I have now tried "poutine" at two different restaurants in the area. Neither of them got it right, sadly.
First was Houlihan's, with their "disco fries". Shoestring fries in a beef/mushroom gravy with shredded cheese (mozzarella, I think). They also tossed in little pieces of shredded pot roast, which was a nice addition. I don't think I can go back to that place now without having this again, so I'd say they did a good job.
Then this weekend we tried a spot called Victoria's, which had "poutine" on the appetizer menu. It was "duck fat fries" with duck gravy and duck confit (which, I learned, means little bits of duck roasted in its own fat and juices). It was... fat. The fries were super crispy and pretty dark, and I'm not sure if that's a result of them being cooked in duck fat or their being overcooked in duck fat. Either way, not too impressed with that one, because of an odd deep-fryer aftertaste. And an overall lack of cheese. Needed more cheese.
My friend is visiting from Montreal next week, and I'm going to ask her to bring me some of the proper cheese so I can make poutine here. I'm thinking that a housewarming party is a great excuse to make it.
