Poutine Chronicles

Angry Poutine

2012-02-09T14:57:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-24T13:38:00.001-05:00

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, ORWebsite: oregonhophouse.com

Ladybug Cafe

2011-11-18T06:57:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-15T10:51:00.004-05:00

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

2011-11-09T12:16:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-26T08:42:00.002-04:00

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

2011-10-19T08:28:00.009-04:00

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

The Lakeview Restaurant

2011-10-05T09:12:00.004-04:00

The Lakeview Restaurant in Toronto is an old diner (c. 1930s) that's open 24 hours.

My niece lives around the corner and thought I'd like the place. She was right. It's pretty funky inside...

...and the menu offers a variety of poutine choices. Yippee!

We chose the Poutine Lakeview...

...Sweet potato and fresh cut fries, cheese curds, peameal and bacon bits with house gravy.

We loved it. Nice fresh curds. Gravy wasn't too salty and very flavourful. Great addition of bacon.

All in all a good rating. A 4.5 out of 5 curds I think. Went very well with a Caesar salad too!

The Lakeview Restaurant, 1132-1134 Dundas St. W., Toronto, ON M6J 1X2
Phone: 416-850-7005
Website: thelakeviewrestaurant.ca

Tail O' The Pup

2011-09-23T07:27:00.005-04:00

I always wanted to go to this little joint, nestled in the Adirondacks halfway between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid in northern New York.

Tail O' The Pup just yells "summer" and thankfully last week it was still summery enough to sit outside and enjoy the ambiance.

How can you resist a place with a giant lobster?

The menu features smokehouse stuff but lookie here...

...upon further inspection, it had poutine!

And not too bad at that either. Waffle fries (a first for me I think) and delicious chicken gravy. The only place it fell short was the cheese...no curds but shredded mozzarella.

Still, Richard and I really enjoyed it and along with the wonderful atmosphere, helped rate this poutine as a 4 out of a possible 5 curds.

Tail O' The Pup, Saranac Lake on Rte. 86, Ray Brook, NY
Phone: 518-891-0777

International Plowing Match

2011-09-21T19:23:00.003-04:00

At the International Plowing Match in Chute-a-Blondeau this week, many food kiosks offered poutine. We tried some from this tent.

It only came in one size and was $6.50.

We both liked the rich, dark gravy and the hot fries but it had very few curds. Mine only had 6 or 7 curds!

All in all we agreed that it was okay and gave it a 3 out of a possible 5. Tasted nice but needed MORE curds please!

Bob's Fries

2011-09-07T16:16:00.005-04:00

My sister Marci, friend Jen and I headed to Merrickville, Ontario and came upon Bob's Fries.

Nice looking place with coordinating colours. Even the garbage pails were purple!

The menu was nice and simple.

We decided to split a poutine to get a taste of it. Here my sis is taking a photo for her own poutine album.

We were all disappointed. The fries were soggy; the curds, although they were ample, were cold and therefore not squeeky; and the gravy was okay. We were disappointed. We all agreed on a 3 out of a possible 5 curd rating.

Bob's Fries, St. Lawrence Street, Merrickville, ON K0G 1N0
Phone: 613-258-3652

Leduc Snack Bar

2011-08-23T17:53:00.004-04:00

With our friend John from Oregon visiting, a poutine aficionado from out west, we figured we'd try Leduc Snack Bar in Hawkesbury.

The little potato guy is cute and looks like he might even be ready for Christmas with his lights hanging off him.

There's a nice 3-season eating area on the side.

We split a family-sized poutine and shared it. John looks pretty happy to dig in!

And dig in we did. Tons of curds, great gravy and crispy fries.

We all deemed it worthy of a 5 out of 5 curd poutine. Wowza! Well done Leduc's!

Leduc Snack Bar, 551 Main St. E., Hawkesbury, ON K6A 1B3
Phone: 613-632-1080

Hume Hotel

2011-08-18T20:06:00.004-04:00

This review is from my friend Peggi who was recently visiting Nelson, BC and had to have a poutine fix. She was delighted to find it on the menu at Mike's Place Pub, located in the Hume Hotel.

I ordered the poutine and the waitress asked if I'd like the poutine warmed up to melt the curds. I said, "Oh, no, that's heresy!" and she laughed and agreed, but added that some people prefer it that way.

I don't know how you rate your poutine, but I found it a little salty - could just be me. The yam fries were wonderful, crisp on the outside and soft inside, nice and sweet. Curds nice and firm and the gravy pretty good. All in all, a pretty darn good poutine.

Hume Hotel, 422 Vernon Street, Nelson, BC V1L 4E5
Toll Free: 1-877-568-0888
Phone: 250-352-5331
Website: humehotel.com

How To Make Poutine Video

2011-08-08T17:57:00.000-04:00

Here's a great video on how to make poutine! Click here.

Bistro-Burger

2011-07-27T07:28:00.003-04:00

From my friend Judi who lives in South Florida. Thanks Judi!

The fries were excellent, and the gravy was hearty and satisfying. The cheese curds, well... I made the decision early on not to examine too closely. Nor to dwell upon the about-to-be-rancid undertow.
Starved of such things as poutine in Coral Springs, Florida, I thoroughly enjoyed and devoured the dish. It was next door to a shabby motel called Colibri, which she translated for me as "hummingbird." But at first I heard "Human Bird." So we laughed, enjoying this tasty dish, remembering the almond croissants we'd eaten that morning at the Atwater market near where my kid lives, happy that we would be in Montreal another day to walk over and eat more tomorrow morning.

Bistro-Burger Plus, 6966 Rue St.-Jacques, Montreal, QC H4B 1V8
Tel. 514-487-4768

The Loose Caboose

2011-07-25T20:10:00.004-04:00

My friend Jennifer and I share a birthday by a few days so we always try and get together and meet somewhere halfway between our homes. Cornwall is usually the spot. And we try to find new and fun places to eat. We happened upon the Loose Caboose while looking for plumbing fixtures.

The place is hopping and has a large menu. We ordered various things and of course, we had to try their poutine.

It was really yummy. We both loved the peppery gravy and ample curds. We both figured on a four out of five...hmmm...maybe higher. The other stuff (fish, taquitos) were good too.

And the best? They're served out of a caboose. How can you beat that?

There was even a family of sparrows living on the side of the caboose, undoubtedly picking bits of French fries. Lucky birds!

The Loose Caboose, 35 Marlborough St. N., Cornwall, ON K6H 3Z6
Tel: 613-932-9991

Click here to see join their Facebook page: The Loose Caboose

A. J.'s BBQ Steakhouse & Bar

2011-06-01T08:11:00.005-04:00

In the heart of Alexandria, in a nondescript outdoor mall is AJ's BBQ Steakhouse (which, up to a few weeks ago, was coincidentally, right beside the local Curves outlet).

We approached the menu with great hope. An entire page devoted to poutine called Poutine Town. Yippee!

We decided to order a large "traditional" poutine. It was large, the gravy very tasty with a bit of spice to it but one of the biggest disappointments was NO CURDS! And here in curd country, with St. Albert just a drive down the road.

All in all, the fries stood up to the gravy but the shredded mozzarella is unforgivable. 2.5 out of 5 possible curds.

A.J.'s Steakhouse and Bar, 68 Anik St., Alexandria, ON K0C 1A0
Phone:613-525-3435

Crespella Café

2011-05-24T17:49:00.005-04:00

This review just in from my sis who lives in Ithaca, New York.
This newest entry to the Ithaca restaurant scene advertises itself as "Breakfast, lunch, and more." My co-poutiner, Kim Szpiro (another Canadian, originally from BC), was clever enough to notice that the "and more" included something called "Canadian Chips - hand cut French fries topped with brown gravy and cheese." Does that sound familiar? Yes, indeed, we thought we'd tracked down Ithaca poutine. So, after a quick trip to the gym for a spin class, to work off the anticipated calorie intake, we set off for lunch... or did we set off for "and more"?

The restaurant was quite nice, but empty... never a good sign in downtown Ithaca at lunchtime. The menu was, to put it mildly, startling! Neither of us had ever seen so much high-calorie, high-fat food on one menu. Triple BLTS with cheese, potato soup with bacon, cheese and sour cream... and ... Canadian chips...

We decided to share an order - at $6, we expected a hefty serving and felt that sharing was appropriate. What came to the table LOOKED LIKE poutine... it had lovely hand cut fries with the skin still on (we gave it a curd up for that), and a beefy gravy (Kim gave it a curd up for saltiness, I gave it a curd down for the same reason). The gravy was one step beyond gravy, though - it was gloppy gravy, if you know what I mean. To top off the dish - no curds, just mozzarella cheese. We know that true curds are hard to find here, but the cheese was a big curd down from both of us.

Our final assessment was 1.5 curds... we gave them something for trying, but hope they take it off the menu. Kim said "Why are they blaming a whole nation for that?"

While we were sitting in the silent restaurant, Kim googled Poutine Ithaca and found another restaurant around the corner that actually offers "real" poutine (plain and bacon). We are skeptical, since the description says "Fries, gravy, and cheddar cheese." But, we are going to give it a try. We will report back soon!

Your Ithaca Poutiners,
Marcia and Kim

Crespella Café, 113 S Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 607-379-9825
www.crespellacafe.com

Top Chef Canada

2011-05-14T20:38:00.002-04:00

It looks like the competition will get sticky this Monday, May 16, when the Top Chefs compete over making the best poutine. Food Network Canada, 9 p.m. Stay tuned...

