Yep, it's time you pay Poutineville (Twitter: @PoutineVille, Facebook: Poutineville) a visit. Unlike most (if not all) poutine places in Toronto, Poutineville is a fully licensed restaurant. The option of having poutine with alcohol in a restaurant setting really elevates this Canadian dish from a casual snack or a fast food item to something much more:
Poutineville offers poutine as a main, as part of an entire meal.
Poutineville's selection of appetizers (i.e. Goat cheese bruchetta, chicken tenders, chicken wings) and salads (i.e. House salad, Poutineville salad, tossed Greek salad) reinforces the notion that customers can now have a starter before their poutine entrée. If diners want just a few bites of poutine, Poutineville has got that covered too. With four burgers and four sandwiches on the menu all served with a side of fries / salad, you can easily substitute your side with a classic poutine for $2. Don't get me wrong, there's always a time for grab-and-go, standing room only and cash only poutine joints*ahem* *cough* *Poutini's* *cough* but c'mon, you can't deny that Poutineville is pretty awesome, and I haven't even talked about their poutines yet! Oh and another reason why I'm so drawn to Poutineville is that they take reservations. As an individual who likes to plan everything (and I mean everything) and detests waiting or lining up for food, this is a huge plus for me. HUGE.
Contrary to what you may think, Poutineville is not new to the poutine scene. The first Poutineville opened in April 2011 on Beaubien Street in Montreal. After only 10 months, Poutineville opened their second location in downtown Montreal. Since then, the restaurant expanded in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto. I visited their first Toronto location at 296 Brunswick Ave. a few weeks ago. Thcan seat over 100 guests and is equipped with a full-service bar, a lounge area, banquettes and a cozy patio. “With the popularity of our three Montreal locations, we wanted to bring the Poutineville experience to Toronto” say co-owners Kosta Kariotakis and Camillo Fresco.
Poutineville offers a wine list that features local wines and beers. Their cocktail menuis curated by mixologist Nishan Nepulangoda (Nishan is the gentleman at the back).
If you're still not impressed then check this out: You can create your own poutine at Poutineville. You can choose from a list of over 27 ingredients, 10 different cheeses, a choice of four kinds of potatoes and five kinds of sauces!
Before I get into the different poutines, take a look at this:
THE HEART ATTACK ($100)
Over 15 pounds of fresh crispy potatoes, chicken, bacon, hot dogs, minced beef, ham, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh cheese curds and mozzarella with home made poutine sauce.
Not for the faint of heart that's for sure! To be honest, just the sight of the "Heart Attack" makes me full! Okay, let's move on to the "normal" size poutines. Aside from their create-your-own poutine menu sheet, Poutineville has an à la carte menu that features specialty poutines such as “The “Poutineville”, "Filet Mignon" and "The Montrealer":
THE MONTREALER ($12)
Fresh crispy home fries with Montreal smoked meat, sauteed mushrooms, home made poutine sauce, with Swiss cheese au gratin and a fried pickle on top
FILET MIGNON ($18)
Fresh crispy home fries topped with cubed tender AAA filet mignon, sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions, fresh curd cheese with a hint of blue cheese and house made pepper sauce
THE POUTINEVILLE ($12)
House Specialty. Hand crushed potatoes with fresh cheese curds and mozzarella, topped with slow-cooked braised beef, and red wine gravy.
Poutineville also does vegetarian. This particular poutine is made with sweet potato, olives, green and red peppers, corn and daiya cheese (gravy is also vegetarian).
Overall really tasty poutines at Poutineville. There wasn't a shortage of squeaky Quebec cheese curds in any of the poutines I had that evening. The texture of the curds were soft, springy and not at all rubbery. The fries had crispy edges and a soft centre. I enjoyed certain components from each of the three poutine so it's tough for me to choose a favourite (I'm excluding the vegetarian poutine because it's just not my thing). I loved the "Filet Mignon" for its sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions, "The Montrealer" for its smoked meat, and "The Poutineville" for its hand crushed potatoes (FYI these hand crushed potatoes are seriously a game changer!) So, you know what I'll be doing the next time I'm at Poutineville, right? I'll be creating my own poutine, that's what!
Before I go, note that Poutineville opens till late. Here are their hours: Sunday to Wednesday: 11AM – 11PM, Thursday: 11AM – 2AM, Friday & Saturday: 11AM – 4AM. Great for y'all night owls.
*This meal was complimentary. The opinions and views expressed on this post are my own*
