Poutine. Said to be invented in Quebec in the 60s or 70s, it’s a quintessentially Canadian dish that’s gaining world-wide acceptance. Restaurants are taking it to new levels, giving the foundational french fries, cheese curds and gravy the deluxe treatment with surprisingly sophisticated accoutrements. Here are 12 try before you die versions available right here in Winnipeg:
Lobster
Don’t be fooled by the straightforwardness of the name, the new Rudy’s Eat & Drink, opened in the Manitoba Hydro building this December, serves some sophisticated bites for lunch and dinner including this super-decadent Lobster and Bacon poutine with house-made cheese curds.
Rudy’s Eat and Drink
Manitoba Hydro Place
375 Graham Avenue
(204) 421-9094
Pulled Pork
Manitoba oak smoked pulled pork tops a heaping helping of fresh cut fries and gets a hit of cheese curds and gravy at Lovey’s. It’s a meal unto itself, but that hasn’t stopped some of us (ahem) from eating it as a side to the terminator burger which is topped much the same way and crowned with Lovey’s awesome onion rings.
Lovey’s BBQ
208 Marion Street
(204) 233-7427
Lovey’s BBQ Express
405 Turenne Street
Bacon
A hidden gem in Winnipeg’s Little Italy, Corydon Avenue’s Civita serves some amazing food and makes great use of their wood-fired ovens. But this unassuming poutine packs a flavour punch with some of the richest, most savoury gravy and ooey-gooey cheese curds I’ve ever encountered. Oh yeah, and there’s bacon. While it boders on the salty side, it’s nevertheless ridiculously good.
Civita
691 Corydon Avenue
(204) 453-4616
Butter Chicken
Back in November 2010, New York Fries began converting its St. Vital and Polo Park locations to Poutineries adding Butter Chicken and Braised Beef poutines to the menu. The former of the two boasts a delicious, mildly spiced butter chicken served over real Quebec cheese curd and fresh cut fries while its braised beef counterpart features slow cooked angus in a red wine reduction with carrots, mushrooms, onions and cheese curds.
New York Fries
1555 Regent Avenue
1485 Portage Avenue
1225 St. Mary’s Street
Blue Cheese
The White Star (formerly Albert Street Burgers) is an exchange district diner with a reputation for elevating humble dishes. Take their philly cheese steak burger, or the Mortimer, a classic cheese burger topped with house-made pulled pork. But the star of the menu in my mind is their bluetine, fresh cut fries topped with gravy and tangy blue cheese.
The White Star Diner
58 Albert Street
(204) 947-6930
Bacon n Eggs
Although it’s a summer menu only option, Bistro 725′s eggs poached in bacon gravy with Bothwell cheese curds poutine is worth the wait. House manager Danielle Svenne says it started as a staff lunch but now customers are clamoring for it on regular basis.
Bistro 7 1/4
725 Osborne Street
(204) 777-2525
Duck Confit
Chef Jon Royal is a genius. Every Friday he sets up a poutine bar in the University of Winnipeg’s main floor cafeteria, Pangea’s Kitchen. From 11 am “till it’s gone,” guests can build their own poutine choosing from choice ingredients like chorizo, smoked Gouda, and juniper duck leg confit.
University of Winnipeg Riddell Hall
515 Portage Avenue
(204) 789-1450
Oka Cheese
Leave it to the Peasant Cookery to out French everyone on this French classic. They take Quebec Oka cheese and serve it over sauced fries with an optional upgrade to chicken confit.
Peasant Cookery
283 Bannytine Avenue
(204) 989-7700
Tourtiere
Okay, if Peasant Cookery can French it to the max, then Le Garage hit the French-Canadian limit by topping their poutine with tourtiere. You can also get black bean curry, pulled pork and sausage and mushroom pizza versions (how’s that last one work now?)
Le Garage
166 Provencher Blvd.
(204) 237-0737
Chicken Livers
The Lobby on York’s twelve dollar starter is a to-die-for combination of chicken livers, pear, and Cambozola cheese drizzled in a demi-glace and garnished with crispy onions. Don’t be afraid of the liver. Its flavours are easily tamed by the blue cheese and the sweetness and acidity of the pear.
The Lobby on York
295 York Avenue
(204) 896-7275
Tempura-battered Parmesan Fries
If that didn’t already send you speeding across town for a seat at Terrace 55, the bocconcini pearls (tiny mozzarella spheres), lobster bisque and almost 1/4 pound of claw and tail meat toppings will. This is about as decadent as this peasant dish can get, n’est pas? Thanks (and a little envy) to FREEP reporter David Sanderson for pointing this one out. Check out the article and picture of what I consider to be the crowning jewel of the poutine scene in Winnipeg.
Terrace 55
55 Pavilion Crescent
(204) 938-7275
Everything Else
Smoke’s Poutinerie offers more than 20 core poutines and patrons have the opportunity to customize. Personally I’ve found the fries a little skinny and limp, the gravy too thin and the toppings used all too sparingly, but I had to list it simply because of the incredible selection.
Smoke’s Poutinerie
131 Albert Street
(204) 253-2873
