In search of comfort

I know Poutine Guy promised an Edmonton review for this blog, and I will deliver, but first I have a number of items from out east to bring up.

Last week, Poutine Guy began feeling he may not be the best role model. In fact, Poutine Guy has quite possibly left behind a shameful legacy of gravy-soaked curdish indulgence in the Picture Province. It’s already one of the most overweight and obese in the country, and yet since Poutine Guy’s naissance, there is now not one, but two first “annual” poutine contests slated to occur in New Brunswick this summer.

One is still in the planning stages from the whispers that Poutine Guy has heard. It’s expected to be a two-day extravaganza in the Acadian Peninsula. I will keep my readers informed as developments travel to my ears in Edmonton. Stay tuned.

The other big news, which I had to read more than twice, is the first Poutinerie Challenge as part of the Chop Chop Food Festival in Saint John.

Saint John!

On St. Jean Baptiste Day at that! (June 24^th, for those not so up-to-speed on their Saints) 

Perhaps I’m the only person surprised by this, but c’mon, poutine celebrated in Saint John. Anyhow, local uptown restaurateurs are competing to see who has the best poutine. How does Poutine Guy get on the judge list?

Hats off to all these poutine admirers in New Brunswick for putting these events together. Much like Poutine Guy, these event organizers are poutine pioneers. I just hope Poutine Guy’s conscience can live with the cholesterolic consequences.    

While Poutine Guy feels partly to blame for the growth in poutine popularity in New Brunswick, I can’t see how Poutine Guy can be blamed for this particularly fine specimen out of Port Williams, Nova Scotia at The Port Pub and Bistro – a lobster poutine. From what I read in this article, the photo went viral.

 

The photo has been attributed to Kathy Jollimore, a Halifax-based foodie and author of the food blog eatHalifax!.  

Now, about that Edmonton poutine.

It’s unfortunate that I had to travel this far to find it, but alas Poutine Guy has discovered the best poutine he’s had since starting this blog. It seems apt that it would be at a place called La Poutine – as though there could be no other poutine except this one. Spending the week in self-blame, Poutine Guy found comfort. On the Poutine Guy scale it scored 93%, which beats Smokes (90%) and the fluke find I came across one time at the Farmer’s Market in Moncton (92%).

 

Any joint with the word poutine in its name carries a great deal of expectations. The poutine better be darn good if you’re going to put in your name. This has been the downfall of some poutine pretenders. They just couldn’t live up to my expectations or their own name. In the case of La Poutine, they exceeded expectations.   

 

One of the greatest challenges of creating a masterpiece poutine is getting the salt balance right. La Poutine met this challenge very well. While the quality of the cheese was fantastic, as usual I would have liked a few more curds, but I recognize this may have affected the salt balance. It also would have impacted the value-for-money. And, in terms of value-for-money, the price was right and I’m glad I opted for the regular size (yes, Poutine Guy knows how to show moderation).

Two side notes:

1. They make gluten-free gravy for those who care about such things. Apparently, it’s the fashionable thing to be concerned about these days.

2. And, La Poutine has a food truck that can be followed on Facebook and Twitter or so the street sign says.

Hopefully, Poutine Guy will not be as dangerous to the health of Albertans as he continues to be to New Brunswickers.

As always, may your curds stay squeaky.

M.I.C. Part II - Smoked Meat

Just when I thought my days of reviewing Maritime poutines were over, I get dragged back in.

A couple of weeks back I read a review by the Two Fat Guys. They paid a visit to M.I.C. in Dieppe and one Fat Guy (Chad C.) critiqued the Smoked Meat Poutine. I can’t say I agree wholeheartedly with his final mark, even though I do agree with much of his analysis.

To quote Chad directly, “The problem I had was, despite the fact the smoked meat was fantastic on its own and the poutine was great by itself, I am not sure this is a dish that works for me” and “even though there are two great components to this dish, I did not like the two options put together.”

