleil for a delicious treat! Happy Eating! 

Bistro du Soleil Westwood, 1386 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles California 90024

Phone: 310-441-5384

Website: http://www.soleilwestwood.com/home

For a peek at their poutine ONLY menu, click here!!!!

Frozen Poutine?

 Available in local Couche-Tard convenience stores in Québec...

 ...is frozen, instant poutine, microwavable in 2 minutes.

 It has all the nutrition values on the back, so you know what you're getting.

 And it looks kinda good.

My friend Anthony over at www.mapoutine.ca let me know that it was a great idea...but didn't taste that great. Have any of you tried it? Lemme know!

Poutine for Breakfast?

What will they think of next? Just e-mailed in by Adrian, here are a few photos of a Burger King...

...that offers a Breakfast Poutine! Anyone out there ever heard of such a thing? Lemme know! (Thanks, Adrian for sending us these pix!!)

Angry Poutine

A while back, Richard and I had a craving for Burger King and I was happy to see that they offered three varieties of poutine.

We decided to split an Angry Poutine. It had jalapeno peppers, so-called angry onions and angry sauce (I suppose hottish?)

At any rate, it was pretty good! I LOVE jalapeno peppers and I have always liked Burger King's fries because they're always crispy. I kind of liked their take on poutine. (And I especially like how the red neon sign reflects on the gravy making it look really angry!)

Believe it or not, a 4 out of 5 curds. Pretty darn good, especially for a fast food joint.

15th Avenue Hophouse

Jack's back with another review from Oregon! Thanks Jack!

The 15th Avenue Hophouse http://oregonhophouse.com/ is a great place to get a beer, particularly an Oregon microbrew. But, it turns out to be a great place to get a little taste of Québec, as well. The poutine on the menu is worth the trip, even if you aren't after great beer.

It's full-holiday season in Portland, so we were all in a festive mood. I went to this pub prepared to have a burger, when, What to my wondering eyes should appear, but poutine on the menu among all the beers...OK, I'll knock it off.

I was skeptical given the menu description: a vegetarian gravy and cheddar curds. What gravy can't use some meat drippings, and generally, "curds" is good enough. Plus, I live a long way from the mothership of poutine. On top of that, I am fighting the "battle of the bulge" so poutine is an unusual treat and I want it to be great. But, it's the holiday season, so what the hey? I ordered the wasabi deviled eggs as a backup.

The small order arrived with more than enough for one person (although this person managed to finish it). The fries were crispy and stood up to the gravy to the very end. The gravy could have been a bit saltier, but, it's easy to add a little. And, even though the gravy was missing a key ingredient in my book--meat--it was very tasty. The curds were yellow, I suppose to emphasize the "cheddar" part, and tasty, however, there was no squeak. I'm here to tell you that if those curds had spoken, they would have said "FIVE CURDS!"

But, I have to withhold a half curd for squeak. I'll add a quarter since it came on a nicely heated china plate. So, 15th Avenue Hophouse...drum roll please...4.75 curds out of 5. It will stand up to almost every poutine I've had in Québec. Now, if the waitress can just learn to pronounce it like Richard... 15th Avenue Hophouse, 1517 NE Brazee, Portland, OR Website: oregonhophouse.com

Ladybug Cafe

Another review from intrepid reporter Jennifer in Southern Ontario. Thanks Jen!

In Brighton it is hard to miss the jaunty ladybug Beetle in the parking lot by the Ladybug Cafe. We just had to drop in for lunch. My hubby Marty enjoyed his hamburger soup and club sandwich. I enjoyed the Fiestaware dishes! They always make your food look special. But I digress.


I ordered a small poutine to share. It was okay but lacked a generous serving of cheese curds and wasn't very hot. We agreed on a 2.5 curds out of five.

Ladybug Cafe, 46 Prince Edward, Brighton, ON K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9249

Rosie's

This review from Jennifer in Prescott. Sorry it didn't turn out so "Rosie"!

While in Brighton, the hubby and I tried out a little diner called Rosie's for lunch. It is a nicely appointed little restaurant right near the main intersection on highway 30/Young St. To begin, the battered cod and the club sandwich were very good. Good prices too. I thought it would be fun to upgrade the fries with the fish to a poutine to see how they did in this neck of the woods. I am sorry to say it didn't meet most of the requirements for a good poutine.


The fries weren't super hot, the sauce was a thick, salty, beef gravy and there wasn't a curd to be found. Grated mozzarella took their place. We each tried a bite or two and left the rest. The main thing about an indulgent treat is that it must be enjoyable. Well, not this time. 1.5 curds out of a possible 5.

Rosie's, 1 Prince Edward St, Brighton ON K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-4705

My Serendipitous First Poutine Experience

Brett H. is a guest writer on the subjects of healthy living, eating, and lifestyles.

A couple of weeks ago, my associate asked me if I wanted to write an article about poutine for the Poutine Chronicles. I had never heard of the dish before, so I didn’t feel fully equipped to write about it. This past weekend, though, I had the pleasure of actually experiencing the glory of poutine. It all started when my friend called me to tell me he was in town and asked me if I’d join him for dinner at a specialty hot dog restaurant downtown. I’m trying to eat healthy meals on a consistent basis, but I find that sometimes it’s all right to reward myself with a few decadent meals a month. So, I agreed to join him for dinner.

I arrived to the restaurant fashionably late and my friend and his girlfriend had already ordered an appetizer. I sat down at the table and saw a big basket of waffle fries covered in what appeared to be, at first glance, a strange sort of chili and cheese concoction. My friend was kind enough to offer me some of the appetizer. I hadn’t eaten much that day and was starving, so I obliged. A few bites in, it occurred to me that I had no idea what the waffle fries I was eating were covered in. It definitely wasn’t chili. And it was definitely delicious. I asked my friend what it was. He said, “It’s a Canadian thing. It’s gravy and cheese curds and maybe some other stuff.” And then his girlfriend chimed in, “It’s called poutine. I used to eat it all the time when I lived in Canada.”

When I realized I was eating poutine, it reminded me of how delightful coincidences can be. It was like one of those moments when I have a song stuck in my head, and then I hear that song a few seconds later when I walk into a store. Except this was even better and it seemed even more serendipitous. I live in Texas and poutine is definitely a rarity here. What are the chances I would actually have the opportunity to try it where I live? Slim. I’m really glad the universe gifted me the opportunity to try out this Canadian delicacy.

Now that I’ve tried poutine, I definitely want more of it. Whoever thought of putting gravy and cheese curds on top of fries must have been a culinary genius. Whenever I need a break from healthy eating in the future, I think I’ll take a trip downtown to get some hot dogs and poutine!

O Vieux Phare

Oops! I neglected to post this earlier. Richard and I visited this place in Hawkesbury in the heat of summer and sat outside with a view of the Ottawa River.


It's a cute place with okay food. We ordered wraps and shared a side of poutine.


Pretty good. Real curds and good gravy. Fries were okay. I guess we'd give it a four out of possible five curds.

87A John St., Hawkesbury, ON K6A 1Y1
Phone: 613-632-6513

Hometown Cafe

Last week we headed to the Hometown Cafe in Norwood, New York...


...very close to the border with Canada.


It was croweded with lunch goers and I was delighted to see poutine on the menu.


So I ordered it.


I was disappointed that there were no curds but otherwise, the gravy was yummy and the fries crisp.


I guess a 3.5 out of 5. Pretty good.

Hometown Cafe, 3 N. Main Street, Norwood, NY 13668
Phone: 315-353-2852