This February marks the city's first ever Poutine Week. The week-long event features a number of participating restaurants battling it out to win the title of best poutine maker in the city. Obviously we had to be a part of this: what Montreal restaurant blog would be complete without an all-out poutine-eating city crawl?
Choosing our destinations for the evening involved a mixture of (1) asking our Twitter fans where to go, (2) a last-minute change of plans due to Blackstrap BBQ's running out of poutine, and (3) a spur-of-the-moment push by our poutine partners @j_promero and Poutine Week runner-up champion @RyanBuena.
"Real fries, real cheese curds, real gravy". Credit goes to @Kalamataexpress for suggesting this place as part of our first "fan night" poll. A classic poutine that is not ordinary at all. You'll definitely remember its sweet garlicky gravy for a while; and we're sure you won't find it around every corner.
"Sliced slow-roasted porchetta, sweet potato fries, grated Fontina cheese". The subtle earthy Fontina tasted great with the juicy pork, and the sweetness of the potatoes was a refreshing change to your everyday poutine. Too bad it was too cold; otherwise it might have scored higher.
"Well cut fries, house gravy, cheese curds, Stilton cheese". This is a classic poutine topped with Stilton and caramelised onions. The fries and gravy were good and the sweetness of the onions complemented the blue cheese, but it is so rich and heavy that a couple of bites will get you stuffed. Good to share, too heavy as a course.
tagged: NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED
We love the idea of Poutine Week, and we hope it becomes an annual thing. However, we were not wowed by the selection of poutines we got to try. We will try to be more adventurous next year and hopefully check out a few more places. Either way, there is no denying the event's huge success. Congratulations to the team!
tagged: DESERVES A RETRY
Montreal restaurant and bar reviews brought to you by two regular guys who like to eat and drink. We will go anywhere and we will say it like it is.