To Market, To Market.

The Bier Markt is good for a lot of things. Beer, for example. But gastronomical hotbed it is not. And so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by what I found there on a recent outing to the resto’s newest location on King Street West – a middling offering of fries, gravy and curds packaged as poutine.

The fact is, it was fine. The gravy was fine. The fries were fine. The cheese was fine. There were some layering issues. And they could have been more generous with the gravy (ratio is important to me - take a close look at the photo below...there are some dry fries in there). But it wasn’t terrible.

It just wasn’t great.

My advice? Stick to the beer – let’s seek out a poutine that’s worth the calories.

Poutine Heads South

Today's poutine news is from TastingTable - a roundup of some of the hottest poutine offerings south of the border. Toronto Poutine roadtrip, anyone? I vote for Dallas as the first stop. Here are some of the concoctions they profile:

Dallas Bijoux chef Scott Golich's Bleu Benedictin Poutine, which features Canadian blue cheese, duck-fat-poached fries and duck-confit gravy, is served as a cheese course in his tasting menus.

Los Angeles At the meat-lover's playhouse Animal, chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo top their version with rich oxtail gravy and white cheddar.

New York City The recently opened T Poutine has gained a following for its no-frills service and DIY approach: Poutine purists can mix and match different types of fries (including shoestring), cheese, gravy and meat.

Philadelphia The "snack" of choice at the new gastropub Blockley Pourhouse is fries covered in caramelized-onion gravy, slices of short ribs and heaping chunks of industrial-orange "squeaky" cheese, a cousin to the city's beloved Velveeta.

Read the whole article here.

Poutine on Wheels!

Is poutine possibly the hottest topic in the news this week? Today's update is courtesy of Jennifer Bain at the Toronto Star: the highly anticipated Smoke's Poutine truck makes its debut this weekend.

Poutine on wheels. Whatever next?

Review to follow, as soon as I can track down that truck.

PS: Follow Smoke's on Twitter to keep up with their news.

More Poutine in the News: the new Smoke's location...

This one from BlogTO:

After nearly a year in business serving curry and nacho versions of Quebec's famous dish, Smoke's Poutinerie owner Ryan Smolkin is set to open his second location later this month directly across from the infamous Filmore's strip club at 203 Dundas East. It's pretty much smack dab in the middle of a part of the city known more for guns and girls than gourmet anything.

The location is so gloriously close to my office, I can't do anything but celebrate. And maybe go for an extra long run.

Read the full BlogTO post for more...

The Burger Shoppe: A middling showing.

There’s a lot that’s good about The Burger Shoppe’s poutine offering. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot that isn’t very good.

In the first category: cheese. Delicious, classic, squeaky cheese that holds both shape and flavour even after a short walk home with take-out. And cheese in sufficient quantity to ensure that even the last bite ends with that resounding squeak. Perfect.

Also great? Composition. Enough gravy to coat each and every French fry. A nicely layered dish. And a huge portion (good for sharing, especially if you’re pairing with a burger) – all for less than $5.

Not so great? Dramatically undercooked fries. A word to the wise: squeaky cheese? Good. Squeaky fries? Not so much.

And while the consistency – and even the colour – of the gravy is lovely, the flavour isn’t quite right. It’s trying too hard. And with a good poutine, each element should work in harmony, not in competition

There's a life lesson for you. From the bottom of a poutine dish. How about that.

Poutine News

From Toronto Life:

In November, Smolkin—with help from consulting firm the Fifteen Group (The Roy, Mercatto, Vertical)—opened Smoke’s Poutinerie at 218 Adelaide Street West and now plans to open two more locations: one at Dundas and Jarvis in the second week of September to specialize in catering, and another at Queen and Bathurst in November. This Labour Day weekend, he’ll launch the Mobile Poutine Truck to offer curbside curds.

Poutine catering? Brilliant.

Reliable Halibut & Chips: A Damn Mess

I don’t know if poutine was on the menu when Reliable Fish & Chips opened in 1930, but it’s a standout on the menu in 2009.

At only $4, this poutine makes a great meal on its own, or as an accompaniment to a piece of deep fried fish. I often choose to pair it with a crispy piece of halibut – a heart-healthy dinner any night of the week.

Some stories tell that the first poutine was put together when a man asked for fries while waiting on an order of cheese curds. The reply? Ca va faire une maudite poutine – loosely translated as "it will make a damn mess".

A poutine from Reliable is indeed a damn mess, and that’s part of what makes it so delicious. Getting takeout? The overall consistency of the dish by the time you get it home makes it hard to determine what exactly you’re biting down on – but that’s exactly why it’s so enjoyable.

Reliable’s offering is a great choice for our first review – classically delicious. Nothing fancy: just the right ratio of gravy to cheese to potato (a great poutine gives you a taste of each in every bite) with a rich and delicious gravy in a perfect portion size.

I’ve long been a fan of Reliable’s poutine – in fact, I believe it might be one of the best in the city. So we’re setting the bar high.

Where to go from here?

Welcome.

Comfort food. Hangover cure. Gastronomic delight. Poutine may be the world's most perfect meal.

And as a Montreal kid, I'm a bit biased against Toronto - if this city can't even get its bagels right, how can it possibly be expected to master the delicate balance between fries, gravy and cheese?

But I'm willing to give the Big Smoke a chance.

I know there's great poutine out there. Let's find it together. Here we go...