Frankie's Awesome Fries

2011-05-10T17:52:00.009-04:00

We were driving around in Ottawa looking for a quick lunch and at the corner of Blair and Ogilvie we spotted Frankie's Awesome Fries chip truck...

...so we had to give it a try.

We ordered a poutine. I mean, what else were we gonna order?

I was happy to see they were using local St. Albert curds. I love 'em!

The owners of Frankie's, Marjorie and Bahjat sure know their potatoes. They used to have a business selling them across Eastern Ontario. Now they're concentrating on their chip truck.

And man, was it good! The curds were fresh, the fries still had their skin on and the gravy was hot and not too salty (always a plus!).

Marjorie told me their gravy was from scratch and you could tell. Yummy!

I especially loved it because I enjoyed it with a Dr. Pepper, usually difficult to find at a chip stand in Eastern Ontario. I considered this almost a cross-cultural food day.

All in all, Richard gave it a 4.5 out of 5 curds. I was tending towards a perfect score of 5. I mean, where can you get a fabulous poutine, fresh as anything and have it with a Dr. Pepper? As advertised, Frankie's fries really are "awesome."

Frankie's Awesome Fries, 2010 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa, ON K1J 8X3
Phone: 613-741-1011

S & G Fries

2011-05-06T05:40:00.007-04:00

This review comes to us courtesty of the folks at the blog: If Music Be the Food of Love Play On, which reflects on art and life in the Ottawa area and beyond. To check it out click here.

You guessed it. This is the regular-sized poutine from S & G Fries, located at 1845 Carling Avenue, right next to both the Beer Store and the Produce Depot. They claim to make the Best Poutine in Ottawa and have many testimonials around the place to substantiate this declaration.

We ended up here because this afternoon was 'get organized for the prom day' and my son had a knowledgeable friend along for consultation. The payoff to her was lunch at S & G Fries. She accepted in a heartbeat. MP claims to be pure French Canadian stock and can speak with a voice of authority on poutine, as it is the national dish of Quebec.

MP gave the poutine at S & G Fries high marks. "The fries were cooked properly." No elaboration on what that meant. I took her at her word. She was also pleased when she saw the sign for St. Albert's cheese curds. Being within 10 minutes of the St. Albert Co-op Cheese Factory, MP says she often enjoys the curds so fresh that they are extra squeaky! As early as the end of the 19th century, master cheesemakers in a charming Eastern Ontario village were already manufacturing a highly renowned Cheddar: the St-Albert. Not all native Quebecers share the praise that MP has put on the standard of curd expected in her perfect poutine but suffice it to say, I really wouldn't know any better. St. Albert is a small town close to the Quebec border, but still in Ontario, so perhaps that is where the judgment lies.

When we asked MP for her final verdict, she said she thought the outstanding poutine actually came second to the poutine she loves and has had frequently at the Blooming Onion, once situated in the Byward Market, but now relocated to a spot near Cyrville Road & Maxime St. She is supported in this pronouncement by XPress' annual reader's poll in the past.

Although I don't have the pedigree that MP carries to best judge the perfect poutine, my tastebuds alone tell me that a trip to S & G Fries for any kind of chip craving, will undoubtedly prove to be a positive experience. In the language of the Poutine Chronicles, this place is at least 4.5 curds out of 5.

Is S & G Fries the best poutine in Ottawa?

S & G Fries, 1845 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
Phone: 613-729-2129

Your Independent Grocer

2011-05-04T17:26:00.003-04:00

This in from my friend Jen. Thanks for your reporting Jen!!
The grocery store "Your Independent Grocer" in Prescott, Ontario is now selling poutine in the deli section. It was reasonably priced and looked good. There was a generous quantity of curds and the sauce was nice. The fries however were not made fresh on the spot so there was nothing more than the sauce to warm up or melt the curds. Overall the taste was good but would have been much better with fresh, hot fries. I think timing is the key to success here. The best is to drop by as the fries come out of the fryer or ask for fresh fries.
Overall it rates a 2.5 out of 5 curds.

Harvey's

2011-04-20T10:58:00.004-04:00

Harvey's is a Canadian burger chain, their motto "Harvey's makes a hamburger a beautiful thing." We wondered how they'd do with poutine.

The interior, this one in Ottawa, was pleasant enough.

The poutine? It came with a nice little dome to keep it hot.

It was hot. And salty too! The fries were pretty good. And real curds too.

For a fast food joint, it wasn't bad. We both said at the same time, "Three curds!" (out of five for our rating.) Not bad Harvey's.

Harvey's has restaurants all over Canada. To find one near you, click here.

Great Gardens Café

2011-04-08T07:19:00.004-04:00

This just in from Rick Eckstrom in Beaufort, South Carolina. "This is the first time I have eaten poutine. The French fries were topped with ground beef and mushroom gravy and Swiss cheese. I enjoyed the dish — the fries were cooked just right and the gravy was delightful. It could have used a bit more cheese, but I would still give it a 4-curd rating."
Thanks Rick. This is our first poutine rating from South Carolina. Well done!

Great Gardens Café, 3669 Trask Parkway, Beaufort, SC 29906
Phone: 843-521-1900

The Lakeview

2011-03-15T15:04:00.002-04:00

My niece Sam reported on the poutine at The Lakeview in Toronto. The iconic Lakeview Lunch, at Dundas and Ossington closed last year and reopened as simply The Lakeview.
While there Sam tried what she called "a crazy rich" concotion that featured regular and sweet potato fries, covered with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese, and lathered in "heavy gravy."
I asked her what she thought of it and she said, "Next time I'll go traditional. It was a bit nutty and crazy rich. I think I could only do it at 1 a.m., with a g and t!"
Ahh to be in your twenties again, eh? Thanks Sam.

The Lakeview, 1132 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON
Tel. 416-850-8886

Bonhomme Patate

2011-01-12T16:55:00.007-05:00

Just over the bridge from Hawkesbury, Ontario is Bonhomme Patate in Grenville, Québec.

It doesn't look like much from the outside...

...but inside it's very nicely decked out.

The menu offers a wide variety of poutine.

Richard and I decided (on the suggestion of the server) to split a large all-dressed poutine.

That means besides curds and gravy, it had bacon and grilled chicken.

I look pretty serious about splitting it, don't I? Check out the ton o' curds!

Richard's waiting to dig in. We both thought it was a very nearly perfect poutine. Very yummy. Richard mentioned the fries getting a bit soggy at the bottom of the bowl, but we just could eat it quickly enough I think. At any rate, we gave it a 4.5 out of a possible 5 curds. Great poutine Bonhomme Patate!

Bonhomme Patate, 427 rue Principale, Grenville, QC J0V 1J0
Phone: 819-242-8506

Lavoie's Restaurant

2011-01-03T19:11:00.006-05:00

After watching hockey at the Vankleek Hill arena, we walked over to Lavoie's Restaurant in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, just down the road.

The menu has a nice selection of poutine variations.

One of the younger members of our gang picked the regular poutine with St. Albert curds and pronounced it a very good 4 out of 5 curds, the one down factor was "too much gravy." And maybe a second layer of curds would have been good too.

In keeping with healthful New Year's resolutions, a few of us had salads and decided to split a Mexican poutine to give it a try.

It was really good. Kind of spicy, lots of curds, good gravy. Very nice indeed. Likely a 4.5 out of 5. Well done, Lavoie's!

Lavoie's Restaurant, 19 Mill Street, Vankleek Hill, ON K0B 1R0
Phone: 613-678-3238

Sub Bay

2010-11-11T16:16:00.005-05:00

Last week, Jennifer and her friend Denise -- visiting from Barrie -- met up with me in Cornwall. We decided to go to Sub Bay -- not a typo -- which is a little restaurant right next to Subway. Go figure.

Sub Bay has a lovely outdoor patio when the weather permits.

The interior is bright and comfortable.

Denise ordered a regular poutine; I ordered one with chicken. (Jen ordered smoked meat. Next time let's hope she orders smoked meat poutine!)

Denise loved her choice. Very cheesy curds, delicious gravy, crisp fries.

My chicken poutine was great too. I liked the spiciness of the gravy and the grilled chicken was fab. Tons of curds. Crisp fries.

A fantastic job! The three of us all agreed on a five out of a possible five curds. Well done, Sub Bay!

Sub Bay, 1003 Montreal Rd., Cornwall, ON K6H 1E1
Phone: 613-936-8866

The Jolly Fryer

2010-10-19T08:56:00.005-04:00

On our way to the Muskokas over Thanksgiving weekend, Richard and I stopped in Eganville, Ontario at The Jolly Fryer.

We had great hopes for a good poutine.

The seating area looked inviting and the weather was cool but fine for mid-October.

The poutine arrived, not hot enough. The fries were crispy, the gravy cool and the cheese. Gak! Shredded mozzarella and not curds. It automatically lost a full curd on our rating scale.

Overall, we were both underwhelmed and gave it a 3 out of 5 curds. I liked the fries a lot -- really crispy! Richard was less keen on the whole thing.

And that, I guess, will be the end of our outdoor poutine experiences for 2010. Many of the chip stands all over the countryside have now shut down for the season. See ya in the spring, outdoor poutine!