He gave his experience a 7/10 and that included the very excellent cheese sticks, which I have also had at M.I.C. and enjoyed immensely. Given his similar enjoyment of the cheese sticks and his disappointment with the Smoked Meat Poutine, I can only guess that the main course fared far below 7/10.

About six months ago, I had the Smoked Meat Poutine at M.I.C. as well. I even took a picture of it. Did it do as well as their traditional poutine? No. But I don’t believe it did as poorly as Chad would suggest. That’s where Chad and I disagree. For some reason he could not separate smoked meat from smoked meat sandwich and even wrote about having the urge to add mustard to it.  

But, we do agree on some things. You see, when I ran the smoked meat poutine through my own evaluation process, it did just as well as the traditional version in terms of fries, gravy, curds, and even value-for-money. But, it didn’t do well on expectations. Indeed, I scored the traditional poutine at 83%, but the smoked version only gets a 75%.

Why the difference in expectations?

When I saw the menu, I had the same thoughts as Chad, who wrote “For my main course, I saw an item on the menu that sounded too good to be true. A combination I had never even fantasized about before - Smoked Meat Poutine.”

Expectations are simply far too high. How could anyone see poutine and smoked meat together and not get … well … umm … excited. Well, Poutine Guy couldn’t help himself either. Just look at the picture. It is mouth-watering to say the least. Despite not being as good as their traditional version, it's still worth it if you want to try something new.

And speaking of not being able to help myself, my next blog will include a critique of an Edmonton poutinerie – La Poutine. As my fans may recall, expectations are high for any restaurant that includes the word poutine in its name. I look forward to letting you know how it went.

Until then, may your curds stay squeaky.

Lay-overs in Toronto just got a whole lot easier

As many of the thousands of Poutine Guy fans know, I've hopped aboard the train out West. And the subject of today's critique is about a poutine I experienced en route. Mind you, I wasn't actually on a train, but rather at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on my way back to Moncton.

The Guinness Poutine at Fionn MacCool's scores very well. However, it did bring up an interesting debate about my grading scheme and the use of value-for-money. Value can be a somewhat ubiquitous term. Exactly what am I measuring these poutines against?

I had always believed that I was measuring them against other poutines. But, what if I didn't pay for it, or it was rebated? This came up in an earlier critique of the Wendy's poutine - it was alright, but better because I had a coupon. In the case of the Guinness Poutine, I was able to expense it for work, so I actually paid nothing (except possible years-of-life-lost, but that's a given with any poutine).

Also, I would expect to pay a higher premium for any food purchased at an airport, so even if I did pay for the poutine, I should expect to pay a higher price, right? Therefore, is the value-for-money metric dependent upon other factors? Is this something that should instead be captured in the Expectations measure?

As you can imagine, this value-for-money conundrum caused Poutine Guy great concern and required much reflection. Ultimately, I determined that comparing regular price to regular price, regardless of locale was the only way to proceed. Expectations would be the catch-all for the more qualitative issues I might encounter.

Even then, the Guinness Poutine fared very well. It did score all over the place though, from 5 out of 10 on the curds to full points on the Guinness gravy. Worth mentioning, is that expectations weren't very high when I saw poutine on the menu. Honestly, I was in an Irish pub in an airport. I even had a personal rule against eating poutine in airports. I had always believed nothing good could come from it. So, in terms of the Expectations grading criteria, the Guinness Poutine delivered.

 

When I ate this piece of art, I was returning from a job interview in Edmonton. It was a cold February evening, but it was a job I was eventually offered and I accepted. As I write this now, I am once again laying over at Pearson on my way back to Edmonton. Right now I can't think of anything more comforting than a hot poutine.   

So, the next time you're laying over at Pearson, I recommend hopping on over to Fionn MacCool's as well, to order their Guinness Poutine. Tell them Poutine Guy sent ya. It won't mean anything, and they'll have no idea what you're talking about, but do it anyway.

May your curds stay squeaky.

