Montreal Poutine
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Some poutines are made in the style of the house, displaying the
personal innovation of the owner-chef.
Others convey the greasy-spoon
terroir from which they spring. Poutines are the convenience-meal of
their roots in fast-food joints.
And some places, they are just
spun-out obediently to an expectant clientelle, who would no more
forgive its absence as the absensc of something to drink.
How to rank?
Some poutines excel in one way, but are
unacceptable in others.
We rank them 1 to 4, with the following meanings:
Go out of your way for an experience you will talk about for years.
A fine poutine.
Not bad 'tall.
May be eaten if the shrill screams of starvation
lick like flames at your ears.
Otherwise, missable.
So on to the reviews:
Maamm Bolduc
4351 Lorimer
Poutine Bourguignonne and Sainte-Perpetue at Maamm Bolduc.
This is a hip little diner nestled on a neighborhood corner, with an
impressive casual menu.
The poutine menu, containing 8 variants, is
second to none in the city, and demonstrates a creative and engaged
chef thinking and working hard for the poutine.
In addition to a
regular style, there is the not unusual Italienne (marianara sauce); a
Vegetarienne style (peppers, onions, fried mushrooms); Bourguignonne
(ground beef, onions, fried onions, garlic); Galvaude (turkey, green
peas); Costaude (with Chili con Carne); and Sainte-Perpetue (fried
onions and bacon).
The special poutines run about $7.50 for a small,
and about $9 for a large.
I and my dining partner ordered the
Bourguignonne, and Saint-Perpetue.
The petite size was comparable to
what most pla the large would be plenty for a
lumberjack who had just spend the day clearing trees.
The poutine
sauce was a chocholate-brown, smooth, with a strong flavor that
afficianados will i it is clearly one of the most
outstanding examples of sauce available, with a perfect, high
temperature.
The fries stood up perfectly to the sauce, absorbing,
and becoming a single plate.
Regarding the cheese curds, it is usual
that the cheese curds keep firm in the plate, refusing to melt under
the heat of the sauce.
Here, the curds melted completely, and became
stringy in the sauce (though they did not liquify and become
incorporated in the sauce).
Normally, I would mark a plate down for
this -- fresh curds shouldn't melt -- but you know when you taste it
that all can be forgiven.
The poutine is that great.
Poutine Lafluer
3665 Rue W Verdun, QC
(May 2005) This is a single-owner place which does hot dogs and
Without question, the poutine served here is the best
classic poutine in Montreal.
The curds are the fresh fresh fresh, and
squeeky-delicious in every bite.
The sauce was perfectly balanced with spices
and meat, with a bit of chocholate taste.
perhaps not as crispy as a perfect fry would be, but 80% of the way
If you want a classic poutine in a classic casse-croute, this
is the one place you must make sure you go.
It is simply the best
classic poutine in Montr&l.
La Banquise
994 Rachel Est
Bacon Poutine at La Banquise.
(update Jan 2006).
This 24-hr hipster place has been a constant
favorite of the reviewer, and for good reason.
The number of poutines
has grown in time,
presently serving 22, including such great names
as "T-Rex", "Kamikaze", and B.O.M (Bacon, onions and "merguez",
sausages).
I've had the
small poutine Duotone ($5.00), which had ground beef and sauteed
more recent visit,
poutine ($8.00 for a large); recognizing that bacon, like foie gras,
makes nearly anything better, this is nonetheless a relatively rare
poutine add-in which should be a standard in every poutine loving
The smoky bacon added musky pork heft to what is already a
very pleasant platter, and I highly recommend it.
La Banquise is now
the best, premier all-around poutine joint in Montreal.
They offer the
greatest variety, with the most imagination, 24 hours and seven days
It is a must-stop for anyone eating poutine in Quebec.