The Jolly Fryer, Hwy. 60, Eganville, Ontario.
Open seasonally.

La Roulotte

2010-10-01T06:36:00.001-04:00

Thanks Dom, for this fine review!

Hi! My work territory covers all of Quebec and New Brunswick and, as a poutine addict, I've made somewhat of a mission to find the best poutine of the province. I've been living in Montreal now for 15 years and for the first 11 (before my current employment), I've looked to LA ROULOTTE for a great, great, great poutine! Layered and delicious!!!

Since I've been on this hunt, I have yet to find a better poutine than this one. I am very loyal to La Roulotte and always will be! So, if you want a crazy delicious pout, go to La Roulotte; you won't be disappointed!
Also, their hot dog has been voted best in Montreal for some time now, too.

La Roulotte, 10 Rue Paiement, Sainte-Genevieve, QC H9H 2S5
Phone: 514-626-2888

Bud the Spud

2010-09-27T06:30:00.001-04:00

This review from avid poutine lover, Dave...

The day after Labour Day we were on our way to the Finger Lakes region of New York for a short holiday when hunger hit after a couple of hours on the road, before we even got to the US border.

Luckily we found ourselves near the exit for Maitland, Ontario, which is just east of Brockville on the 401. From past trips we knew of a fantastic little chip stand in the tiny village that sits astride old Highway 2 on the shore of the St. Lawrence River.

Within five minutes were cruising through the pretty little hamlet on our way to Bud the Spud. We got there just as the lunchtime rush was starting. If you ever wanted proof as to how popular this place is with the locals, all you'd have to do is check out their parking lot at lunchtime, jammed with trucks for landscapers, roofers, plumbers, you name it.

After a very short perusal of the menu (which was mainly burgers and fries but also included something called a "Black 'n' Blue Sandwich"), all three of us decided on ordering a small poutine each as a great way to start off our vacation.

While waiting the few minutes for our order we repaired to a picnic table and passed some of the time eavesdropping on some of the locals chatting up the cook in a typical eastern Ontario way: Q: "So when yous guys closing for the season?" A: "When she freezes."

After a few minutes we were called to the window to pick up our orders packed in three blazing hot styrofoam containers. The "small" was very generous, with about one and a half times as much as I would normally feel comfortable eating but, hey, when it comes to poutine moderation always go by the way.

The fries were fresh and obviously home-cut, not frozen, were freshly out of the fryer, cooked to a crispy golden brown on the outside, creamy and hot on the inside. The cheese curds were large and, again, generously applied and the beef gravy was plentiful and also very hot. As a result, the cheese curds melted deliciously over the fries, creating the ooey-gooey melding of potatoes, cheese and gravy that makes for great poutine.

We all agreed: Bud the Spud's poutine rated five curds out of five! The best we've ever had!

Bud the Spud, Highway 2, Maitland, Ontario
(Open seasonally)

Pierre's Poutine

2010-09-21T13:09:00.007-04:00

This just in from avid poutine lover Barbara in Guelph, Ontario.

I got a small poutine from Pierre's Poutine in Guelph, Ontario and it was delicious.

It's probably on the expensive side, but that doesn't seem to deter the university students in the area. The place was packed to the gills during frosh week. Pierre works his own restaurant and stands behind his product...good stuff.

Pierre was telling us that the dude from Smokes' in Toronto came by to check out his place and he also raved about the gravy (and also tried to get the recipe!).

I don't know where Pierre gets his curds from, but they are the best I've ever had...squeaky goodness. I have to say again that this is some of the best gravy I've had, and it's soy! I personally like the fries crispy, but these ones aren't so soaked in gravy that they're too soggy. I would think that most people would rate this poutine a 5 out of 5...my husband said the it's better than the poutine you can get at most places in Quebec. Pierre definitely knows what he's doing here. The first poutine I ever had was at Mt. Tremblant in Quebec way back before it was bought by Intrawest and renovated. This poutine matches that.

Pierre's Poutine, 71 Macdonell Street, Guelph, ON N1H 2Z7
Phone: 519-341-9967
Click here to read Guelph Mercury's article about Pierre's Poutine.

Au Pied de Cochon

2010-09-13T06:02:00.008-04:00

Martin Picard, from Au Pied de Cochon, was the invited chef to La Festival de la Poutine this year.

His booth offered regular poutine, along with squid poutine (with squid ink gravy) and lobster poutine. (Salad was sold in each booth too but I didn't see anyone actually eating any!)

From time-to-time, Martin could be seen inside his mini-kitchen.

We ordered the lobster poutine and it was amazing. Just look at all that lobster!

And at $9.75 (compared to a regular poutine at $5.50), it was a real deal.
We gave it top marks, a 5 out of 5 curds. The fries had their skins left on them, making them very tasty. The gravy didn't have the tomato flavouring that the other poutines had and instead tasted of lobster. And the curds were plentiful and squeaky.

It was good to the last drop.

And best of all, I got to meet the man himself. What a fun guy!

Au Pied de Cochon, 536 ave Duluth est, Montréal, QC H2L 1A9
Phone: 514-281-1114

La Banquise

2010-09-10T06:23:00.000-04:00

The second poutine we tried at the Festival de la Poutine was from La Banquise. They offered 2 varieties: the regular and the "Taquise."

Our new friend Anthony ordered the Taquise, a poutine topped with guacamole and salsa. He let us taste is and it was very delicious.

We also tasted the regular poutine. Yum-o! It was hotter than the last one with a slightly saltier gravy. Richard noted "better curd coverage." A definite 4.5 out of 5 curds. Well done La Banquise.

La Banquise, 994 Rue Rachel est, Montréal, QC H2J 2J3
Phone: 514-525-2415

Festival de la Poutine

2010-09-09T10:00:00.002-04:00

Click to enlarge.
Sarah from Toronto sent me this article about the Festival de la Poutine. Interesting stuff about how their gravy is made in Drummondville, QC.

Restaurant Du Boulevard

2010-09-09T09:52:00.009-04:00

The first poutine that Richard and I tasted at the Festival de la Poutine was the one from Restaurant du Boulevard.

The folks inside were busy frying in the back and piles of bags of curds were on the counter while the gals in the front were assembling the poutine.

Richard held up the poutine so we could record where each poutine came from.

This poutine had a tomato puree in their sauce, giving it a reddish colour. Apparently this version of the gravy -- an aurora-type sauce -- is unique to the Drummondville area and makes it sweeter than a regular gravy.

Richard was ready to try it and grabbed a fry.

The curds were plentiful, squeaky and fresh. Richard particularly liked the fries which were soft with a bit of a crispy edge. The different-tasting sauce was sweet and took some getting used to. It was a 4 (or maybe even a 4.5) out of a possible 5 curds. Pretty close to a 4.5 anyhow. Very good.

Restaurant du Boulevard, 1645, boulevard Lemire, Drummondville, QC J2C 5A5
Phone: 819-472-2122

Festival de la Poutine

2010-09-08T06:31:00.000-04:00

Richard and I went to Drummondville, QC to attend the Festival de la Poutine and got press passes.

We got in early, before the crowds, to check out the poutine booths setting up.

There was an enourmous stage with huge Poutine Festival banners on either side of it.

At about 3 p.m., folks started drifting into the show. The first performance was Pass Partout, a kids' show.

There were clowns and jugglers...

...and people tasting poutine around every corner.

I took notes of where and what we tasted.

My friend Anthony (from mapoutine.ca) and I both took tons of photos.

Lots of poutine with orange-ish, tomato-based gravy, apparently a specialty in the Drummondville area.

And other poutines like this one called "Poutine Taquise."

This one, in my opinion, was by far the rock star of the event. Chef Martin Picard's lobster poutine. Oh. My. Gawd.

Chez Louis Poulet et Pizza

2010-09-06T11:23:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, Richard and I ventured north to Drummondville, QC, to attend the Festival de la Poutine. I got an email from the fellow who runs the site mapoutine.ca who said we should meet for lunch at Chez Louis and share a poutine together before heading to the Festival.

And so we met up with the poutine-loving Anthony (who recognized us from this blog), who was wearing his signature poutine t-shirt...

...and clicking away madly to record each and every poutine he saw.

His lovely partner Sandy also had a poutine although I suspect she's not as huge a fan of the stuff as Anthony is.

We did share some poutine and some talk about judging a good poutine and a lot of general poutine talk.

Okay, Anthony. How do you do it? Thin and still eating your poutine to the very last drop.

Nice to meet you, Anthony! Good times.

And the poutine? The sauce was tomatoe-y and sweet. (I read somewhere that that is a specialty of the Drummondville region.) I kind of liked it. The fries were crispy and crinkle-cut. We all agreed there weren't enough curds. 4 out of a possible 5 curds.

Chez Louis Poulet & Pizza, 150 rue St-Georges, Drummondville, QC J2C 4H1
Phone: 819-474-5158
Website: ChezLouisPoulet&Pizza.com

Bala Bay Inn

2010-09-03T06:17:00.004-04:00

This just in from my friend Wendy who lives in Toronto.