 

The Art of Poutine

Poutine Guy has been busy. Very busy. Extremely busy. First, he's still in school and has a lot of learnin' to do. Second, he found a new job. Which means more colleagues to introduce to the love of poutine. And finally, I moved across the country. Yes, I jumped on the Alberta bandwagon - the poutine void that is Western Canada. The good news is that a Smoke's Poutinerie is on the way to lovely Edmonton, with one already slopping out gravy soaked curds and fries in Calgary.

NOTE: To my New Brunswick friends - a Smoke's Poutinerie has recently opened in Fredericton. 

 

But first I want to talk about Americans not being able to handle making poutine. Given my mouth salivates but my heart cringes at the idea of eating home-made American mac-and-cheese, the poutine should not be a stretch for Americans. It should come quite naturally to our friends to the south. But alas, the poutine remains elusive. The author of this article suggests it has something to do with trying to fix something that isn't broken; that American chefs have yet to master the basic poutine and due to their impatience, they attempt to place their own identity on the dish.

 

Canadians, and more so Quebeckers, have lived with poutine for generations. They mastered the basics long ago. The new variations we see are an artistic value we bring to the dish. A Facebook friend of mine maintains that the use of chili in place of gravy is 'chili cheese fries', not poutine. I disagree. As the saying goes, 'while art is difficult to define, I know what it is when I see it' (and/or taste it in the case of poutine). As important as the eye of the beholder, is the intent of the maker. However, sometimes there is conflict between the two. Sometimes the maker has no clue what he or she is doing. And that's where I come in - the critic.

 

Now you might be wondering, what poutines could I possibly even review in Edmonton? Is there art here? Is achieving the basics even possible in Alberta, much less attaining art status? Well, there isn't much. But there are hosts of new Albertans bringing with them those generations of experience and curd appreciation. There are plenty of donair shops, so poutines cannot be far behind.

 

For an easy find, I knew New York Fries served my fave dish. And so, accompanied by a couple of new colleagues, off to a mall to see what kind of poutine I could get from a restaurant named after the ultimate American city.

 

Well, let's just say expectations weren't high to begin with, and those weren't even met. The final score of 70% was carried mostly by the strength of the fries. This so-so score will certainly ensure that when Smoke's Poutinerie finally does open up in Edmonton, it will be the undisputed poutine king until I find something else.
 

Despite being a Westerner now (or again - it's complicated), I do hope to continue my search for good poutine and good poutine stories. I may be based out of Edmonton, but please continue sending me tips, regardless of which end of the country they originate from.

 

May your curds stay squeaky.

Something Made in Canada must be good for you

Well, strap my bib on, get me my “Big” fork, and grab a roll of paper towel to wipe my chin, cuz’ there was a record breaking 1,300 pound poutine made in Montreal, thanks to the radio station CKOI-FM for organizing the event. I’m not sure what the record was before or even if there was a record, but the feat was probably worthwhile none-the-less. You don’t know how much I really wish I was there.

 

 A lot of people get on my case because poutines are considered unhealthy. In fact, when I say they are considered unhealthy, these same people correct me and say, “they ARE unhealthy.” This is especially true of a former colleague of mine (who is a nurse), and has been influenced by Poutine Guy more-so than Poutine Guy has been influenced by her or that she’s ever likely to admit publicly. I think she’s eaten more poutines since I started this blog than she did in her entire previous adult life – I guess that makes me a poutine market catalyst. I should be getting royalties or commission or something.

 

Of course, I decided to perform a little online research to see what others might think about the idea that this delicious Quebecois dish is possibly unhealthy. I discovered a November, 2010 MSN online article that actually refers to the poutine as one of the ten “unhealthiest foods known to man.” To be fair to the poutine, the article is biased toward foods consumed only in North America; and even within this elite Group of Ten, the poutine fares well in comparison to the other nine. Just saying.
 

Meanwhile, a recent Globe & Mail commentary talks about obesity being a losing battle in North America so long as fast food tastes so good. Basically, good food should stop tasting like good food. It also condemns the poutine. The article notes that gourmet poutine is actually quite trendy in Quebec these days. I guess I’m ahead of the curve here in New Brunswick. I should have that engraved on my urn!
 

