Jack's Pub

I've always wanted to try Jack's Pub in Williamstown...

 ...so a few of us headed over there to have a Sunday lunch.

We ordered a large to share for the table as a starter.

And we all tasted it. Overall, the fries were amongst the crispiest and best I had ever tasted.

 The curds were plentiful and the gravy yummy.

 I immediately pronounced it a five out of a possible five curds. Two of my companions said that it was a 4.5 out of five because the curds were cold and didn't melt quickly enough. The third companion said a 4 because he thought the gravy wasn't hot enough. My, my!

In the end, we all agreed it was a delicious plate of poutine, well worth revisiting and settled on a solid  rating of 4.5 curds out of five. Well done Jack's!

Jack's Pub, 19700 John St., Williamstown, ON K0C 2J0
Phone: 613-347-3475

Restaurant Bourdeau

This review is courtesy of roving poutine reporter, Natalie. Thanks for this!

 Bourdeau's is a family-owned restaurant in Lancaster, 

just north of the 401, east of Cornwall, ON.

 We go there regularly... 

...and have sampled the poutine several times.

 They know what they are doing with poutine in this establishment!

 On a recent visit, I had the regular poutine with the basics: fries, curds, and gravy.

The fries were hand-cut, piping-hot and fresh. 

The gravy had a light, excellent flavour, and was without the salty taste that burdens many inferior gravies.

 And the curds? So fresh, they squeaked every time I bit into them. Bourdeau's uses St. Albert's curds, which are the best for miles around, and they don't skimp. Each scrumptious mouthful was a medley of potato, gravy and melty-cheese nirvana. Worth every calorie!

We often meet up with our friends Patrick and Marie-Emmnauelle and their son Benjamin at Bourdeau's. Ben is our godson and already a poutine lover, which is fitting since he's from Quebec, the homeland of this wondrous dish. 

  The last time we all got together, my hubby Gordon ordered the chicken poutine (like the regular poutine but with strips of chicken breast on top) and Marie-Emmanuelle and Patrick shared the "House Poutine", a gastronomic adventure consisting of fries, curds, gravy, beef, fried onions, sautéed mushrooms and green peppers. Patrick accidentally dropped of bit of tomato and lettuce from his sandwich on top .

 It's always good to add some vegetables to your meal! Impressively, they managed to finish this ginormous plate of gluttonous goodness.

 Little Benjamin got to sample everyone's poutine and was very enthused.

 In fact, he liked it so much, he tried to eat the styrofoam box from his godfather's meal.

Bourdeau's offers other versions of poutine, including Italian. There is something to suit every taste at this restaurant. They also make a yummy clam chowder, and the famous Lancaster perch rolls. The staff is very friendly and welcoming and it's always a pleasure to visit.

We pronounced our poutine delicious. Five out of five curds all around.

Restaurant Bourdeau, 229 Military S., Lancaster, ON K0C 1N0

Tel. 613-347-7255

Breakfast Poutine?

This the first time I'd ever heard of such a thing, seen at Le Vieux Chateau in Hawkesbury, Ontario. Breakfast poutine! I didn't try it because I was out for lunch but wondered: Has anyone ever heard of this anywhere else and/or tried it?

Market Garden Brewery

Another recipe from our intrepid poutine reviewer Jack d'Mestiere...thanks Jack!

It's been a while!

This poutine at the Market Garden Brewery on the West Side of Cleveland sure sounded good from the description: fresh fries, smoked pork gravy, mozzarella cheese. What could go wrong?  Stale fries killed the dish. I suspect they use old fries that had been sitting around, figuring the gravy would "freshen" them up. Then the cheese. Not curds. No squeak. Gravy was delish, but couldn't carry the day. My rating? A generous 1.5 curds based on the gravy alone, but overall, not worth the calories. The beer was pretty good though. And if you go there, stick with kielbasa!

Market Garden Brewery & Distillery, 1947 West 25th St., Cleveland, OH 44113

Website: marketgardenbrewery.com

Fried Cheese Curds

Hmmm. Check this link to find out how to make Fried Cheese Curds. Now, if you just added a bit of gravy, you'd be laughing! Poutine without the fries!

Lachute Flea Market

Last week we headed to the Lachute Flea Market, held every Tuesday and one of my favourite places in the world.

 If you are looking for something, chances are you'll find it here.

And if you're not looking for anything in particular, you'll likely find it here too!

They also have an amazing fresh fruit and veggie market.

They even sell cheese curds...which reminded us we'd better go for a poutine lunch.

We tried the outdoor hut-type restaurant in the middle of the flea market. The kitchen was hopping so we knew it'd be fresh.

And it was fresh and hot and served with lots of curds. Extra points for cardboard/environmentally friendly container.

Under the huge wooden canopy we were serenaded by a country and western singer, singing en francais. Nice!

 Richard liked the melting cheese curd strings.

All in all it was a good poutine; a solid 4.5 curds out of 5. Well done Lachute Flea Market!

Cruiser's Grill

Thanks to poutine lover Kim for this review!

This summer my family and I drove from Victoria to Tofino BC for a spot of whale watching. Just before we went too far down the stomach churning Alberni Highway, we decided to stop for lunch at Cruiser’s Grill.

Having lived in the US for the last six years, I am always excited to have ‘real’ Canadian poutine, even if it is from the wrong side of the country. 

The restaurant served a side of poutine for a hefty $6.95….but that didn’t stop me. 

But they really did mean a ‘side.’

