In addition to being an intern and full-time student of English, I am also a student of French and a recent assignment on French-Canadian culture and cuisine brought me to a beautiful realization: one can buy poutine, right here, in Portland!
That’s right, folks, for those of us who have no care for the health quality of the things we ingest, there are a handful of places here in town where we can get crisp French fries, covered in warm, melty cheese curds, and smothered in poutine gravy.
C’est delicieux!
The local restaurants I have found which sell this delicious and–considering the oil and fat content–possibly deadly dish are Silly’s, Duckfat, Rosie’s, Ruski’s and Fore Street.
Admittedly, I haven’t tried the offerings from these local eateries, though I intend to visit each and every one of them systematically and in the near future. I will keep you updated on my thoughts and will happily take suggestions for other local “poutineries.”
Not having much time to be on the town (it is midterm season after all) I have been making my poutine at home. Whole Foods sells the cheese curds, and even if your local branch doesn’t have them, they will order them for you. You can use shredded cheddar if you must, but trust me, the real cheese curds are so much better; if they are fresh enough, they squeak when you chew them. It’s both tasty and ridiculous. You can get creative with your poutine creation–and many recipes exist online for poutine gravy made with marinara or wine–
but a simple turkey gravy with a couple of tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce does nicely.
In retrospect, I feel as though I’ve been a little hard on the health value of poutine; it’s not all bad. In fact, many Québécois believe that poutine Is the perfect dish to settle your stomach after a night at the pubs. That alone should draw the otherwise skeptical to give it a try, at least in certain circumstances.
I’m looking at you, “Biermeister!”
-Joshua Lobkowicz
If you’re referring to Collin “Biermeister” York, then bravo. I am a huge fan of poutine! But if you’re going to do it right, my recommendation is to go to the well-spring of genuine poutine: Quebec City, Province of Quebec. Ever since I tried the poutine there, I’ve never been fully satiated by any poutine I’ve had since.
I was referring to you, Colin.
And I’m a big fan of Quebec poutine too, though I admit to spending more time in Montreal than Quebec City.
That said, it’s not exactly local and I am looking for the best place to get my fix here.
If you find others, let me know! =)