Nestled amongst towering white pines on the shores of world famous Lake Muskoka, Ontario is the area’s oldest brick hotel the “Bala Bay Inn,” built in 1910. While on vacation, my friend Patty and I dined there with our families. We ordered the poutine and it was scrumptious! The gravy had an intense beef flavour that complemented the hand-cut fries, which were salted perfectly. The executive chef, Philip Cowley, uses authentic Quebec cheese curds from a company called Kingsey.
The fries are made by a three-step process: hand-cut chilled in water, then blanched in boiling water and then allowed to dry in the fridge. The last step: the fries are placed in the deep fryer at a low temperature, then allowed to cool again in the fridge and then into the deep fryer. Great poutine!

Bala Bay Inn, P.O. Box 258, Muskoka Road HW169, Bala, Ontario P0C 1A0
Phone: 705-762-3313 or 1-866-268-1453
To see their website, click here: Bala Bay Inn

Mike's Place, Tel Aviv, Israel

2010-08-29T12:48:00.006-04:00

This just in from my friend Whitney who lives in Florida.

I was in Tel Aviv visiting with my high school friend, Avia, who has been living in Israel since college. We met up with some of her friends and spent the afternoon on the beach. After a day in the scorching July sun, we were all in need of some refreshment and a TV to watch the Germany/Argentina soccer game.
We made our way up to Mike's Place, a recommended beachfront watering hole that would surely give us North Americans a sense of home. As we were walking in, I noticed a patron chowing down on a dish that looked suspiciously like poutine.

But, poutine in Israel? Nah, couldn't be.

Upon further investigation, the menu revealed that Mike's Place did in fact serve their own version poutine. Crazy! The menu reads: Our homemade fries baked with cheese in a stone brick oven, topped with gravy.

I was too excited by this unlikely melding of cultures not to order it, not to mention my sense of duty to your study of poutine. I learned that the owner of Mike's Place hails from Canada, not surprisingly. So, how do you like that? It's going international.

I love it! Thanks for the overseas report Whitney. Looks like yummy poutine!

Mike's Place, Herbert Samuel 86, Tel Aviv, Israel
Phone: 077-6550054
To see their website, click here: Mike's Place

Chez Sisy

2010-08-25T06:40:00.001-04:00

The fourth and final chip stand my sister and I tried on our "Alfred poutine discovery tour" was a place called Chez Sisy on the main drag in Alfred, Ontario

Nice exterior seating.

And a complete menu devoted to poutine!

The fries were hot and unpeeled but unfortunately a tiny bit soft. The curds weren't as squeaky as we would have liked but they melted in the delicious gravy. We gave it a solid 4 out of a possible 5 curds. Oh, and it got an eco-curd for being served on a piece of wax paper with a reusable basket underneath.

Chez Sisy, 569 St-Philippe, Alfred, ON K0B 1A0
Phone: 613-679-0908

Miss Alfred

2010-08-24T06:53:00.001-04:00

My sister and I were on our poutine tasting trials in Alfred, Ontario and the third joint we tried was Miss Alfred.

It's won all sorts of awards, including best sauce and best fries in Eastern Ontario.

It has plenty of outdoor, covered seating...

...and even more in case you're bringing a crowd.

And wonderful, giant "fries" made out of wood...

...which folks have autographed and commented on.

The service was friendly and fast and the fries were fresh.

Even though the poutine here was recently rated the best in the region (click here to read more), we rated the poutine as just okay. The fries were on the soggy side and the gravy was okay. Curds were fresh but neither of us said WOW. We rated it as a 3.5 out of a possible 5 curds.

143 St Philippe St., Alfred, ON K0B 1A0
Phone: 613-679-2803

Landriault Snack Bar

2010-08-21T12:15:00.007-04:00

Our second stop on my sister Marci and my "Let's Taste Alfred's Poutine Excursion" was at a place called Landriault's.

They had a menu sign board exclusively for poutine.

The place had indoor/outdoor seating. Indoor at the ordering counter and when the weather is fine, picnic tables outside.

The poutine? There was a plethora of curds and they were mighty squeeky. The fries weren't very crispy though. The gravy was not too salty and tasted very chicken-y which I loved. We both rated it as a good 4 out of a possible 5 curds.

Landriault's Snack Bar, 230 St Philippe, Alfred, ON K0B 1A0
Phone: 613-679-2989

My Sister's First Poutine

2010-08-18T10:51:00.003-04:00

My sister Marci came to visit me from Ithaca, NY over the weekend. We headed to Alfred, Ontario (the French fry captial of Eastern Ontario) to try some poutine.

Marci had never had poutine before! It was an exciting moment.

She loved the fries and kinda liked the poutine. This was a good one too from La Kennebec, on the main drag (see review below).

Crisp fries, curds and gravy. What else could a gal ask for?

La Kennebec

2010-08-17T08:24:00.009-04:00

Over the weekend, my sister and I headed to Alfred, Ontario (known as the French fry capital of Eastern Ontario) to try their poutine. Our first stop was La Kennebec.

Don't you just love the handle on the front door?

They have an extensive menu...

...and lots of specials too. We ordered a small poutine.

They made the fries to order in their busy, clean kitchen.

Fantastic and hot fries! (My sis thought they were just about the best fries she had ever tasted.) Delicious gravy. Only complaint was it was a bit light on the curds. Otherwise, pretty close to a perfect poutine.

We decided on a 4.5 out of a possible 5 curd rating. And it got a bonus eco-curd for being served on a piece of waxed paper on a reusable flat basket and washable cutlery. Well done!

La Kennebec Restaurant, 472, rue St-Philippe, Alfred, ON K0B 1A0
Phone: 613-679-4092

Jack's Fish & Chips

2010-08-12T06:11:00.010-04:00

This just in from our poutine correspondent Josh in Prescott, Ontario.

In Brockville, I found a small place in the food court at the mall called "Jack's Fish & Chips." It's run by the same couple that run the "Asian wok" on the other side of the court.

I got a small poutine for $4.25 but it was still quite generous in proportion. It was in a Styrofoam take-out container, used real curds, copious quantity of sauce and cheese, and the fries were fresh cut (in appearance anyways) and had a great texture and taste, none of that fast food type junk.

All in all I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5. Happy to help in your quest to find the best poutines in all the land -- it seems like a worthy cause :)

Thanks Josh! Sound fab!

Jack's Fish & Chips, 1000 Islands Mall, Brockville, ON K6V 3G9
Phone: 613-345-2588

New York Fries

2010-08-10T16:10:00.005-04:00

My friend Pam from Ithaca, NY was curious about poutine and on a recent trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake, came across a New York Fries stand. Her son Joey and friend Olivier were her travelling companions and all were happy to try the poutine. Pam says, "Olivier pronounced it good, but not enough cheese. I thought it was delicious; they can add veggies, bacon, and more, but I went for the classic. Yum. A great little dish right before we crossed the border back to the poutine-less USA."

Thanks Pam! I'll have to give it a try. And...what sort of rating would you give it out of a possible FIVE curds?

BTW, even though it's called New York Fries, it is a privately owned, Canadian franchise and has locations across Canada and is growing internationally. To see their website, click here.

Pirate's Lunch

2010-08-02T16:01:00.004-04:00

Another review from our roving poutine eater Jack D'Mestiere. This time he was in British Columbia! Read on...Jack here. While motoring around Vancouver Island on an outing from Victoria, Dolly-girl and me ran into Pirate’s Lunch. We stopped quicker than a ’59 VW going up hill. “This is it, Jack, I just know this is it! Great road-side food, by the water!”

There were all sorts of signs advertising Pirate’s food offerings...

...and then one special one caught my eye. Yes, indeed, I was looking at a chance for poutine. Here was a chance to have a 5-curd poutine from a roadside stand, just like Ronna and Richard talk about! Great decor and poutine, too. I ordered it. Dolly-girl was right! This is it! But, I should have known: Pirate pronounced it "poo-teen."

The “Poutine” arrived. My excitement faded fast. While the fries were fresh cut and cooked just right--in fact, delicious fries--and the gravy, while likely from a can or mix was tasty--although not salty enough--the curds were--WHAT? Strips of American cheese (wait, I guess that would be Canadian cheese--or would it be? I think Canadians have more taste) had been torn up and laid to rest on the fries and gravy. IMPORTED AMERICAN CHEESE! Strips!

Sorry Pirate, poutine ain’t poutine without curds. Final score? 0, zero, nil, naught.

The Works

2010-07-30T05:59:00.003-04:00

Another review from poutine adventurer Jen from Prescott, Ontario. This time she headed into Ottawa to find this pail o' poutine. Read on...

While eating at "The Works" in Ottawa recently, I had the chance to try out their poutine. They offer three variations on the theme and I settled on the "Ex-Montrealer" version. It comes with smoked meat on it. They served it up in a metal bucket and the portion was generous. There was an abundance of fresh curds and the sauce was pure perfection. The addition of smoked meat was just the right touch with out being cloying. It was hot and tasty to the bottom.

This is definitely a five out of five curds dish. Everyone at the table had a bite and agreed. I would certainly order this one again!

Thanks for this Jen. I'll definitely have to give it a try!

The Works is open Sunday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. at various locations around the Ottawa area. To find one near you, click here.

To see their menu, click here. Note: poutine listing is the first thing on the first page of the menu. Great choice!

Cornwall Speedway

2010-07-27T06:14:00.008-04:00

At the Cornwall Motor Speedway last Sunday, we stopped by Norm's French Fries...

...where Richard and I each ordered a poutine.

