Death by poutine? Nah, but we came close. Here's the skinny on Quebec's favorite comfort food.
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How could such a simple dish become a classic? And how are local chefs giving poutine a creative twist? We spent a long weekend on our own Tour de Poutine to find out.
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In Montreal, you can get veggie poutine, Indian butter chicken poutine, and the fanciest version of all: the foie gras poutine at Au Pied de Cochon.
Diane Bair
Foie gras poutine at Au Pied de Cochon
Want to go fancy? It doesn't get fancier than foie gras poutine, served at Au Pied de Cochon (
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Classic poutine at Patati Patata
A tiny diner adorned with a mural, Patati Patata (
Poutine with chicken gravy — and a worthy sidekick — at Chez Tousignant
In Montreal's Little Italy, we met the gregarious Chef Michele Forgione, co-owner of Chez Tousignant (
Joining it on the menu are elevated versions of snack shop favorites including hot dogs and burgers. The poutine was a worthy version, featuring red-skinned potatoes, blanched and double-fried, topped with spiced chicken gravy and cheese curds 'that haven't seen the refrigerator for two days,' one of their flavor secrets, says Forgione. Plus, the fries should be smoosh-y, not crispy — 'the way Canadians like them, like mashed potatoes.' We sampled poutine, a hot dog, and a burger. That burger was everything — perfectly seared on the grill, with lettuce, tomato, and their special sauce. This smash-style burger is what In-&-Out Burger and Shake Shack burgers wish they could be. We know this is a poutine story, but we had to call out that burger as a public service.
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Portuguese poutine? Italian-style? Why not
We'd heard great things (and read lots of positive reviews) about Ma Poule Mouillée (
At Poutineville, the name says it all: Choose from one of their signature or international poutines (this one is Italian) or create your own with mix-and-match ingredients.
Diane Bair
Where else to go for poutine? Even though we were reaching Maximum Poutine Overload, we had a job to do, so we hit Poutineville (
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At least we got some exercise in, walking nearly everywhere, and strolling among the stalls of colorful produce and other fresh edibles at Jean-Talon Market (
We leaned on La Banquise manager Isaac Soule to create small portions of their top-selling poutines. Add-ins like fried pickles and bacon pushed these poutines over the top.
Diane Bair
Variations on a theme at La Banquise
A breakfast poutine with caramelized onions, peppers, bacon, and hollandaise sauce, topped with an egg? Sounded like fine breakfast fodder to us. But our bodies — feeling hung over minus the alcohol (too many fries?) — said non to Fabergé's (
Plus, we really wanted to try La Banquise (
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Our final favorites (poutines worth crossing the border for)
Frankly, he had us at Scooby. Those fried pickles were the chef's kiss. Their crunch and sourness played well with the cheese curds, fries, and bacon. These poutines were loaded with toppings and light on the fries, with a good balance of texture and flavor. Everyone who's ever watched a cooking show knows that bacon goes with everything. We ate every bite. And this was on Day Three, when we should've been totally poutined-out.
Scooby poutine was at the top of our list, along with the foie gras poutine at Au Pied de Cochon, in case you're wondering. (The guy at the Canada/US checkpoint asked, too.) If we didn't mention your favorite, be grateful. These places are already packed to the rafters.
Our takeaway — along with the takeout chicken poutine from La Banquise — classic poutine is OK, but a loaded poutine is a wonderful thing indeed. Poutine needs pals — fried pickles, crunchy bacon, even a vegetable or two.
If you go . . .
For all things Montreal, visit
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at
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