Montreal poutine: Regional delicacy or gloppy mess?
The scene: While not quite ubiquitous, like the hot wings that appear on virtually every menu in Buffalo, poutine is widespread and never far from the Montreal visitor. Many restaurants offer it as a side or starter, and poutine is enjoying a resurgence tied to the hipster food trend, with fancified variations and much more regular appearances in the U.S. Even Montreal’s most famous and historic eatery, Schwartz’s deli, jumped on the poutine bandwagon, recently adding it to their menu — after nearly nine decades. It is seen all across town, especially in the touristy Old City waterfront district, and there are several poutine-only restaurants specializing in the dish with myriad toppings. At the same time, some finer dining establishments have done haute versions, incorporating ingredients like fois gras. But perhaps the most classic spot for a poutine fix is La Banquise, a 24/7 diner next to Parc La Fontaine not far from downtown. It’s even the place Wikipedia uses for their pictures in its poutine entry.
La Banquise claims on its menu and website to be “more than just a place for poutine since 1968,” and has everything from burgers to salads to lasagna on its sizeable diner-style menu. But on a recent visit with every table occupied in the large restaurant, there was nothing but poutine in front of every patron, as far as the eye could see. That’s because they offer over thirty varieties of the stuff, plus tons of custom options, and they never close.
Behind the humble yellow and blue brick façade is a frenetic world of non-stop poutine, and immediately upon entering you are greeted with two lines, one for seating and one for to-go orders, both always busy. The line can stretch out the door but it is a big place and the line moves fast. There are a couple of interior dining rooms with lots of two- and four-top tables, as it is a popular date spot, and there is also a nice back garden patio with a lot of tables, crammed in nearly on top of one another. The inside has a whimsical flair, with a large blackboard displaying menu highlights accompanied by drawings, such as a T. rex image alongside its namesake poutine, and all the interior tables are individually hand-painted in cartoonish fashion. There’s an open kitchen on the left where plates of poutine are constantly stacked up on the metal counter for wait staff to deliver. La Banquise gets every sort of customer — locals, groups, couples, plenty of international tourists, a late night post-bar crowd and an early morning hangover crowd. If you love poutine, this is heaven.
Reason to visit: Poutine, with great varieties of high-quality toppings
The food: Poutine is the most singular Quebecois dish, reflecting the homegrown cuisine of Canada’s French-speaking province. It is essentially a twist on nachos, but instead of chips, its starchy base is the most famous of French dishes, pommes frites, or fries. It first appeared in the province in the 1950s, but several towns and eateries claim to have invented it. Even the definition of the name is hotly debated, though the most common translation is some form of slang for “mess,” which makes sense. For the basic version, a bowl of French fries is topped with brown gravy and cheese curds, sort of gnocchi-shaped chunks of tangy cheese which begin to melt. The gravy typically includes vinegar to give it a bit of contrast and while thick, should be on the lighter side, rather than thick and gloppy. That’s it, but today myriad variations exist, the most distinctly Montreal twist being the addition of “smoked meat,” the city’s homegrown answer to pastrami. At La Banquise, there are some 31 different standard options, plus several “poutines of the month,” all of which also allow guests to swap cheese (for mozzarella, feta or goat) and/or sauce. After brown gravy, the city’s second most common variation in is pepper sauce, but at La Banquise there is a third option, tomato meat sauce. That means around 400 variations — before off-the-menu customizations.
Poutine is most comparable to nachos or chili cheese fries in substance and style, but in terms of toppings it is more like pizza. The basic could be considered a cheese or plain pizza, with lots of toppings available, alone or in combination. Like pizza, many skew towards “meat lovers” combos, and here the choices include “La T-Rex,” which adds ground beef, pepperoni, bacon and sliced hot dogs. Even meatier is the Fred Caillou, with ground beef, Montreal smoked meat and two kinds of sausage, both sliced and well sautéed, spicy and merguez, a lamb-based Moroccan specialty. There all also plenty of variations with vegetables, again like pizza, with mushrooms, onions and green peppers being the most popular. The most eccentric toppings include sliced corn dogs and peas.
For local fans used to poutine, the most popular variant here is La Taquise, with guacamole, tomatoes and sour cream, which our waitress explained as “very different, you won’t find it anyplace else.” A staff favorite is the equally unique La Savoyarde, an homage to alpine cheese dishes like fondue and raclette, topped with bacon, onions, sour cream and Swiss cheese. While all the poutines are named, there are a handful of house specials called “extraordinaires” which mix and match toppings and sauces including “La Danse,” with chicken, onions, bacon and pepper sauce instead of brown gravy. The pepper sauce as not spicy, but rather like the gravy you’d serve at Thanksgiving, light cream-colored, with some peppercorns in it. It goes well with the poultry, but otherwise I would not recommend swapping it for the original.
In general, what makes La Banquise succeed is the quality and cut of the toppings, real pieces of sliced chicken, onion, smoked meat and large sections of bacon strips. It is not the usual diced and undiscernible mix found on nachos, and you can actually taste the add-ons. More is better here as far as multiple toppings, so if you move beyond the classic, go with one of the multi-ingredient combos. They also do a good job of leaving the edges of the dish uncovered with gravy, so you have some crunchy plain fries for contrast, as the ones under the gravy get soggy.
All the poutines are available as regular, an oval dish, and grande, a big bowl. In both cases they are literally overflowing, and you cannot eat without leaving some on the table. Most individuals would be hard-pressed to finish a regular, but I saw several locals take down a grande by themselves, though for many it would be enough for two. For visitors less familiar with poutine, variety is important, so you are better off with multiple regulars than splitting larger portions. In any case, this is comfort food meant for sharing, a good choice for groups, and since poutine is sort of a bar food, they also have a very good selection of bottled Canadian craft beers to accompany the plates.
Pilgrimage-worthy?: Yes in the sense that poutine is a must-try if you visit Montreal, and this is the place.
Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)
Price: $$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)
Details: 994 Rue Rachel E., Montreal; 514-525-2415; labanquise.com
Larry Olmsted has been writing about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a barbecue contest and once dined with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an email at travel@usatoday.com. Some of the venues reviewed by this column provided complimentary services.