Miss Hawkesbury

Richard and I had supper at Miss Hawkesbury the other night. I remember as a kid going to Miss Montreal and Miss Snowdon (not far from where we lived) and didn't think there were any "Miss" restaurants still in operation.


But Miss Hawkesbury is still a going concern. The place mat makes me laugh because the Miss Hawkesbury image must be the very same one used in the 1960s.


We ordered a small poutine to give it a try. It was good but they didn't use cheese curds. Instead, they used shredded mozzarella and stuck it under the broiler and melted it. Sort of cheating in my mind.


And it was very, very stringy. The fries were on the soggy side too.


However we both agreed that the gravy was really pretty good.
Rating: 3 curds out of a possible 5.

Miss Hawkesbury, 254 Main Street West, Hawkesbury, ON K6A 2H6
Phone: 613-632-4473

My Famous Poutine Cake

That poutine cake of mine really has legs. Check out the squib that's running in today's Glengarry News (my local paper).

Click to enlarge, then click again to make it readable.

Blog-o-rama!

The faux poutine cake is making its way around the poutine blogsphere. Check this link: Delicious Poutine. And this one from Portland Poutine too!

The New Yorker

It seems that poutine has hit the big time. This week's issue (November 23/09) of the New Yorker features an article by Calvin Trillin about our favourite food. Click here for the link.
Thanks to Bart King and my brother Larry for giving me the head's up!

Poutine Posts

The poutine posts on my blog are amongst the most popular and garner the most comments, so I decided to make them into a blog of their own. These posts are listed below with their original post date noted at the top.

Since it's winter, this blog will be on the slow side in updating. But once the season changes and things start to warm up, Poutine Chronicles will be more active.

Dairy Belle

Originally published November 16, 2009

Richard and I just got back from a week in Florida. Before leaving I googled "Poutine in South Florida" and came up with the Dairy Belle in Dania Beach, just south of Ft. Lauderdale. (Note: It's closed on Mondays so don't be disappointed like we were. All we could do was take photos of the signs!)


They have tons of stuff from back home. Poutine as well as steamed hot dogs. Under the poutine listings they have "Galvaude" which I later found out was poutine with chicken and peas.


For the uninitiated, they explain exactly what poutine is in all it's yummy goodness. (Click to enlarge.)


So we headed back to the Dairy Belle the next night. We just couldn't pass this one up. Isn't this place cute?


Richard and I split a large poutine and here it is.


Mid-November at 7 p.m. and eating poutine outside in 83F temperature. Heaven or what?
Rating: 5 curds out of a possible 5. How could I give it anything less?

Dairy Belle Ice Cream, 118 N. Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004 Phone: 954-920-3330
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. CLOSED ON MONDAYS

Ye Old Fish and Chip Shop

Originally published November 9, 2009

Warning: This post should be called "Grease Overload!"
While in Cornwall meeting Jen and her friend Denise (who was visiting from Barrie, Ontario), we headed to Ye Old Fish and Chip Shop in Cornwall. Denise ordered onion rings for the table.


Jen decided that the poutine her son had on their last visit was so darn good, that she'd order it as a side to her fish.


Looks good, eh?


There was more than one fork in that poutine. I guess you can have your fish and poutine too. Who'd have thunk it?

Ye Old Fish and Chip Shop, 9-1st Street East, Cornwall, ON K6H 1K5 Phone: 613-933-6411
Click here for their website and hours.

Faux Poutine Cake

Originally posted November 3, 2009

Since Richard and I have spent a better part of our summer recording our Poutine Chronicles, I figured I'd make a faux poutine cake for Richard's birthday.


The "french fries" are Sara Lee pound cake cut into fry shapes and toasted. The "cheese curds" are made out of white chocolate and the "gravy" is dulce de leche.


The cake under all that was chocolate with white icing.


I think the birthday boy enjoyed it!

Tami's Taters

Originally posted October 3, 2009

On the last nice sunny, warmish day a week or so back, Richard and I were drawn to stop at "Tami's Taters" in Renfrew, Ontario.


We figured it was a good time to end the poutine season.


Don't you love this folk-arty french fry container with the 2x4 fries?


