Poutini's House of Poutine is, hands down, the place to go for poutine in the city. Poutini’s does it best by keeping their poutine simple. No fuss. No frills. Unlike their rival Smoke’s Poutinerie which offers over 20 different varieties of this Quebec dish, piling and piling on those toppings like there's no tomorrow (i.e. can I have some fries with that shaved roast beef, cheese sauce, roasted red peppers, sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions?), I personally prefer the short, focused, and straightforward menu at Poutini’s. I mean, Poutini’s does offer several "fancy" poutines so whenever I crave extravagant toppings, I get one of those. But you know what's nice? It just feels so good, so comforting, to know that I can always rely on Poutini’s Traditional Poutine to knock my socks off every, single time.
There are several things that make Poutini’s awesome. First of all, their fries are hand-cut daily (with the skin on) and fried twice in trans-fat-free vegetable oil for extra crispiness. Second, their cheese curds come in fresh every other day from Maple Dale, a cheese maker that has been around for over 100 years. Last, but not least, their perfectly seasoned gravy is made in-house daily by roasting bones and fresh vegetables, and simmered for at least 8 hours until it's nice and thick. Poutini’s dipping sauces are also made in-house with real mayonnaise.
Having said all that, it is no surprise that even Anthony Bourdain paid Poutini’s a visit in his recent episode of The Layover. Check out Poutini’s at around the 32:30 min mark:
I usually go to Poutini’s for lunch since it's close to my work. It's a cash-only joint and probably the only flaw about this place.
Aside from the Traditional Poutine and the three other variations, Poutini’s (Facebook: Poutini's House of Poutine, Twitter: @Poutini) has a vegan poutine where they use Daiya vegan cheese (it does not contain dairy, soy, gluten or any nut product) with a homemade vegetarian stock that is thickened with cornstarch and nutritional yeast flake.
A variety of condiments on every table.
Served with Fresh Cheese Curds and Beef / Vegetarian / Gluten-Free Gravy
With generous amount of cheese curds, you cannot go wrong with Poutini’s Traditional Poutine. Imagine: nice, crispy fries, topped with buttery yet squeaky cheese curds all smothered in hot, delicious gravy. Yes, this poutine is off the hook! If you want even more delicious cheese curds, make sure you get their Layered Poutine with an extra layer of cheese curds...you won't regret it!
Traditional Poutine served with Sour Cream, Bacon and Chives
For those who love to indulge in poutine with lavish toppings, get The Works Poutine. Kinda like the loaded potato, The Works is a serious collision of fries, sour cream, finely chopped chives, sliced bacon, and piping hot gravy.
All I can say is: OM NOM NOM! :)