They were making them fast and furious! (Note the bags of frozen fries under the counter.)

Too bad about the frozen fries...but the curds were real and plentiful and the gravy was to my taste and not too salty.

The view of the track from the poutine was fine. We both gave it a 3 out of a possible 5 curds. Just okay.

Cornwall Motor Speedway is open every Sunday in the summer and the racing starts at 6 p.m.
Cornwall Centre Road, Cornwall, ON K6H 5R5
Telephone: 613-938-3945
For more info, click on their website: Cornwall Motor Speedway

Food Fight!

2010-07-22T17:43:00.002-04:00

Man jailed for assaulting ex with poutine

By KATE MCLAREN, QMI Agency

TIMMINS, Ont. -- A Timmins man has been sentence to four months in jail for theft after dumping poutine on a woman's head and running off with her purse.
David Birch, 25, was sentenced Tuesday in Timmins provincial court.
The woman was an ex-spouse.
Court heard Birch entered a business in Timmins on May 20 at 3:30 a.m. where he encountered his former spouse.
Due to previous convictions, Birch was prohibited from having contact with her at the time.
The two argued but after the argument, the victim asked Birch to hold on to two poutines. Birch subsequently dumped one poutine over the woman’s head.
He then snatched the victim’s purse and fled the establishment. The purse contained valuable items, including bank cards and house keys.
Birch was apprehended by police several days later and ordered to return the items to their owner.
Duty counsellor Calvin Ferrier, who represented Birch during the proceeding, advised the court that the couple would like to reconcile.
“I’ve spoken to the victim, who would be happy to have the accused back in her life providing he pays her the money he owes her,” Ferrier said.
Assistant Crown attorney Dale Cox pointed out that the accused is still prohibited from contacting his former girlfriend.
“He’s been in court with alarming regularity,” said Cox.

Source: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/07/21/14778181.html

Poutine at Home

2010-07-21T18:49:00.004-04:00

Here is my friend Gordon preparing poutine for friends visiting from the U.S.A.

He and his wife Natalie are now poutine ambassadors, spreading the poutine word to our neighbours to the south.

Well done guys. Looks like a five out of five curd effort!

Actor John Leguizamo and Poutine

2010-07-15T21:41:00.004-04:00

John Leguizamo, best known for his autobiographical one-man comedy shows, including 1998's Emmy-winning Freak, and films such as Moulin Rouge and Ice Age, was in Montreal recently for the Just for Laughs Festival. Here he is with Montreal ambassador Daniel Baylis trying poutine for the very first time. (He is introduced to poutine at 3:15.)

Kosher Poutine

2010-07-09T06:17:00.002-04:00

My friends Gordon and Natalie brought over their 13-year-old friend Rachel. She was visiting from Maryland and had never tried poutine before. Oh my!

Rachel's request was to have kosher poutine and it was a fairly easy task. I found a tin of brown, mushroom gravy, added curds and fries and voila! Meat-free poutine.

The gravy tasted really nice. Not too salty. I think I'd buy it again, instead of purchasing the so-called "poutine" gravy they sell at the grocery store. And I think Rachel really enjoyed her first taste of the stuff.

Jos Patate

2010-07-06T08:22:00.008-04:00

On a rainy day recently, Richard and I headed over the bridge in Hawkesbury, Ontario to Grenville, Quebec.

When it's sunny, Jos Patate has an incredibly long line up so today was the day to try their poutine.

Richard and I ordered a medium to split.

Luckily, because of the rain, there was plenty of seating available.

The poutine was pretty good. Great curd coverage. Nice, warm gravy. All round, pretty darn good.

We both liked it and agreed it was a little above average and gave it a 4 out of a 5 possible curds.

Jos Patate, 29 rue Maple, Grenville, QC, J0V 1J0
Phone: 819-242-1059

College View

2010-06-22T09:01:00.005-04:00

This review just in from my friend Jen and her boys Jacob and Joshua who live in Prescott, Ontario.

College View is a little ice cream shoppe across from Kemptville College, Kemptville. I wish I could say we were pleased and excited to share however that is not the case this time.

For one, the fries, although fresh, were heavily coated with some kind of batter. I personally don't much like coated fries as I believe that a properly cooked potato will stand just fine on its own. The container was close to tiny for a "small" and made of cardboard. Your fingers were not protected from the hot contents and nor would they stay hot for long in thin cardboard.

Joshua's first words after his first bite were "salty gravy" -- strike three. There was not an abundance of curds either. So, all in all it was a most disappointing poutine experience. One out of five curds.

Thanks for the review, Jen. Onward and upward!

The Gage

2010-06-17T08:23:00.005-04:00

In Chicago, right across from Millennium Park is a restaurant called The Gage.

It's actually directly across the street, so close that you can see the park reflected in its front door. I had Googled "poutine in Chicago" and The Gage popped up with glowing reviews.

And they were all right! Elk ragout poutine, delicious, creamy gravy making the curds, still squeaky in their freshness, melt a bit, all served over very good fries.

Richard loved it...

...and so did I! A definite, hands down, 5 out of 5 curds. Fantastic!

The Gage, 24 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 312.372.4243
Open late, 7 days a week. Click on their website: The Gage.

Cheese Fries at Neil's

2010-06-04T06:51:00.004-04:00

While in New York City last week, we asked a few cops where we could grab a cup of coffee -- that wouldn't cost $5 a cup -- and they pointed us to Neil's.

It was only a few blocks away so we hopped over and found the joint. Great spot.

My niece Sylvie and I split an order of cheese fries. Not exactly poutine...

...but as close as we got on this visit. Yum!

Quebec’s accidental delicacy

2010-05-25T16:45:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend, the Globe and Mail ran this article about poutine and its link with haute cuisine. To read more, click here.

Best Poutine in the Region

2010-05-04T10:38:00.005-04:00

Pierre Lemieux is my Member of Parliament, representing Glengarry-Prescott-Russell. Pierre visited La fritterie Miss Alfred (in Alfred, Ontario) to congratulate Suzanne and Jacques Villeneuve on having won the prestigious “Best Poutine in the Region” award. He ordered a poutine and it was immediately evident why they won! He also enjoyed some delicious home-made pea-soup and chocolate cake.

Off Manhattan Poutine

2010-05-04T06:18:00.001-04:00

Here's what a site called Off Manhattan had to say about poutine:
Poutine—a greasy bechamel of fries slathered in gravy and cheese curds—is about as easy for an American to dismiss as curling or ice hockey. It’s just the type of handiwork we’d expect of the country that took our ham and called it their bacon.
Except that they were right: Canadian bacon does sound way cooler than ham; hockey is like a bloodier, faster soccer; and poutine? Well, it sort of tastes like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July decided to throw a joint party in your mouth. Which is convenient, because poutine goes really well with beer.

Turns out there are a smattering of places in and around New York that offer this unofficial national dish of our neighbor to the north. Here’s a list of four delicious Canadian spots to whet your poutine appetite.
To see the entire list, click here.

Kal's Chip Stand

2010-05-03T08:32:00.000-04:00

This poutine review is courtesy of Jennifer and her son Josh from Prescott, Ontario

Living in Prescott, Ontario, it's hard to find poutine, let alone a good one. But a few days ago, we discovered an unassuming chip stand called Kal's. My son and I happened to be shopping at Giant Tiger around lunchtime and Kal's was parked right beside it. So we decided to give it a try.

Their small poutine was absolutely enormous!

We decided to share a small poutine. Very reasonable at $4.50!

The fries were hot and crisp, the sauce tasty and not at all salty, and the curds went ALL the way to the bottom of the styrofoam cup which kept everything hot to the very last bite. The curds even squeaked! We agreed that if there was a "perfect" poutine eating experience this was it. 5 curds out of 5 curds!

Thanks Jen and Josh. Kal's sounds like a keeper!

Kal's Chip Stand is parking lot of the Giant Tiger, Prescott, Ontario.
Open seasonally.

Poutine in Punta Cana

2010-05-02T09:33:00.003-04:00

These clever young Canadians figured out how to make poutine in the Dominican Republic. You know what it's like when you have a craving...

Séguin Patate

2010-04-30T06:46:00.010-04:00

A warm, sunny day in Cornwall, Ontario with friends meant a stop at a little seasonal joint called Séguin Patate.

Lots of stuff to choose from and a picnic table to eat it on.

But how could we pass up the poutine?

Here's Mr. Séguin Patate welcoming me. He's a cutie, eh?

Inside the busy kitchen, there was a cute cartoon advertising the St. Albert curds used on their poutine.

A lone seagull stood patiently waiting for a handout.

We split a large poutine. Jen had them add bacon, just to give it a try.

That poutine got photographed from many angles.

We dug in and had the following comments: It was on the small side for a so-called "large"; the fries were great as was the gravy which tasted of bacon; the curds weren't squeaky. All in all, a pretty good effort. 4 out of a possible 5 curds.

Séguin Patate, 921 Marlborough St N, Cornwall, Ontario
Open seasonally from spring to fall.

Smoke's Poutine

2010-04-28T16:25:00.004-04:00

My niece Sam and her friend Ziz from Toronto sent in this review.

After an evening on the town, we thought we would check out Smoke's Poutinerie on Queen Street West.

It gets points for ambiance...a big chalkboard with plenty of chalk kept us amused while we waited to place our order. And good tunes kept us in the mood.