Speaking of newspapers, a Hat Tip from the local food connoisseurs “The Two Fat Guys,” led to Poutine Guy getting a friendly mention from the Times & Transcript in the My Spies column. By the way, it’s a fantastic and wonderful newspaper, and not just because I was mentioned in it, used to work there, or still consider many working there to be my friends. Here is the mention, from the pen of Rod Allen, in its entirety:

 

“Good gravy!

 

Those clandestine culinary cut-ups The Two Fat Guys direct a shout-out the way of former T&T staffer and former Mike Murphy aide David Gingras, who has made a bold new career move as Poutine Guy, intrepidly touring the Picture-Perfect Poutine Province on an 'ate and rate' tour to identify New Brunswick's best poutine - the good Quebec kind, not the weird, slimy Acadian kind. Spy Central directs fans to Poutine Guy on Facebook and to Dave, our hearty congrats and a lifetime membership recommendation to Moncton's fabulous Y.” (November 24)

 

Yes, I know. If you blinked, you would have missed it. However, I did note that it was recommended I join a gym. So, as I have stated before, it’s about moderation folks. Despite a deep desire to do so, I do not eat a poutine every day.

 

But, I did eat one yesterday. At M.I.C. in Dieppe. It scores very well. I had heard some mixed messages about the M.I.C. poutine, with one person telling me she had the dish one day and it was great, and another time it was subpar.
 

Well, all I can say is the good chef was in last night, perhaps because there was a wedding reception / dinner going on. It could have been the festive atmosphere or the holiday music playing, but the poutine was fabulous. I’m saying, an 83% kind of fabulous. That makes it the second best I've had in New Brunswick so far, while being the best you can get seven days a week (the best poutine being at the Moncton Market). The curds were squeaky along the edges and there were great huge gobs of good cheese in the middle. The fries were nice, and best of all was the gravy – dark, rich and thick, and not a clump to be found.
 

If you should also give into your deep-fried desires for poutine, I highly recommend a trip to Dieppe. Let me know how it went.

And, of course, may your curds stay squeaky.

Casino Poutine: A sure loser

Hey loyal fan(s) and fellow poutine lovers. I want to start the blog today with what makes a poutine a poutine. I want to talk about curds. I mean, without curds, poutine is just fries and gravy.

 

First, a colleague of mine has informed me that if you're ever on your way toward Rivière-de-Loup in Quebec you'll pass a small community called Cabano. There's a fromagerie on the left near a mill which is on your right. Apparently, they sell great Made in Cabano curds as well as other cheeses, but I'm going for the curds.

 

Second, as Costco shoppers may know, nearly everything sold in their cafeteria can be found in store. However, for the longest time I couldn't find curds. Well, that's changed. You can now purchase curds in the cheese section at your favourite wholesale grocery and Christmas store. Nothing will get you home making your very own poutines faster than a bag of curds in your fridge.

 

Speaking of homemade poutines, one thing I get asked about a lot is how would I grade my own poutine. Well ... I don't often make my own. Plus, there may be some conflict of interest in grading my own masterpieces.

 

However, I must say that every once in a while the urge takes me, and out comes the dusty deep fryer. Usually, I use canned St. Hubert poutine gravy - but since my wife abhors gravy, it's typically spaghetti sauce that gets taken out and we have it italienne style.

 

The last time I just made the fries at home and used Wendy's chili as the topping. It was delish! So, Wendy's, listen to me carefully: Start selling a chili poutine! Feel free to name it after me ... call it Dave's Poutine.

 

Some other poutine news is a find from another colleague of mine. The website poutinewar.com. As the site states: "un site dédié à la meilleure bouffe possible: LA POUTINE ! L’extase culinaire en trois ingrédients." I discovered they also have a Facebook site. I salut you. But first, I have wipe my chin after seeing a picture from their Facebook site. A basket made out of bacon, yes bacon, filled with poutine. OMG! Not for the faint heart beats out there

 

In recent months I have avoided having to ingest horrendous poutines. That ended last month at the Casino. The final score comes out to 36%. I believe that may be the lowest score I've given. It failed in every aspect. I don't even want to go into it in too much detail so as to avoid reliving the experience, but let's just say the best part of the meal was certainly the friend at my side.

