La Belle Patate
I ordered my poutine to go, so the cheese curds were all squished into the fries when I opened the box to take a picture. I feel like my picture does not do it justice, so I got a pic from a friend who visited La Belle Patate a couple weeks ago. See the difference? :P
I was and still am somewhat of a poutine fanatic. The first time I saw a poutine was in my high school cafeteria, and I totally fell in love with it. It was on the menu every Friday, and I would get it every week. I've tried poutines from many fast food places including KFC, A&W, New York Fries, and even McDonald's (the worst poutine I've ever eaten). When I went to university, I had a poutine for lunch almost every single day for a whole school year. I blame it on the convenience of having an A&W on campus. Even now when I have the occasional craving for a poutine, I would go buy one from New York Fries. I've come to the conclusion that they have the best gravy. I guess I prefer the richness of beef gravy to regular chicken gravy. So when I found out about an authentic poutine store that sells only poutines, of course I had to try it out. Even though there were many choices on the menu, I opted for the traditional poutine ($5.50) with just cheese and gravy. I got the smallest size available, but it was already quite filling. I love how they serve their poutines piping hot instead of lukewarm like in many fast food chains. I didn't eat mine until an hour after I bought it, and it was still tongue-burning hot when I ate it. The cheese curds were not stringy at all, but soft and fresh (which is apparently what authentic cheese curds should be like). And there was more than enough gravy, which was a big plus for me. I hate it when I run out of gravy and the fries are all dry as I get to the bottom of the poutine. Apparently the gravy in the traditional poutine is wheat-based and fully vegetarian. No wonder I found it a bit weak, but delicious nonetheless. This is definitely a good place to go for an authentic poutine.
EDIT: Jan 20, 2011
I revisited La Belle Patate with Mich, and we found out they carry beer from Montreal. We each tried a different type. She chose "La Fin du Monde" because of the ominous-sounding name. It was a rather strong golden ale with a 9% alcohol content. I decided to get the "Maudite" (an equally ominous name) after being told it was a dark ale. It had an alcohol content of 8%, but it tasted surprisingly smooth and creamy.
I was and still am somewhat of a poutine fanatic. The first time I saw a poutine was in my high school cafeteria, and I totally fell in love with it. It was on the menu every Friday, and I would get it every week. I've tried poutines from many fast food places including KFC, A&W, New York Fries, and even McDonald's (the worst poutine I've ever eaten). When I went to university, I had a poutine for lunch almost every single day for a whole school year. I blame it on the convenience of having an A&W on campus. Even now when I have the occasional craving for a poutine, I would go buy one from New York Fries. I've come to the conclusion that they have the best gravy. I guess I prefer the richness of beef gravy to regular chicken gravy. So when I found out about an authentic poutine store that sells only poutines, of course I had to try it out. Even though there were many choices on the menu, I opted for the traditional poutine ($5.50) with just cheese and gravy. I got the smallest size available, but it was already quite filling. I love how they serve their poutines piping hot instead of lukewarm like in many fast food chains. I didn't eat mine until an hour after I bought it, and it was still tongue-burning hot when I ate it. The cheese curds were not stringy at all, but soft and fresh (which is apparently what authentic cheese curds should be like). And there was more than enough gravy, which was a big plus for me. I hate it when I run out of gravy and the fries are all dry as I get to the bottom of the poutine. Apparently the gravy in the traditional poutine is wheat-based and fully vegetarian. No wonder I found it a bit weak, but delicious nonetheless. This is definitely a good place to go for an authentic poutine.
EDIT: Jan 20, 2011
I revisited La Belle Patate with Mich, and we found out they carry beer from Montreal. We each tried a different type. She chose "La Fin du Monde" because of the ominous-sounding name. It was a rather strong golden ale with a 9% alcohol content. I decided to get the "Maudite" (an equally ominous name) after being told it was a dark ale. It had an alcohol content of 8%, but it tasted surprisingly smooth and creamy.
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