Patati Patata
4177 St. Laurent (at Rachel)
(Jan 2004, updated March 2006) If you have only one poutine in
Montreal, this should be it. This tiny diner (seats 12-14, all told)
has wonderful character, and if you aren't in a poutine way, try the
tofu burger, or regular burger for that matter.
The classic poutine
(one size: $4.00) is such a richly flavorful dish that you should not
The fresh-cut fries, if a bit limp. have that dank musk of a
well-thought out potato, and you will love them.
The curds were
perfectly fresh -- not over-humidified like those stored for weeks in
a bag, but just wonderful.
And the poutine sauce, well, it is
unmatched for its deep, velvety flavor, as you can tell from its first
The young woman helping me answered a customer's query, that it
is indeed made with a mix (as per usual in a Montreal eatery), but
that they use chicken stock and wine in it as well.
Using wine in the
sauce is a signature variation -- I've never seen it elsewhere, and
it's done to such fantastic effect at Patati Patata, that the poutine
is unique, memorable, and delcious.
Congratulations to Patati Patata!
This is a giant step forward in poutine, probably the second big step
forward in poutine sauce, since the trend away from the sweet/salt
taste using tomato (which you can still taste at Roy le J it
reminds one too much of sweet/sour chinese food).
At an earlier
sitting, I had the "poutine with everything" ($5.00).
The portion was
on the small side for a dish whose charming glory is to fill one up
with something hot, cheesy and starchy.
The adventurous poutine which
I ordered had on it sliced peppers and ground beef, which added
interest. Just you try to get a seat!
La Quebecoise
3520 Ontario
(June 2005).
La Quebecoise is a casual dinner located on the Ontario
Promenade in East Montr&al (hours 8a-10p 7 days a week).
serve a variety of poutine, including: classic, smoked meat ("viande
fumee"), "a la sauce BBQ", italianne (with marianara sauce), and "La
Quebecoise", the house special.
On my visit, I had "La Quebecoise"
($5.75 for a large), which turned out to have sliced turkey, which
was a delicious addition to an already great poutine.
The cheddar
curds are the freshest curds of any poutine in Montr&al, with
that characteristic squeek of fresh curds so loud that you'll wonder
if your dining company can hear.
The fries were a very tasty
platter, and the sauce was a light brown sauce, with a little bit of
The sauce was better than the familiar light-brown sauce,
due partly to its spice, in such a way that you will be glad that
you'd ordered the poutine, and leave you wanting more, if only you
had the room for it.
Strongly Recommended!
Frite Alors
(Dec 2003) This chain can be found everywhere, and is centered around
poutine, serving many different types and combinations.
The poutine
they serve has all the correct elements: crispy fries, a spicy,
peppery sauce and cheddar curds.
I had the sausauge version, which
added extra spice.
The fries held the sauce well.
The cheese melted
modestly without slathering.
Cafe Local
200 rue Saint-viateur O.
(Oct 2005).
This is a hip bar/dinner place, great for a drink with a
few friends.
The evening I went, I was with 30 of my closest friends
at a weekly get-together, and I was surprised to find a poutine on the
menu among the pastas and other plates.
The poutine I got was based
on sweet potato fries (regular fries also available), a beef gravy and
grated mozzarella.
It should be said that this correspondent is not a
fan of grat
it tends to melt completely
and become incorporated into the sauce, and that happened here. The
cheese has to be
its own distinct component (why not break up a
buffalo mozarrella on top instead?) However, once you dig way into the
pile, is where the poutine gets good: the formidable gravy and sweet
fries plow together fantastically, and the plate has a delicious
distinctive taste you will come back for.
The use of sweet potatoes
in a poutine should be a ready innovation which is widely adopted: why
isn't this done everywere?
And they work perfectly with the beef
the standard chicken veloute would not stand up to the sweetness of
the sweet potatoes.
The poutine served here shows real
inventiveness, something of which to be proud.
) the result was a
reasonably good plate.
However, the curds were past squeeky freshness,
the fries were uninteresting, and the sauce was so completely
homogenized as to belie its institutional origins.