We promised to obey all signs and not a seagull was in sight.





There were many things to tempt us on the menu but we stuck to our guns and ordered a medium poutine to share.



Isn't this a thing of beauty?


What cheesy goodness! Extra crisp fries which were still crisp by the time we got to the bottom of the melted cheesy, creamy bottom.


For the first time, we gave out a 5 curds out of a possible 5 curds. Congrats to Tami's Taters. And see ya next spring, poutine.

Tami's Taters is located in the parking lot of Canadian Tire, O'Brien Street, Renfrew, Ontario

Chez Celine

Originally published August 10, 2009

No more poutine! No more! But as we drove past Chez Celine in Hawkesbury (no, not Celine Dion but another Celine) we were drawn to the place. (There's also a tanning salon above it, so while you're waiting for your fries, you can always grab a tan!)


Perhaps we wanted to go back because we had been there with Nancy in the summer of 2006 and for nostalgic purposes, we just had to revisit it.


We perused the menu board but it all was so overwhelming.


Celine has been working hard on that menu. Now they have beaver tails for sale.


We went for the old favourite: the Parasol poutine. Hamburger, mushrooms, green peppers and onions with gravy over some fries and a scant amount of curds. More like a stew than a poutine frankly.
Rating on the poutine scale: 3.5 curds out of 5. (The view of the Ottawa River gets a 10.)

Somewhere on the 148 in Quebec

Originally published July 22, 2009

Richard and I spent yesterday at the Lachute Flea Market, the best flea market ever! We have taken an annual trek there for several years now. It is packed with everything imaginable. But no trip to the market would be complete without a stop for poutine on the way home. This place was on Hwy. 148 outide of Lachute and we waited FOREVER for the food. But I saw the fries being made fresh and they were crispy outside and soft inside! And the guy did 2 layers of fries and curds. Yum.
Rating on the poutine scale: 4.5 curds out of 5.

Herb's Travel Plaza

Originally published July 7, 2009

Okay, so the healthy, grilled fish of Sunday night's supper was brought on by the bad, bad, bad-for-you-lunch we shared that day. A medium poutine at the local greasy spoon.


But there was some nostaliga to the whole thing. Herb's Travel Plaza and Restaurant, right off Highway 417 (at the Vankleek Hill exit), was the place Richard and I had our first date over five years ago. And we shared our poutine at a picnic table in the warm sun. How romantic is that?

Herb's Travel Plaza, Hwy 34 & 417, Vankleek Hill, Ontario
Phone: 613-525-3912
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Restaurant au Coin

Originally posted June 3, 2009

You know that summer is approaching when you stop at a local chip stand for lunch. I had an urge for a poutine and if you've never had one, you have to try this drippy, messy dish. Fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.


Richard and I lunched in St. Eugene at the Restaurant Au Coin and ordered a medium to share.


It was too cold and windy to eat outside at the picnic tables so we indulged in the car. Not exactly health food, I know, but man-oh-man, was it ever yummy!
Rating on the poutine scale: Four curds (out of 5).

Tante Doris

Originally published August 4, 2008

On our virtual vacation with John and Nancy, we are in search of the ultimate poutine. While on our art tour, we spied the "Tante Doris" chip stand and knew that John would insist we stop.

So we stopped.

And ordered a poutine.

Good call John!

Casse-Croute Tante Doris, 8 Rue Legault, Saint-Andre-D'Argenteuil, Québec J0V 1X0 Phone: 450-537-8111

Casse Croute du Coin

Originally published July 21, 2008

Since Richard and I aren't going out west this year to vacation with friends John and Nancy, the four of us have decided to have a virutal vacation together. This includes finding the ultimate poutine (easier for us here in eastern Canada than for them in Oregon!) and doing goofy things near our own homes and sharing them on our blogs.

Hey John and Nancy. Check out the chicken poutine found at Casse Croute du Coin on our way home from Lachute, Quebec yesterday.

And look at the many kinds of poutine offered at this place. Too bad we weren't together...we could've tried out a few more varieties.

Casse Croute du Coin, 207 Rte Du Canton, Brownsburg-Chatham, Québec J8G 1R7
Phone: 450-562-3592