Overall, the fries were mediocre (the frozen store bought variety), there were no curds, only shredded cheddar, and there was nowhere near enough gravy. I give this poutine a generous 1 curd out of 5, only because I managed to keep it down over the next 3 hours of winding mountain roads. 

Cruiser's Grill, 3680 Alberni Hwy, Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1X7

Phone: 250-752-4814

Sandy's Quick Lunch

A few weekends ago, Richard and I headed over to Sandy's Quick Lunch in Hawkesbury for a quick lunch.

 It's a cute place by the side of Main Street...

 ...with an entryway to their patio that featured something you'd see in Florida -- a tiki bar canopy.

 Their menu looked promising but no dilly dallying for us. We wanted poutine.

Richard swung into action. Too bad we weren't there at the beginning of the week for their special.

 We tried their large, regular style poutine. Lots of curd coverage!

 Beauty shot. (Twinkle.)

All in all, an excellent poutine. We gave it a four out of five possible curds. I liked the well-done fries. Richard liked the gravy. Pretty darn good.


Sandy's Quick Lunch, 202 Main St. W., Hawkesbury, ON K6A 2H2
Tel. 613-632-0293

Tony's Fish and Chips

Another review from our intrepid poutine reviewer Jen, from Prescott, Ontario.

I picked up some fish at Tony's Fish and Chips last week. They do fish well and we also enjoy their jalapeno bottle caps.  However, the big sign in the window said "Bacon double cheeseburger Poutine."  Well, I figured it would be interesting to rate such a thing so I took the plunge.  

It wasn't cheap at around $7. 

As I watched it being assembled I was a little horrified that not one but three scoopfuls of thick beef gravy were poured on top, along with a mixture of hamburger and ground beef.  

So, I brought it home to see what everyone would think and basically the fries were all mushy due to the excessive quantity of gravy which was too salty and thick. There were not not enough curds for the amount of fries either. We all had one bite and left it at that.  

I'm afraid it only rated one out of five curds and at that I simply do not recommend it for human consumption. 

Enjoy their fish and leave the poutine behind. Nope, don't even consider it, really!

Tony's Fish and Chips, 286 King St. W., Prescott, Ontario K0E 1T0

Tel. 613-925-4751

Uncle Betty's Diner

This review from Wendy in Toronto. Thanks for sending it in!

We went out for brunch to a restaurant called Uncle Betty’s and my son ordered the breakfast poutine. It was delicious. It consisted of home fries, cheese (not curds), sausage, pea meal bacon and 2 eggs any style.  

The waiter said if he finished it he could have a homemade donut with ice cream on top. So, we helped him finish off the poutine so he could have his donut--with ice cream, natch!

Uncle Betty's Diner, 2590 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON  M4P 2J3

Phone: 416-483-2590

Website: www.unclebetty's.com

Lafleur

On a quick trip into Montreal, Richard and I decided to stop at the iconic Lafleur -- a chain of fast food restaurants -- this one right off the Highway 20 in Ville St. Pierre.

We split a medium and it was full of curds and pretty yummy. Richard wasn't fussy on the fries. He thought they were just too darn soft.

We both loved the gravy and the ample curd coverage. I'm guessing a solid 4 out of five curds. I might even be tempted to give it a 4.5 out of 5!


To find a Lafleur near you: http://restolafleur.com/

Poutine pros spar on Canada's gravy-soaked battlefields

More about poutine in today's Globe and Mail. To read the latest on our favourite food, click here.

Restaurant Ma-am-m Bolduc

A review from poutine connoisseur Brendan W. Thanks Brendan!


A couple weeks ago five friends and I went to Montreal to enjoy the nightlife. I, being the poutine connoisseur that I am, decided to look up "the best poutine in Montreal" prior to leaving. According to various websites Ma'am Bolduc held this distinction. It is a small cafe style restaurant with an outdoor seating section, though it was rainy so we had to sit inside. It was extremely busy; we were lucky to scoop up the last open table. 
We all ordered the traditional poutine, the women all ordered the small poutine but despite the waiter's warning me and the other guy in the group, we ordered the large. We waited a very, very long time for our food, but given how busy the restaurant was we were patient. And it was well worth the wait and only $9 for the large. 
I have eaten many poutine in my day and that was by far the best poutine I've ever eaten! And the others all agreed. The fries were fresh cut, crispy and hot with a bit of skin still on them. The gravy was perfectly seasoned, hot and in good supply. And the cheese curds were fresh, squeeky and plentiful.
I give this poutine 5 cheese curds out of 5! Absolutely perfect. Note : The poutine in the attached picture already has a few bites missing, it looked even better when it first came out.  

Restaurant MA-Am-M Bolduc, 4351-4355, Avenue De Lorimier,Montreal, QC H3H 2B3
Phone: 514-527-3884
Website: maammbolduc.com

Louis' Restaurant

A few weeks back found us in Chesterville, shopping for trees. Since we were early, we decided to stop at Louis' Restaurant on the main drag.

We ordered the poutine, natch, and it came nice and hot.

 Unfortunately, there were no curds but shredded mozzarella. What's with that?

In order that we don't die prematurely from an overdose of poutine this summer, we "tasted" the poutine and split a lovely Greek salad.

The poutine was okay. But rules are rules. You lose one full curd for lack of real curds. Overall, this poutine rated a 3.5 out of a possible 5 curds. Not bad. Fabulous plates though!


Louis' Restaurant, 1 King Street, Chesterville, Ontario  K0C 1H0
Phone: 613-448-2051