Big City Poutine

It started innocently enough: I was sitting on my couch hungover this past Sunday, watching television while simultaneously looking up stupid and/or inane things on the internet. Being hungover and from Ottawa, my mind obviously wandered to poutine, and after reading the Wikipedia article on poutine I decided that I it was time for me to answer the question that I had been pondering lo these past 5 months in Toronto:

Can you get a good poutine in this city? And if so, where?

Obviously I've had a few run-ins with the Quebecois treat since I've moved to Toronto, but none of them had been that memorable. I'd eaten poutine several times at the New York Fries down at the Eaton Centre, but that hardly counts.

Though I will argue that the New York Fries poutine is one of the most delicious (and widely available) poutines you can get, I would never consider it a TRUE poutine, because it's made by a fast-food franchise.

A true poutine, i.e. one that follows the Quebecois Poutine Purity Laws of 1863, must be purchased at some sort of shack (possibly a truck converted into a shack) or a traditional quebecois "casse-croute", which is basically a fry shack with a cigarette machine in it as well.

The poutine must contain three ingredients (and only three ingredients). These three ingredients, which to many devout Quebecois have replaced the holy trinity, are as follows:

1. French Fries
2. Cheese Curd
3. Gravy

Nothing more, nothing less. No smoke meat on top. No bacon bits. No ketchup. No substituting the curd for grated cheese. No chicken gravy. No ground beef.

Stick to the formula.

And that was what I was looking for in Toronto. A traditional poutine that I would be able to serve my friends from Ottawa and Montreal and not feel ashamed. So, like any internet-savvy guy with unequivocal faith in the power of Google, I googled exactly what I wanted to know:

"Where can I find the best poutine in Toronto?"

Google responded with a nice smattering of message board posts on exactly that subject. (Yes, it's true, people are so bored that they have nothing better to do than argue about where one can get the best poutine in Toronto on message boards. However, because of them, I found my answer.)

By poring over user comments on several different websites, I was satisfied that I had found the place. "The blue truck at city hall" sounded like the place I was looking for. Real curd, healthy portions, and no fancy stuff. I was convinced.

I headed downtown towards the truck with an anxious anticipation that I had not felt in a long while. It was as though my opinion of the City of Toronto as a whole was resting solely in the hands of some unsuspecting poutine merchant. I was scared, I was nervous, but I was also quite hungry. Me and my two friends walked briskly towards our destination. Not much was said; we all knew what was riding on this 'tiner.

There it was in the distance. The blue truck! . . .I walked hurriedly to the truck and ordered a large poutine without even regarding the size of the large container. This is what had to be done.

True to the message boards, the poutine did not disappoint. Curds were large and juicy, the gravy dark, and the fries crunchy yet still succulent. It was a Quebec style poutine in the City of Toronto, served with the traditional cola. We even ate the poutine a la mode by the outdoor skating rink at Nathan Philips Square, which is the best way to enjoy the dish.

In olden times, it was customary for the Chasseures of New France to enjoy their poutine outside as they ice fished over frozen ponds. They believed that the smell of the poutine or "L'odeur du désordre" helped attract the fish, and they also believed the poutine would give them good luck until the spring thaw.

I don't know about good luck, but the poutine did fill me up and gave me hope that the City of Toronto wasn't just a barren urban jungle of Anglophiles and Leafs fans. And though the poutine was good, I'm convinced there's more out there, and I'll find them soon enough. Until next time.