You might leave,
asking, where is the love?
If you're there,
it's still a lip-smakin' midnight favorite.
PFK (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
Somewhat surprisingly, the best of all fast-food poutines.
points for the light-brown chicken-based poutine sauce which
works perfectly with meaty fries and cheesy curds.
A great peppery
La Belle Province
(Dec 2003) I had the poutine at the location on Ste. Catherine near
This was my first interaction with poutine, and I was steered
to it by a shopkeeper.
La Belle Province is a chain, which was
occupied by various students and late-night workers just gettting off
as I walked in.
They serve hot dogs, poutine, sodas: typical
casse-croute faire.
First, the basics: Fries were crusty.
The sauce was sauce, uniform
and uncomplicated.
The cheese curds were cheddar.
The best part of
this poutine was the sauce, which was smoky and beefy.
The cheese
curds added nothing with no character itself. The french fries were not particularly memorable.
(March 2005).
This is a hot-dog fast-food chain, where the menu
includes a poutine.
The poutine ranks
a pedestrian, obedient mixture of the basic three.
But no more.
After having had a Lafleur poutine, you can say you've eaten a
poutine, in the same way someone who's been to McDonald's
can say they've had a hamburger.
Le Peu Belle Province
Parc at St. Viatuer
(Nov 2004).
This seems to be a one-of-a-kind fast-food joint, in the
Mile-end district, easy walking distance from the St. Viatuer bagel
shop and the fantastic La Croissantiere Figaro.
But why make the
The fries are the boring post-freeze-dried, a canned sauce, a
bagged cheese curd.
Mom will forgive you if you skip this one in
your postcard.
Montreal Pool Room
1200 St. Laurent
(1 block S of Ste. Catherine)
(June 2005) While there were certainly pool tables in the darkened
back room on the Wednesday night I went, the Montreal Pool Room is
more a quick-bite counter-diner than a pool room.
An overhead menu of
hot dogs, fries and drinks in a no-nonsense sort of environment, with
single-width tables lining the walls.
Located near the music halls, the street
outside is strewn with passed-out bodies, an area of town for
over-the-top revelry.
That aside, the poutine (large, $3.75) was a typical casse-croute
The fries, it should be said, were outstanding -- well above a
typical casse croute fries -- and probably do well on their own.
the cook piled on mounds and mounds of cheese curds, and about a ladel
and a half of light-brown sauce, a minor chord struck: too high of
cheese to sauce ratio, the fries were barely wet.
But, after waiting
a few minutes (while I was distracted elsewhere) the platter had
successfully melted into the required glom, always a good sign when a
poutine maker knows how sauce the hot needs to be.
The Pool Room
serves a useful poutine, perfect for the end of a head-bashing,
beer-soaked night.
Du Parc Pizza
4827 du Parc
(Jan 2006).
This pizza delivery joint
also has a poutine, served cheap ($5 for a large, although it's more
of a medium compared with the city average) and hot.
Not much to go
crazy over, but it's the classic sauce-mix (if a little thin), fresh
curds and fries that you wouldn't kick out of bed for being eaten by
Geena Davis.
940 Ave du Mont-Royal Est
Poutine, at Le 940, comes regular with gorgonzola cheese.
(Dec 2005) Innovation should be encouraged for a plate like poutine,
and so we are encouraged to see a bold step for poutine (and, in this
election season, in Giles Duceppe's on riding).
Le 940 serves only
one style of poutine on the menu of this trendy eatery: fries with a
pepper sauce and about 300g gorgonzola cheese. Finishing off a plate
of this stuff has the cumulative culinary effect of swallowing a tube
of toothpaste, then placing a double-barrelled shotgun in one's mouth
and pulling the trigger.
Gorgonzola cheese is too powerful to be
eaten in these quantities with just about anything, the poutine is no
exception.
The fries win no prize, they're a boring, if well-browned,
squishy house version.
