May 8, 2012 - Whatever you say, poutine has established its rightful place at the top of the Québécois comfort-food hierarchy, with its fries, cheese curds and gravy a perfect trifecta of complimentary tastes. But what happens when you add a new twist on an old favourite?
Poutine goes upscale at NÜVÜ Bistro-Experiences on Ste Catherine Street East (between Panet and de la Visitation). See and be seen in this ultra-chic and contemporary eatery – complete with a high-tech audiovisual installation by none other than Moment Factory – where poutine becomes an exciting combination of potatoes, shallots, bacon and thyme, fried and served au gratin with La Sauvagine cheese, foie gras, veal gravy and hazelnut oil.
Suite 701 Restaurant Lounge takes poutine up a notch (and to the rooftop of the Place d’Armes Hotel) by putting its own über-modern brasserie-style touch on a Quebec favourite. A generous portion of the beloved fries, gravy and cheese combination comes smothered with succulent pepper steak for a more sleek, “grown up” version of this delectable dish.
Known to serve some of the most tender and succulent roast beef in North America, Le Magnan on Saint-Patrick Street near the Atwater market also excels in its down-home, hits-the-spot style of poutine: a mountain of fries and a river of flavourful gravy – naturally – heaped with mouth-watering, melting cheese that invites you to dig right in!
Feel like you are in a traditional New York-style deli at Reuben’s, a welcoming family restaurant that serves some of the best traditional smoked meat you’ll ever taste. A meal in itself, their “Chop Chop Poutine” features – you guessed it – a mound of smoked meat atop a looming pile of fries, tasty gravy and cheese curds so fresh they’ll squeak on your teeth. Or, if you wish to skip the smoked meat, they offer a homestyle traditional poutine as well. Both are listed as appetizers, but could easily serve as a main course, so come hungry!
