poutine à seattle

Being Canadian, I take my Poutine very seriously.

A lot of folks ruin it by either using the wrong cheese (non-curd), or making the wrong gravy. That's right folks, curds & gravy atop a bed of crispy French fries..*I heart u Poutine*

Poutine #1:
I was told that the Steelhead Diner (downtown Seattle) had a very good Poutine (amazing considering it's made in the US of A!) It was absolutely SCRUMDILI-ICIOUS! I give this Poutine 4 out of 5 stars!

• Beecher's curds
• Crispy fries (none of that hand-cut bullshit)
• Rich gravy (it was vegetarian believe it or not, but tasted so rich and meat-like)

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[poo-TEN] The ultimate in French-Canadian junk food, poutine is a mélange of warm french fries, topped with fresh cheese curds, then smothered with gravy. The subject of the gravy is widely debated-some say it should be beef, others declare chicken gravy is the only way to go, and still others proclaim a spicy barbecue sauce is the answer. This Québécois favorite is consumed while hot with a fork.

The dish originated in rural Quebec, Canada, in the late 1950s.

Classic Poutine

The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the insides are still soft, with an outer crust. The gravy is a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper. Heavy beef or pork-based brown gravies are typically not used. Fresh cheese curd (not more than a day old) is used. To prepare, first place the hot fries into a bowl or large plate, then spread the cheese curd on top. The cheese curd should be at room temperature. Then pour piping hot gravy over the cheese curds and fries.

The wine for the evening:
A to Z Rose (from Oregon) one of my favorite Rosés

Characteristics: Made entirely of Sangiovese grapes, this Rosé has inviting nose full of fresh pure strawberries, raspberries, cherries, wildflowers with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.

The only domestic wine to be selected in Wine Spectator's (May, '06) favorite Rosés.

Poutine #2:

Gainsbourg Lounge in Greenwood; you know, for a restaurant which boasts 'French', I certainly am rarely pleased. The only thing that comes close is the rude non-existent service I usually get. The decor is fun, the atmosphere is right up my alley, but if you don't have the goods, I won't be excited about going back. The poutine was mediocre at best. The gravy was lumpy, starchy, and cold and not homemade (if it was, oh my...) the cheese was a grated gruyere. I'm all about gruyere in French food, on Croque-Monsieurs/Madames - their Croque-Monsieur looked horrible - in salads, baked on just about anything, it's delicious! Grated cheese on 'poutine' is not 'poutine'. I won't be eating this at Gainsbourg again, I don't think I will be eating there again, unless I'm really drunk and have nowhere else to go on my stumble home. In that case, I will be ordering anything BUT the poutine. The frites are actually quite good. I give this poutine 1.5 stars out of 5.

Steelhead Diner
95 Pine St
Seattle, WA 98101-1530
(206) 625-0129

Gainsbourg
8550 Greenwood Ave N (between 85th St & 87th St)
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 781-2224