When we got to ordering, we skipped the vast range of poutine flavors available and went straight for the classic!

We split a small poutine and it was just the right amount of food for the time of evening. The fries were good and tasted like real, fresh cut potatoes. There was a good amount of cheese, but the gravy could have been a bit tastier. Unfortunately, the take-out container dish was too deep so the cheese/gravy didn't permeate enough to the bottom fries. But all-in-all a great place to get a good poutine in Toronto!

So Sam and Ziz, sounds like it might be a 4 out of 5 curds?

Smoke's Poutinerie has five locations in Toronto, and is also in Ottawa. Coming soon to Kingston and London. To read more about Smoke's Poutinerie, click here.

Calvin Trillin on Poutine

2010-04-28T08:44:00.003-04:00

This just in from Toronto's Globe and Mail. Calvin Trillin proposes that “Poutine should be declared the national dish of Canada.” To read more, click here.

Bonnie Stern's Poutine

2010-04-26T16:57:00.004-04:00

From the pages of Reader's Digest, here's Toronto chef Bonnie Stern's version of a healthier poutine. Click to enlarge.

Mom & Burger

2010-04-23T06:57:00.001-04:00

After a hard day of pulling in wood from the bush, we decided to head into Alexandria, Ontario to a popular chip stand called Mom & Burger.

It's basically a large shipping container with a door cut out of it and a tent-like structure added in front of the ordering window.

Richard thought the whole place lacked warmth and took exception to the "Keep off" signs pasted on the giant metal burger. (I'm still not sure what it is exactly. Some sort of former Burger King mascot with a bobby hat?)

The ketchup and vinegar counter was kind of fun. I only noticed afterward that they have an extras category where you can add more curds to your poutine.

It wasn't really necessary. The poutine had tons of curds. The only problem was that they were cool and not squeaky. The fries were okay and the gravy was hot and tasted fine.

We rated it as an average poutine and concurred at a 3.5 out of a possible 5 curds. To make it fair, we thought we'd give it a second chance when the place is hopping (and in mid-summer, this place hops!) and the fries might be fresher and crisper.

Mom & Burger, Hwy. 34, just north of the tracks in Alexandria, Ontario
Phone: 613-577-0308
Open spring through fall.

Beer and Butter Tarts

2010-04-19T12:17:00.004-04:00

Poutine Chronicles is now part of a great site called Beer and Butter Tarts that promotes Canadian food blogs. Here's what one of the folks who runs it writes, "In July of 2009, we created a website called Beer and Butter Tarts. The original intent was for the site to be a cross between TasteTO and a Canadian version of Serious Eats; with people from across the country writing about food in Canada. But it was a lot more work than we had expected and we really couldn’t keep up both the quantity and quality. But we’ve always wanted to do something that celebrated food in Canada, and we loved the name…
So we’ve turned Beer and Butter Tarts into a food blog aggregator, where Canadian food bloggers can join and have their blog posts included on the home page." To see more, click Beer and Butter Tarts.com.

To see another cool food website run by the same folks click on Save Your Fork...There's Pie!

Background on Poutine Eating Contest

2010-04-19T09:51:00.001-04:00

My friend Elisabeth sent me this article from Saturday's Montreal Gazette. Click to enlarge.

Poutine Eating Contest

2010-04-19T06:32:00.002-04:00

Sarah from Toronto sent me this link to a newspaper called "24H" which describes a poutine eating contest to be held on May 22nd in that city.

I have a stomach ache just reading about it.

If you'd like to nominate someone who you think would be a good competitor, click here to go to Smokes Poutinerie website. You can also guess how much poutine the winner will eat. Good times!

Poutine glacée

2010-04-15T17:25:00.003-04:00

My friend Roberta, who lives in Florida, sent this to me. It was sent to her by her sister-in-law Randi, who recently spotted this poster while visiting Sutton, Québec. Ice cream with cookies to look like fries and marshmallow-like curds. Butterscotch sauce like gravy? Looks interesting. Anyone ever try it? Please let me know!

Petit Bill's Bistro

2010-04-13T05:18:00.009-04:00

My friend Peggi read a glowing review of a lobster poutine at a place called Petit Bill's Bistro in Ottawa. They call themselves "A French bistro with a Newfie accent." We decided to check it out.

Sure enough, there it was on the menu in the window. Lobster poutine!

So we ventured inside.

We decided to split the lobster poutine and also split a citrus salad. The server was terrific and had the 2 meals plated in the kitchen so there was no messy splitting of dinners at the table.

The salad was described as: Nutty Greens -- crispy baby lettuces, showered with pine nuts, sunflower seeds, orange supremes, julienne peppers, tossed with a honey-citrus vinaigrette. (Yum!)

And check it out. Lobster poutine! Homecut shoestring frites, lobster, shellfish butter sauce and marscapone cheese. Oh. My. Gawd. I don't think I'll ever play the tuba again. Or whatever. This was the bomb! Thank goodness we shared it. It was incredibly rich and incredibly delicious.
On my gilded curd scale (used only for unusual, high-end poutines), I'll give it a 5 out of a possible 5 gilded curds. We both loved it!

Petit Bill's Bistro, 1293 Wellington Street W., Ottawa, ON K1Y 3B1
Phone: 613-729-2500
Hours: Open daily, Monday to Saturday open for Lunch, Dinner & Afternoon Cocktail from 11:30 am. Open Sundays from 4:00 pm
Closed Holidays & Long Weekend Sundays
To see more, click on their website: Petit Bills Bistro

Mail Order Poutine Sauce

2010-04-09T08:38:00.002-04:00

I recently heard from Mathieu, a young entrepreneur from Gatineau, Québec. He has just launched a website called Big Poutine where he sells packets of poutine sauce (all you do is add water) to anyone around the world. I'd love to know from which corners of the globe folks are buying poutine sauce. Maybe Mathieu can eventually put up a map and we can follow along?
To check out his site, click here: BigPoutine.com

La Bonne Assiette

2010-04-05T10:14:00.004-04:00

With temperatures soaring to a record breaking 29C on Saturday, Richard and I headed to a poutine joint in Grenville, Québec. On the right of the photo you can see the bridge that takes you over the Ottawa River to Hawkesbury, Ontario.

We decided to park our brake, as our friend Jack D'Mestiere would say, at La Bonne Assiette and try their poutine. Looks like the cartoon chef on their sign has had a few too many poutines himself!

We split a small one. Richard didn't like the inconsistent fries. Some were burnt and all were mushy. I took offense to the ice-cold curds. Once curds are refrigerated, they lose their squeak, which is part of their charm. The gravy was hot and pretty good.

Richard gave it a 3 out a possible 5 curds. I was teetering on a 2.5. We both agreed it was pretty average. Not great but not horrible.

La Bonne Assiette, 41 rue Maple, Grenville, QC J0V 1J0
Phone: 819-242-9000

Three's Company

2010-03-29T16:15:00.002-04:00

My friend Wendy who lives in Toronto sent me this review of a terrific looking poutine.

We were celebrating my daughter Mikayla’s 14th birthday dinner at Three’s Company, a restaurant not far from where we live. My son, Sonny, ordered the Pulled Barbecue Pork Poutine. It had a rich smoky barbecue sauce over house seasoned pork, served on a bed of fresh cut fries, layered with a three cheese blend. The blend consisted of cheddar, Monterey jack and mozzarella. Sonny gave it the thumbs up. He said it was amazing.

I spoke to the owner who also said that in the past they have also had as a special poutine -- a fresh salmon and dill cream sauce served over fresh-cut fried potatoes. Sounds delicious!

Thanks Wendy. Looks like the poutine at Three's Company gets a five curd rating.

Three's Company, 673 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4J 1L2
(across from Pape Subway)
Phone: 416-406-3233
To go to their website, click here: threes-company.com

Cooking Light Magazine

2010-03-22T08:06:00.004-04:00

My sister Marcia sent me a copy of the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Cooking Light magazine which had a feature on Québec cuisine. One of the things they tackled was a light version of poutine. Click to enlarge.

To see another version of "healthy" poutine, here's one suggested by Portland Poutine.

Kooky Canuck

2010-03-17T06:20:00.015-04:00

A review from poutine lover and traveller, Jack D'Mestiere -- this time a review from Tennessee.

I'm not a great believer in fate or the supernatural, but given all the energy associated with Memphis--Blues meets BBQ meets Elvis--it seems a little hard to believe that I would end up staying at a hotel with marching ducks, across the street from a restaurant called The Kooky Canuck without some sort of paranormal intervention. So, at lunch time, I inspected the menu to see if there was anything Canadian about the place at all. I was rewarded in maple leaves!

I walked in and saw immediately that the decor was designed to make Tennesseans believe they were in Canada. Note the birch sticks, wood paneling, and animal heads on the wall. Not all of them were real, but still, the feeling was of the north, and I don't mean the north end of the famous Highway 61, the Blues Highway. It was noon and the joint was filling up with hungry Memphisarians.

I slid into a seat at the bar, picked up a menu, and saw I was north of the border, at least in one regard.

Yes, there it was on the menu, poutine, complete with the correct phonetic pronunciation guide! Meghan asked me what mine would be. "Poutine [pronunced just the way Richard taught me--"pooh-tin"]. She looked at me, smiled, placed the order, and came back. "You Canadian?" "Nope, just go there a lot and have friends there." "You pronounce it like a Canadian--like my boss." Ah ha, there was something to this Kooky Canuck! A half curd premium for the pronunciation.

