By Ezra Westerman
I might as well be the pickiest eater you’ve ever met. I was asked to do a food review on a poutine, something that I had never liked before in the past…mostly because I refused to try one. I went to La Poutine to try the “best poutine in Thunder Bay” and see what the rave was all about.
On the way there I was a little nervous because I had never had poutine before and was afraid to try it. Once I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted with a big smile by the owner, Brigette. We were seated right away and I was given a menu.
Brigette and her staff take their time to help you with the menu, to figure out exactly which poutine you might enjoy the most. It can be overwhelming because they offer more than 30 specialty poutines. She encouraged me to keep it simple for my first try, so I decided to go with the classic poutine.
After a very short wait, she came with our food. When she sat the poutine on the table, she told us that there was a real poutine eating technique. She told us, “You are to wait three minutes, then stir and enjoy.” That was the best way to have the cheese curds to melt.
Ezra enjoying her first taste of poutine
Once I took my first bite, I was instantly converted. It was like a symphony of flavours in my mouth. Like heaven. Brigette told us that what we were eating was not gravy but in fact an authentic poutine sauce, a special recipe that was taught to her by a very well known man in Montreal who ran his own restaurants specializing in poutines. The poutine sauce had the perfect consistency and was super creamy and flavourful. The cheese curds were perfectly melted and handmade in Montreal. The fries were fresh and hand-cut in the restaurant—they were cooked perfectly, not too soft and not to crisp. It was the perfect fries/cheese curds/poutine sauce ratio.
The staff were very kind—they surely did achieve the best poutine ever. Everything was amazing. The setting was great, it was comfortable, cozy, and the lighting was remarkable. There wasn’t a thing that I didn’t like. Make sure to give La Poutine a try, you won’t regret it!
La Poutine is located at 481 Hodder Avenue. Contact them at 344-6505 or find them on Facebook.
