Sneaking one in...

This post is sneaking onto the blog in two ways. First, because I wasn’t intended to post again until the new year. And second, because the blog is called Toronto Poutine, and this is most definitely a post dedicated to Montreal. But I’m home, celebrating the holidays, and thought you would allow me one from the road.

It’s pretty much impossible for me to come to Montreal without a stop at Lafleur’s. With almost 50 years of history, Lafleur’s serves up staples of Quebec cuisine: including steamed hot dogs and what I believe to be the best French Fries I’ve ever tasted.

In fact, the fries are so good that I rarely order poutine here. The fries on their own are enough. A sprinkle of vinegar and a liberal dosing of salt, and I’m happy.

But in service of you, dear readers, I doused these fries with gravy and cheese and sampled away.

As the base for a Lafleur’s poutine, the fries maintain everything that’s perfect about them. The perfect golden brown colour. The succulent texture (just soggy enough). The rich potato flavour. And both the gravy and the cheese are good. But they’re nowhere near the nirvana that the fries deliver. The gravy is, I dare say, even a tad salty. So what was an incredible serving of French fries has become a merely good poutine.

So I’ll keep enjoying them naked. Thank you very much. But there’s no doubt that they’ll continue to be an important (and delicious) part of my Montreal routine.

Bon appétit!

Fries: 5/5
Cheese: 4/5
Gravy: 3/5

Total: 12/15

A tale of two Jamies

Jamie Kennedy’s French fries made him famous. It’s only natural, then, that we would seek Kennedy out in the quest for the best poutine in the city. And in fact, that’s exactly what I did – not once, but twice.

Tracking Kennedy down requires a tad more effort that it would have just a few months ago, before he sold his exquisite Wine Bar on Church Street. Now, the search for the Kennedy fries begins at Gilead Café – a tiny space located down an alley in Corktown.

Originally home to the JK Kitchens administration offices, the restaurant itself is delicious – rough-hewn wood tables, walls lined with jars of seasonal preserves, and an open kitchen and deli counter offering fresh, local selections (the menu is edited daily). The Pulled Pork Poutine, unfortunately, is anything but. While the fries are classic Kennedy – crisp, golden and full of flavour – the pulled pork topping is overly spiced and lacking in enough moisture to make the poutine come to life. And there’s just enough cheese to tease you into believing this actually is a poutine – a bite or two, and then its gone. A disappointing offering from one of Toronto’s acclaimed poutine masters.

We fare much better a few weeks later at the Jamie Kennedy outpost at the Gardiner Museum. During a special holiday event at the museum, Kennedy offers up a specially created Tourtiere Poutine. While the idea alone is enough to warm a Quebecer’s heart, the execution is even better. The traditional Kennedy fries are topped here with warm, perfectly spiced ground beef, a cheese drizzle and – best of all – tiny cubed potatoes. That’s right – potato on potato. It might just be my definition of heaven.

The only bad news is that this is a special seasonal offering only. I’m already marking my calendar for next Christmas. Merry Christmas, Jamie! And Merry Christmas to you, Poutine Toronto readers. The quest continues in 2010...











Blah! Pulled Pork Poutine at Gilead (above)











Hurrah! Touriere Poutine at Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner