I remember the first time I heard of poutine I was a bit weirded out because I imagined how messy and greasy it would be. But the first time I tried it, you can say it was love at first bite. What’s not to love right? You have your perfectly fried potatoes, rich, thick, beefy gravy and all those squeaky cheese curds that melts just enough to be stringy but not gooey. If someone asks me for an example of Canadian food, poutine would be number one on the list for me. It’s as Canadian as you can get for poutine was first invented in Quebec. Oh those French Canadians are great (I can hear them saying “Mais, Oui!” right now)! Poutine was invented in the 1950s and by 1970s, it was so popular that it’s legendary goodness traveled all the way down to New York and New Jersey where it was called “disco fries.” However, apparently poutine was considered an embarrassment to the French-Canadian cuisine because it was considered low, rural food. Fast forward to a few years later, everyone seems to have gone poutine crazy! In downtown Toronto alone you have so many poutine shops to choose from and even high end restaurants offer their version of this French Canadian classic.
For us, our fave spot for poutine is Poutini’s House of Poutine on Queen West. The menu is small compared to other joints, but their poutines are spot on! They offer a variety of options – classic, bacon, pulled pork and even vegan options. It’s a great place to go if you’ve been craving for a good quality poutine or just feel those late night munchies coming on (they are open until 3/330 am from Thurs to Fri). Their fries are hand cut daily in house and are deep fried twice Belgian style. The cheese is delivered daily so they’re definitely fresh and they make their own gravies as well. And if you have some dietary restrictions, they offer vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options as well. So next time you’re craving for some poutine goodness or if you have friends visiting from out of town, take them to Poutini’s House of Poutine (http://www.poutini.com/).
Here are some pics of our day out and about hunting for good poutine:
That poutine looks incredible! And it also looks like the most perfectly gorgeous sunny day 🙂