One small bright spot the
sauce itself is bland and uninteresting, but it's mixed with fresh
cracked black peppercorns a nice, if very small, touch.
final analysis, however, the gorgonzola dominates the platter, and
ultimately cannot be overcome.
While we like to encourage innovation
in poutine, innovation like this makes one think that nobody is
test-tasting the platters before putting it on the menu. No one could
walk away having eaten this thinking, "Wow, that really hit the spot."
Which is too bad, because the outstanding cheeses available in Quebec
could make for some glorious poutines (how about a chevre? the
emmental at L'Anecdote is a reaspectable try.).
And I can't stop wondering if
Duceppe has had the gorgonzola poutine.
), in 1964.
A perhaps more
accurate description would be as "an" the combination of
briny cheese curds, a sauce, and fried potatoes seems to have occurred
to other restaurant owners in the region, so establishing primacy is
difficult.
Nonetheless, we are here primarily interested in the
quality of poutine today.
Being located in Drummondville, in the region where fresh curds
are made daily, a daily fresh supply which is absolutely
necessary for an outstanding poutine is insured.
Indeed Jucep's has squeeky
fresh curds.
However, the primary innovation claimed by Jucep's is
their Jucep's sauce, which was first added to the potatoes in
1964 (it was restaurant guests who took bags of cheese, also sold by
the restaurant, and added them to the mix, leading its owner to
introduce it as a regular menu item).
Today's sauce is a corn-startch thickened base of stock, flavored
mostly by the sugary-sweet taste of tomatoes, and a bit of onion.
reminds one mostly of a sweet/sour sauce of a Chinese diner, both in
flavor and texture. The sauce was poured too cool to do anything to
the cheese, and so the mixture remains a disparate pile of curds and
fries, covered in sauce.
If this is the plate which inspired future
poutines, we can safely say that it did so largely as inspiration on
the potentiality of sauce and cheese curds, rather than as a template
to be copied. I doubt the claim that anyone has tried to copy this
sauce, or to mass-produce it, made by the restaurant's website.
tomato-tasting stock sauce is too sugary-sweet to be an interesting or
appropriate counter to potato starch.
We would not score this poutine
as worth travelling for (a 1, at best).
If there's a lesson to be drawn from Jucep's poutine, it is that
embracing history for history's sake may be good for remaining
connected to one's roots, but not for cuisine, which advances and
Jucep's poutine demonstrates that it is now a dish which
has clearly moved well beyond its roots.
McDonald's
(Dec 2003).
It's not clear why McDonald's appeared 's best of 2003 Poutine list, and again in 2004, and
2005 - but I'm willing to chalk it up to
late-night deadlines and a
lack of imagination.
The fries are the usual McDonald's fries, which
lack the requisite crunchiness to hold up to a real slathering of
The sauce used by McDonalds is a made-to-purpose uninteresting
brown sauce whose chief asset and characteristic seems to be its color
As of this writing, I have not yet been able to
differentiate between quality of cheese curds, so the cheese curds
used by McDonalds were as good as anywhere else.
75 Ave du Pins, 288-1128
Poutine au Bacon, at Mamma's.
(Nov 2005).
You want to love a place called Mamma's.
Indeed, perhaps
if you eat pizza, as the McGill students who frequent the place do,
you just may.
Alas, this correspondent does not eat pizza, he eats
While the offerings are many (sausauge, hot-dog, bacon,
ground beef, itallienne, and the only vegetarian poutine I've seen in
Montreal), they are not worth the trip.
The fries were the
freeze-dried type, and were only partially cooked in the plate served
The inscrutible cheese was grated onto a tomtao-tasting sauce,
which seemed just as likely to have come from a can than a kitchen.
If there was any redemption to be had, it was in the bacon which was
layered on top of the Poutine au Bacon (the plate I tried); but,
throwing one piece of quality on an otherwise uninteresting heap
cannot redeem it.