The poutine arrived some minutes later, served by restauranteur Shawn Dansko, formerly of Montréal, now of Memphis. It was piping hot and served on a hard plastic platter--not waxed paper or cardboard, but still, not china. Half a curd premium for presentation.The plate held one of the most generous servings I've seen. The fries were crisp, but not burned, allowing them to hold up to the gravy long into the meal. There were plenty of curds, nicely heated so they were warm-to-hot, but not gooey. The gravy was brown and salty, just the way I like it. Shawn stayed to chat for a while. Hetold me he'd "take his poutine back to Montreal and stand it up against anything..." He was right!
He's a traditionalist--I asked him about his views on non-standard ingredients like goat cheese and you could guess his answer. I asked about whether he adds anything, like sausage, to his poutine. He answered that he was still in the process of winning Memphis over to poutine. He pointed out that Southerners are inclined to try poutine--they like gravy on anything--but when you tell them it's brown gravy instead of chicken gravy, they become cautious and conservative.

Shawn and the Kooky Canuck have a great product at a reasonable price. I'll give the poutine itself a solid 4.5 out of 5 curds. Add in the two half-curd premiums and the decor, and you will be rewarded with a 5+ curd performance! I have confidence that Shawn and the Kooky Canuck will win Memphis over in the end. He has a great opportunity as the KC is not far from the ball park where the Memphis Redbirds play. Ever try those corn chip-and-chez-whiz concoctions that are so popular? One poutine, please!

Kooky Canuck, 97 S 2nd Street, Memphis, TN 38103-3009
Phone: 901-578-9800
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., 7 days a week.
To go to their fun website, click here: Kooky Canuck.com

La Poutine Jenga

2010-03-16T06:58:00.001-04:00

Chef Martin Juneau is one clever fellow. He created a poutine in the shape of a Jenga game. Jenga is a game where you stack blocks into a tower and then each person takes a turn removing a block until the tower eventually falls. The person who removes the last block loses.

This poutine tower is made of the three standard ingredients in poutine: potatoes cut into a block, cheddar cheese cut into the same shape (alas, Chef Juneau couldn't use curds because they are unstable and irregularly shaped), and gravy made solid by using gelatin, again in the same shape as the other two ingredients.

To see a video of Chef Juneau making his Poutine Jenga, click here.

Thanks to my friend Dave for sending me this link!

Goodies Restaurant

2010-03-14T12:54:00.008-04:00

I checked out Goodies, a greasy-spoon restaurant in Hawkesbury and was pleasantly surprised.

First off, they had a section of the menu devoted entirely to poutine. I could have chosen the "all-dressed" version offering sausages, green pepper, mushrooms and cheese (plus gravy) on the fries.

I love to see an open kitchen that's busy and the orders flying out of there fast and furious. You know your food is going to be served hot and fresh.

And it was. I ordered a standard poutine served with delicious, chicken-based gravy which was hot. The curds were extra squeaky. The fries were good. I told Richard it tasted like eating in the heat of summer, sitting at a chip stand by the side of the road.

Overall an excellent poutine. I gave it a 4.5 out of a possible 5 curds. Very close to poutine perfection.

Goodies Restaurant, 55 Main Street West Hawkesbury, ON K6A 2H3
Phone:613-632-3555

Time Out Tokyo

2010-03-12T06:55:00.001-05:00

I found this cool site called Time Out Tokyo offering folks tips on what to do in that city. Here, they explain why poutine is popular in Tokyo. Very cool. To read it, click here.

Dessert Poutine

2010-03-10T06:15:00.001-05:00

Ricardo Larrivée – or simply Ricardo to his fans – is Canada’s most successful bilingual celebrity chef. He studied hotel management in Montreal, but never actually trained as a chef or even worked in a kitchen for that matter.
Ricardo has been called, "Quebec's answer to Jamie Oliver.” He hosts two television shows, Ricardo in French and Ricardo and Friends in English. He has just published his second cookbook and also has his own magazine also called Ricardo.

His recipe for a dessert that looks like poutine is somewhat like my "faux poutine cake" but is much more complicated to make. Still, it makes me think that I could make this but omit his deep-fried "churros" that look like fries (I hate deep frying) and replace it with toasted pound cake (like I did on top of the cake). Read on. I think it's pretty cool.

Caramel Sauce:
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup 35% cream
3/4 cup semi-salted butter, cut into cubes

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan. Move the sauce pan around with the handle, while cooking, to keep the colour even until the mixture turns golden.

Remove from the heat and add the cream gradually while stirring. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth.
Whisk in the butter until the sauce is smooth. Let cool.

Fries (churros):
3/4 cup milk
1 cup semi-salted butter, cut into cubes
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
5 eggs
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions: Preheat the oil in the deep fryer to 190°C (375°F). Line a baking sheet with paper towels or set a cooling rack on it.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a boil with the butter. Remove from the heat. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a smooth ball.

Return the saucepan to the burner over low heat and stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the saucepan, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Beat until the dough is smooth.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-cm (1/4-inch) star tip, pipe 15-cm (6-inch) ribbons one at a time into the deep fryer. Fry about 8 churros at a time, turning them halfway through cooking, until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain on the baking sheet.

In a deep stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

Drop the hot churros into the sugar mixture. Shake the bowl to coat well and shake off the excess sugar. Set the churros aside on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 100°C (212°F).

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Pile the churros in 8 bowls, drizzle with sauce and scatter marshmallow pieces on top. Serve warm.

For a less sweet version you can replace the marshmallows with small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese.

NYC Tour de Poutine

2010-03-09T15:22:00.003-05:00

I heard from Brendan Spiegel, one of the gang of folks who puts together Endless Simmer. Here's what they say about themselves. "We created endless simmer to satisfy our insatiable desire to think about food constantly. We’re basically somewhere between regular consumers of food pop culture and total snobs; we can just as easily enjoy offal or destroy a Dunkin Donuts (fake) egg and cheese croissant. Turn to endless simmer for all your food needs. We want to share our cooking stories, favorite shows, restaurant reviews and any other things we can think of that incorporate eating. Clearly, we just can’t keep our mouths shut."
Best of all, they've checked out places that serve poutine all across New York City. To read what they have to say, click here.

Poutine in the Woods

2010-03-08T06:14:00.005-05:00

Deep in the woods at the back of the property is an old picnic table that my dad put there about 25 years ago. Since there are so many bugs in the summer, the best time of year to use it is now! And since this is an unusually warm winter, this weekend -- at 8C -- was perfect.

So poutine in the woods it was. In an insulated bag, I brought hot-from-the-oven French fries..

...and then added some St. Albert squeaky curds...

...and topped it off with hot poutine gravy from a Thermos.

Perfection in the woods!

Doesn't this look fantastic? Great setting and great poutine.

Shoeless Joe's

2010-03-05T06:09:00.005-05:00

Shoeless Joe's is a chain of restaurants across Ontario. It's a sports-themed, casual dining restaurant.

I love their front door, using baseball bats as handles. Clever.

They even have a statue of the man himself.

They have a pretty standard menu of good food. I had half a grilled veggie sandwich with fries. There was no poutine on the menu -- the waitress was shocked when I pointed this out -- but she recovered and said that any fry order could be made into a poutine. So I went for it.

It wasn't bad. No curds but again the waitress assured me that the cheese was yummy because they used three kinds of cheese: mozzarella, jack and something with peppers in it. The fries themselves were seasoned, extra crispy and delicious. The gravy was good.

So even though I think these guys should spring for some curds and make REAL poutine, it wasn't bad. I guess I'd give it a 3.5 out of a possible 5 curds.

Shoeless Joe's, 1110 Brookdale Avenue, Cornwall, Ontario K6J 4P4
Phone: 613-937-4838

Pizza & Poutine

2010-03-03T16:53:00.002-05:00

What a deal! Pizza and poutine and a drink for $14.99. Okay, I bet that doesn't include the cost of the ambulance to the hospital after you eat all that.

Pan Chancho

2010-03-01T06:27:00.006-05:00

I've always wanted to go to Pan Chancho, the bakery/café arm of Chez Piggy, my favourite restaurant in Kingston, Ontario. Both restaurants were owned by the late Zal Yanovsky, a member of the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful.

And there was poutine on the menu!

Okay, this had to be the oddest poutine I have ever seen. White and sweet potato fries, sitting in a pot, floating in a very nice gravy-ish substance. The fries were coated in cheddar and atop the pile were two nice, barbecued ribs. The waiter commented that every time he served this, he thought of Fred Flintstone.

I have to say it was absolutely delicious but impossible to rank on the usual five curd scale. I think I'll have to create another rating system for the more unusual and creative poutine out there. How about gilded curds? In this ranking situation, I'd give this a three and a half out of five gilded curds. Taste was great. But it kind of threw me for a loop. Maybe that was the point?