 

So, until next time, keep the emails and tips coming in.

 

And, of course, may your curds stay squeaky.

Boys of Summer

I know, I know, I know. It's been a while since my last blog. I've been busy. I thought being on parental leave with my two boys would give me more time. Apparently not.

Trust me, my absence was not due to a lack of poutine related things to discuss because there's a great deal of poutine news to share. First of all, I have two poutines to review here; second, I extended my search for poutine outside of Canada; and finally, I discovered some more unusual poutine flavours.

I'll start with Costco. The poutine purists out there will likely disagree with my evaluation, but it gets a .7/1 or 70%. The reason why I score it so high is, quite frankly, it is what it is - poutine from Costco. Therefore, in terms of expectations and value (a rather large serving of poutine costs $4.29) it gets superb marks. Also, it helps that they aren't shy with the curds. Where they get dinged is the use of frozen French fries and the gravy isn't fantastic. But like I mentioned earlier, it is what it is - poutine from Costco. If your planning supper at Costco, I recommend the poutine. It'll fill your gut and leave you with some money in your wallet.

My next poutine experience was the chicken poutine at St. Hubert. It didn't score as highly as Costco. The chicken topping was enjoyable, but I'd expect that from chicken rotisserie restaurant. What really dragged the score down was the amount of curds, low value for money, and the French fries. The gravy, I enjoy, but it's probably not for everyone. Ive heard that it is a mixture of their chicken sandwich gravy and their barbecue sauce. The gravy makes it quite unique and so, if you're looking for something different, it's worthwhile.

My international quest for poutines starts in a culinary wasteland. My internet searches revealed a website called Notes From The Culinary Wasteland, where the blog author describes a trip to Regina where he had the misfortune of trying a poutine at the airport cafeteria. Imagine. Poutine at an airport cafeteria in Regina. One important note the blogger makes is that "if the potatoes aren’t real and properly cooked, the whole deal isn’t worth the calories." Good point.

On a side note, some people may notice that the blogger is former L.A. Law star Michael Tucker, who apart from still being an actor is now a food connoisseur.

Afterwards, I visited a place where wasteland would be considered a step up - New Jersey. Lucky for me, Manhattan is nearby. Spotting a few Tim Hortons around, along with the great variety of foods one can only find in New York City, I thought I could possibly come across a poutine or something similar. I wasn't that lucky. I didn't even have time to see the Statue of Liberty, so I don't feel bad about not finding a needle in a hay stack. But who knows? As Douglas Coupland wrote in 2002 on the subject of poutines in his book Souvenir of Canada, "Western Canada, which was once thought to be poutine-proof, is now coming to embrace the dish. Next stop: the world."

While my search outside Canada has not turned up anything yet, I have been informed of something called a Portuguese poutine. Not sure whether or not it hails from Portugal or just contains some Portuguese elements that are then added to a traditional poutine.

And this brings up my next subject.

A couple of months ago, some good neighbours of mine visited Quebec and snapped a picture of a restaurant menu. A whole page was devoted to the poutine. One such dish was simply called Le Sexy Poutine, or something similar to that. Curious, I Googled "le sexy poutine" and actually found a recipe for Sexy Poutine which, by reading the ingredient list, calling it rich would be like referring to a billionaire as simply well off. If you're interested, check it out here.

Also from Quebec is something I discovered on Facebook: the Ice Cream Poutine. It's not actually made out of French fries nor does it taste like poutine ... at least I hope not. It appears to be a sundae shaped into a poutine along with chocolate covered wafer cookies in the place of fries. Maybe something to enjoy after finishing off a real poutine, eh?

I know this blog is longer than others I've written. Hopefully you stuck it out until the end. I'll try not to wait so long before writing again.

Anyhow, as usual, may your curds stay squeaky. And keep me informed of your own poutine adventures.

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