This is a poutine which is available 24 hours a
day, but, really, there are far better examples even in that category:
(La Banquise, or Club le Sandwich).
I can't recommend the poutine,
which is a shame, because they certainly do like to
mix it up.
Mondo Fritz
3899 St. Laurent
(June 2005).
A former champion, Mondo Fritz has recently changed its
poutine recipe.
They've dropped the curds for a shredded cheese.
sauce is flat and uninteresting.
Sadly, where the Poutine au Steak
was once something I brought friends from out of town to eat, and they
would leave with eyes rolled into the back of the heads, the plate is
now a shadow of its former self.
Deli Jack Tooney
rue Berri at Ste. Catherine St. O.
(Dec 2003).
This is an expensive -- for what you get -- diner-style
restaurant, largely occupied by tourists, with bad poutine.
sogged up (not crispy), the sauce tasted canned as canned can be,
the cheese was a shocking replacement of curds, which aren't in short
supply it should be said, with string cheese.
String cheese!
abandoned alone in a cell, with a loaded gun and a
plate of poutine from this place, I would
first reach for the gun, to
put the poutine out of its misery before putting me out of mine.
These Celine Dion-owned family style restaurants serve a poutine for
which my heart will not go on.
Diner-style skinny fries, a
blank-canvas brown sauce and second rate cheese grains insure that the
$5 a pop poutine will be quickly forgotten.
3455 St. Laurent (284-2823).
Reports of a special duck-based poutine sauce can be found on the web.
Inquiries have been made during several visits over a span of 2 years,
and it has never appeared, and management states it is not a regular
menu item.
In-N-Out Burger
various, in California
In-N-Out Burger is a favorite fast-food burger place in Southern
California.
Owned by a single family, the chain is expanding in
Northern California and elsewhere.
They have a famous (and not
advertised) off-menu, which the employees won't tell you about, which
involves the creative mixture of available ingredients.
they list in their restaurants are their burgers, fries, shakes and
Technically, it qualifies for what I consider a poutine: fries,
cheese, sauce.
But, the fries "animal style" won't fool any
Montrealer, this is a completely different beast, and a delicious
beast it is.
This is a knock-off of their off-menu hamburger "animal
The fries are topped with cheese, special sauce and grilled
onions, and are a delicious addition to any meal.
The mayonaise in
the special sauce is cool, however, and dampens the high spirits of
the grilled onions, which have a hot, sweet balsamic tang.
out of the normal category, we're leavi but you
should certainly avail yourself next time you're in SoCal.
The fries "animal style" at In-N-Out Burger in Southern
California is a popular "off-menu" item.
Le Club-Sandwich
1578 St. Catherine St. E.
Poutine at Le Club Sandwich.
(Feb 2006).
This is a fantastic 24-hour diner in the Village. Step
right up for good-times and good eats.
The poutine is a very dutiful,
very pleasant standard dish -- yer curds, yer sauce, and whoah whoah
whoah what do we have here?
Delicious fries!
It's a very nice dish,
served in a very relaxed crowd.
Take a counterspace, and eat yourself
Pommes Frites
123 2nd Ave (at 7th St.)
New York, NY
A large poutine at Pommes Frites in the East Village in New York.
(Nov 2005).
It might be unfair to rate the poutine at Pommes Frites.
After all, they are a good 7 hours from the Poutine capital.
Manhattan, where the claim is you can get the best of any food at any
time, there should be a great poutine, and this is not it.
are undeniably spectacular, and that is what one should come to this
classic chips place for.
With a selection of 20 sauces, you can enjoy
the best fries you might run across anywhere.
But, they toss on top
an unimaginative, and not very good, and while they did
manage to find cheddar curds (word is, you can find these at some
farmer's markets in New York), they were well past prime, lacked the
particular brine common to Montreal curds, and even melted in to
strings in the cheese.
I recommend coming for the fries, and having
one of the other sauces.}