Pan Chancho, 44 Princess Street, Kingston, ON K7L 1A4
Phone: 613-544-7790
To read more click here: panchancho.com

Emeril Lagasse's Poutine

2010-02-27T06:49:00.003-05:00

Emeril Legasse's recipe for poutine from an episode of Emeril Live about French Canadian Cuisine.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds Idaho white potatoes, peeled and cut
1/2 pound fresh cheese curd

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the butter and flour. Stir until incorporated. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes for a dark roux. Stir in the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Peel the potatoes and cut fries, 4 inches by 1/2-inch. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and blanch for 4 minutes. Remove, drain and cool completely. Fry the potatoes until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, mound the fries into the individual (16-ounce) disposable cups. Spoon the gravy over the fries and crumble the cheese. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Penance and Poutine at the Olympics

2010-02-25T09:20:00.003-05:00

VANCOUVER - U.S. men's figure skater Johnny Weir thinks he should sit down over some poutine with two Quebec broadcasters who made a series of offensive on-air remarks about him. To read the entire article click here.

A Day of Poutine!

2010-02-24T06:13:00.008-05:00

Chef Pierre Robillard, a native Montrealer who migrated to Toronto two years ago to open his popular Québecois restaurant, Café du Lac, specializes in a gourmet poutine made with Perron cheese curds, a foie gras and brie cream sauce which is sprinkled throughout with maple syrup drizzled pulled beef and topped with seared foie gras.

Pierre will be showcasing his specialty poutine at the Cheese Boutique in Toronto’s west end on Saturday, February 27th from noon to 4pm.

Too bad I live so far away. Can someone go and "cover" the event for Poutine Chronicles and report back to me? That'd be fantastic!
The Cheese Boutique is at 45 Ripley Avenue, Toronto. Phone: 416-762-6292. To read more about the cheese boutique, click here.

Seattle Times: Olympics & Poutine

2010-02-23T06:39:00.001-05:00

Here's an article entitled, "Can fries, gravy and curds end a war over words at Olympics?" from the Seattle Times. Click here to read it. There's even an odd little video on the page. Check it out!

Fifth Wheel Truck Stop

2010-02-22T06:51:00.003-05:00

Richard and I hit the Fifth Wheel Restaurant in Cornwall, a chain of six truck stops in Ontario with locations as far away as Grimsby, Bowmanville and North Bay.

Big place and nice and clean.

Notice the priority seating for truckers.

Here's their menu...

...which even featured a poutine pizza. I'm going back for that!

Their poutine is so popular, it's advertised on little tent cards on the tables.

And ta-da! Here it is in all its poutine glory.

Really yummy. Nice, hot gravy. Hot fries. Only complaint? There could have been more curds.

A solid 4 out of a possible 5 rating.

Fifth Wheel Truck Stop, Highway 401, Exit 792, 1901 McConnell Avenue, Cornwall ON K6H 5R6
Phone: 613-933-8363
Open 24 hours
To see their menu, click here.

Poutine on Today Show Blog

2010-02-18T13:53:00.003-05:00

Canada's profile is a little higher these days now that we're hosting the Winter Olympic games. Here's a story entitled "Canadians and Poutine: A Love Story" appearing on NBC's Today Show's blog called "allDay." To read it, click here.

Olympic Poutine

2010-02-16T09:18:00.007-05:00

My oldest and dearest friend from our days growing up in Montreal, Roberta, now lives in Florida. Her eldest daughter Whitney wrote and asked for some advice on making poutine. Here are her results.
I did two batches of fries: one thick cut to make a more traditional looking poutine and then one waffle fry batch for fun.

The mozzarella worked out fine in the absence of cheese curds south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I took your advice to break it into chucks rather than grate it. Here's an action shot of Tim, my poutine partner-in-crime, curdifying the mozzarella.

And good news, the gravy was groovy. I made it from the drippings of the chicken I roasted earlier in the week. It was a little on the thin side, but very tasty with flavors from the veggies that roasted along with the chicken (carrots, onions, fennel, garlic).

Per your suggestion, I layered fries, cheese, gravy, fries, cheese, gravy to achieve the toasty, melty, but non-soupy dish of delish you described.

We cracked open a couple of Labatts, sat back to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver, and dug into the poutine.

It doesn't get more Canadian than that in Tallahassee, Florida. Cheers, eh?

Thank you for your expert guidance through my first attempt at making poutine! That's some yummy stuff you guys cooked up over there.

Great job, Whitney. I think you deserve the gold medal in poutine making. Thanks for sharing!

Valentine Poutine

2010-02-14T09:11:00.009-05:00

I was on the Facebook fan page of TPoutine the other day and noticed their Valentine's Day poutine. I wrote them about it and got a nice note back saying, "...it's unfortunately not something we can offer our diners though (it's too time consuming and messing with the curds in advance would ruin their freshness). I credit our chef, Kathleen Lucier, for her handy skills." I decided to take a page from T-Poutine and try it myself.

I started with a block of mild cheddar. I figured it'd be too hard to mess with trying to make curds into heart shapes.

Luckily I had a set of heart-shaped cookie cutters...

...which I used to cut the hearts.

I just kept going till I had about eight little cheesy hearts.

I used potato wedges instead of fries and poured chicken gravy on top of the lot.

It wasn't half bad. I missed the squeaky cheese curds but for a Valentine's Day treat, it was kinda fun.

Canned Poutine Sauce

2010-02-12T06:13:00.002-05:00

I was at my local Your Independent grocery store and noticed that there's a choice of poutine sauces for the next time you make poutine at home.

I've tried the St. Hubert brand and it's pretty good. And this week it was on sale.

This one is by Cordon Bleu. Sound very high end and odd to me...Cordon Bleu poutine? Kind of an oxymoron.

I noticed there's a version of poutine sauce carried by the in-store brand's No Name label. Very cheaply priced too. Anyone out there tried any of these? If so, please leave a comment.

A Girl Can Dream

2010-02-09T07:49:00.003-05:00

Menu posted in the window at Carol's Restaurant in Hawkesbury. Gotta get me some...

The Bothy Brew

2010-02-06T06:25:00.000-05:00

A bunch of us decided to head over to Maxville, Ontario to have some pub grub at The Bothy Brew.

The interior is fun with lots of Montréal Canadiens' memorabilia on the walls, along with other hockey teams. (Are there really any other hockey teams? Okay, so I digress...)

The menu was typical fare and offered poutine, so I ordered one.

Big mistake. First off, no curds but grated mozzarella instead. Bad sign. And there was way too much gravy making it into a big, soupy mess. The melted cheese had the effect of looking like Lake Erie (before it was cleaned up). And the poor fries seemed to be clinging to the edge of the waxed paper for safety. Yuck.

I could barely eat it. This is as far as I got. The fries above the gravy line were edible, the soggy ones below were hopelessly lost forever.
My opinion of The Bothy Brew? As my late mother would have said, "I have been there twice. The first and last time."
The poutine gets a half curd out of a possible five. The half curd is because they didn't use styrofoam and at the very least, the waxed paper that the sad poutine was served in will not be clogging up a landfill site. I can't say the same for the poutine.

The Bothy Brew, 1 Mechanic St. W., Maxville, ON K0C 1T0
Phone: 613-527-9900

Max Diner

2010-02-03T06:19:00.009-05:00

My friend Susan and I met for lunch the other day at the Max Diner, a truck stop off Highway 417, beside the Petro-Canada gas station in St. Isidore, Ontario.

It's kind of funky with a few neon signs around the counter...

...and check out the framed posters of trucks that have headlights that actually light up.

Their poutine was pretty darn good. Good curd coverage, gravy was pretty tasty and not too salty. My only criticism was that it could have been hotter.

It got a solid 4 out of 5 curd rating. Above average but not mind-blowing. I'd likely go back and have it again.

Max Diner at Petro-Canada, off Hwy 417 at St Isidore, ON K0C 2B0
Phone: 613-524-3151

McDonald's, Newfoundland & Labrador

2010-02-01T06:13:00.004-05:00

Julia O from Labrador City in Newfoundland and Labrador is a big fan of poutine and discovered a favourite. Read on...
Generally, when a true poutine connoisseur hears about a chain restaurant offering the delectable fry-cheese-gravy combination that soothes the taste buds, the initial reaction would be one of skepticism. This skepticism, however, is generally not unwarranted due to the fact that most of the fast food giants' interpretation of a real poutine is lack lustre at best. McDonald’s restaurant however (yes, THAT McDonald’s) is the exception to this rule.

If you’re fortunate enough to live on the distribution line of the Québec portion of the McDonald’s delivery scheme you are in for a treat. Served in the proper Québec style poutine dish (a Styrofoam interpretation, of course) a bed of the ever-loved McDonald’s shoe strings are blanketed with a thick layer of genuine cheese curds. Over top of this is a coating of McDonald’s own brand of poutine sauce. This is where you really feel the parallelism and very little differentiation from one poutine to the next from this particular restaurant. A detail I feel is valuable to a perfect poutine, being slightly different from each to the next. With this minor detail being overlooked, McDonald’s definitely got their sauce recipe right and it is parallel to the sauce often used in an authentic Québec poutine.

This poutine is from the one and only McDonald’s location in all of Labrador, located in Labrador City, NL. On a rating scheme of a chain restaurant I would be inclined to give it 5 curds out of 5. Comparing it to any other poutine option I would give it 4 curds out of 5. It’s definitely worth a try if you are ever in the position to experience it, you won’t be disappointed!

Thanks Julia. And I loved that you photographed the poutine on the Labrador flag!

McDonald's, 90 Avalon Drive, Labrador City, NL A2V 2Y2‎
Phone: 709-944-2901‎