I’m definitely one of those people who always wants to try the local specialty. When I was in Strasbourg, that meant flammekueche. In Leipzig, I had to try lerche. So in Montreal, there was no question: we were going to try poutine.
The Country Boy actually ate poutine several times: at a restaurant, at a dingy kebab shop after a concert. But while I have no qualms about eating poutine for several meals, we visited Montreal in July, and if I was going to eat such a heavy food in the middle of a heat wave, I wanted to do it right. After doing a bit of research, I stumbled upon La Banquise, where poutine is the house specialty (and actually, one of the only things you can order).
While poutine traditionally is comprised of fries, cheese curds, and gravy, the restaurant serves over thirty different kinds of poutine with a range of different toppings. It’s open 24 hours a day, for all of your middle-of-the-night poutine cravings. It was recommended by Anthony Bourdain as one of the top places to eat in Montreal, so naturally, I had to try it out.
We divided and conquered, sampling several different varieties.
The Country Boy opted for, a poutine covered with pulled pork, sour cream, and cheddar (let it never be said that my French husband has not embraced the ways of his adopted country). This, in my humble opinion, while the least traditional of the lot, was the winner: the sauce had the perfect blend of sweet and savory, which I obviously loved, and the meat was nice and tender.
I chose the smoked meat poutine, thus uniting two Montreal specialties. It was delicious, but the larger size defeated me – I think because I found the gravy to be quite salty (for my tastes – but I’m not one for tons of salt).
My father-in-law, meanwhile, who tried his first hamburger while we were on this trip (more on that later!), opted for the B.O.M. – with bacon, onions, and merguez sausage.
Each of our choices was delicious, and we were happy to enjoy them on the outdoor patio. That said, all three of us (even the Country Boy) were defeated by the enormous portions. (That said, my mother-in-law was far more reasonable and ordered a small. I might have done well to do the same.)
La Banquise -Â 994 Rue Rachel E, Montreal