Tagged : Poutine

in Travel, Wine & Food

La Banquise Montreal

Best Poutine in Montreal

Poutine Hot Dog from La Banquise

La Banquise seems to be the de facto poutine standard from most people I talk to in Montreal. Equal parts tourist attraction and local poutine haunt, this is the place to go with over 25 different types of poutine on their menu. They also serve a good selection of local beer to complement your poutine experience.

In the summer months there’s a nice terrace out back to enjoy the eating.

Open 24 hours, this place is usually fairly busy, so you may want to avoid peak dining hours like 6pm. At odd times it’s easy to get a seat, but at peak times the line can be out the door.

If you’re looking for the best poutine in Montreal definitely check out La Banquise and also read The Great Montreal Poutine Diary which chronicles my adventures in poutinism.

in Travel

The Great Montreal Poutine Diary

In the Spring of 2008 I went to the highly recommended poutine establishment La Banquise in Montréal — supposedly the best poutine in Montréal. A delicious first round left me daydreaming of a place where I could eat poutine to my heart’s content without any cares to the potential health issues. What ensued was a personal challenge to eat/mange my way through the 25 different types of poutine, one at a time, on every subsequent trip to Montréal. Surely these trips would be well spaced enough to allow my poor body time to recuperate. The following is an account of my artery clogging journey.

 

Poutine #1 - Classic Poutine - Spring 2008

Poutine #1 - Classic Poutine - Spring 2008

Poutine #2 - Hot Dog Poutine - Fall 2008

Poutine #2 - Hot Dog Poutine - Fall 2008

Poutine #3 - Veggie Poutine (take-out) - Later Fall 2008

Poutine #3 - Poutine Rachel/Veggie Poutine (take-out) - Later Fall 2008

Update: September 13, 2010
So in between my last trip and now La Banquise has actually added 3 new kinds of poutine bringing the grand total to 28. I need to come here more often. This kind of negative progress is disenchanting! On another note, I’ve also decided not to follow a completely linear order, but instead skip around the menu a bit. You know…keep life interesting.

Poutine #4 - Poutine Bacon - September 2010

Poutine #5 - Poutine Matty - September 2010

Poutine #6 - Poutine T-Rex - September 2010

The La Banquise Poutine Menu / My Poutine Checklist as of September 13, 2010

in Misc Bin

Most Expensive Poutine

At this point i might fancy myself a bit of a “poutine-esseur”, having made an effort a poutine basically everywhere i can find it, so when i saw this fancy gourmet poutine at the new Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel lounge I jumped at the chance. It didn’t really dawn on me until after that I had spent $14 on poutine — something that would normally a carry a $3-6 street price tag.

24 hour braised is what sold me but then I realized that is probably restaurant lingo for leftovers.

As far as poutine goes the Fairmont poutine was definitely up to snuff and the slow cooked beef was a nice addition, but at the end of the day it was still poutine, albeit really good poutine. If it had been served to me in a French Canadian accent I probably would have bought into the concept a little more.

Moreover, I think the $14 price tag runs counter to the true meaning of poutine which should be a dirty, down-home, gravy soaked Montreal equivalent to street meat. Cheap, cheerful, and bad for you. That’s how it’s meant to be.

If anyone has another gourmet attempt at poutine I welcome your suggestions.