While every region has its own particularities when it comes to food that could eventually lead you to a heart attack, here in Quebec we’ve got something called “poutine,” and amongst poutines, the Heart Attack from Poutineville is the Queen of all poutines. You see, the Heart Attack is a 15-pound mess of fries, chicken, bacon, wieners, ground beef, ham, onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese curds, and mozzarella, all smothered in a delicious sauce that will make your taste buds scream for more. Behold:
Looks disgusting? Maybe! But it’s absolutely delicious, trust me.
Last Saturday, some friends and I went to a new location of Poutineville in Longueuil, on the South Shore of Montreal, and met with Eric, the owner, where we had the chance to try the Heart Attack. And even though we were five on the beast, we only ate about three-quarters of it.
Picture: Poutineville
But the strength of Poutineville doesn’t only lie in this crazy concoction, but also on the rest of their menu, where they offer poutines such as the Poutineville, featuring braised beef and wine sauce, or the Mouth of Fire, with hot peppers, hot sauce, curd cheese, and spicy chicken wings. They also offer four varieties of fries, of which the “Smashed” fry was the best. This new kind of fry is made from boiled chunks of potatoes, which are later lightly crushed and then deep-fried, maximizing the crunch-to-taste ratio. These are really amazing. They also offer traditional, julienne, and sweet potato fries as well.
All in all, our trip to Poutineville was a fantastic experience: Great food, great service, and great beers to go along with everything. If any of you guys ever come to the region of Montreal, or if you already live there, I highly recommend that you stop at one of four Poutineville locations to try some of their great poutines.
I, myself, will soon go back to have some more refined versions of one of Quebec’s most iconic dishes. Anyone feels like joining me? :)
For those of you who are too far away from us, here’s an article I wrote in 2007 explaining how to make a poutine at home. Try it – you’ll be glad you did.
Update: Oh, and one last thing! I’ve been asked why I gendered the poutine writing that the dish is the “Queen” of all poutines. The answer is simple: In French, all objects have a gender, either feminine of masculine, and a poutine is feminine. Maybe dark mistress would have been more appropriate though considering the possible heart stopping nature of this dish! All hail the heart attack poutine, la poutine crise cardiaque (in French!)