Until recently, I wasn’t partial to poutine. While many consider this Quebecois dish–consisting of french fries smothered in cheese curd and gravy–an out-of-this-world delight, for me it’s always been an OTT messy, cheesy Canadian meal that I’d rather, well… not. But the poutine at Desi Galli–a hole-in-the-wall haven on Avenue B (there’s another in Murray Hill) for Indian street food–is no ordinary poutine: Owner PriaVanda Chouhan and her husband have playfully swapped traditional toppings for tikka sauce and grated paneer. And while this Indian outpost may be a poutine pioneer, it’s hardly alone in inventive takes on the traditional Canadian dish. Below, the best places to get your poutine fix (if you can’t get to Canada).
Mile End Deli
Canadian comfort food meets Jewish comfort food at Mile End Deli (in Manhattan and Brooklyn). It makes sense that owner Noah Bernamoff would marry Montreal-style recipes with Jewish flair, given his Jewish heritage and childhood spent in Montreal. What this means: a decent-sized dish of Montreal-style fries topped with a serious portion of Bernamoff’s house-smoked brisket. And now Southerners will be able to get their fill—the duo recently opened their first location outside the city at The Fairlane Hotel in Nashville.
Smoke’s Poutinerie
Smack dab between Stout and Big Wang’s in Hollywood, this late-night spot serves up the signature Canadian dish in the comfort of a casual, red-and-black-flannel-clad joint. It’s a franchise (with new stores continually sprouting up all over the country, they hope to hit 800 stateside by 2020), but don’t let that deter you. The fries are freshly cut, and the specialty varieties—from Veggie Rainbow and Veggie Deluxe to Country Style (which closely resemble a chicken pot pie) and Triple Pork—are seemingly endless, as are the portions.
The Blind Butcher
You know you’re in good hands when a restaurant has an entire section of the menu devoted to poutine. There’s something for everyone: duck poutine (topped with an egg to take the dish to new heights), pork poutine, and mushroom poutine all come with Dallas Mozzarella Company cheese. As for the secret ingredient? A special fry spice made on-site.
Animal
Surely you know Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, the chefs behind the hotly-in-demand and wildy Instagrammable Los Angeles restaurant Jon & Vinny’s? Across the street from their Italian-American joint is their flagship restaurant, Animal, which offers up the most crazy-adventurous meat-driven menu, which includes oxtail poutine. (Note to vegetarians: this is probably not the place for you, given Animal’s no-substitution policy.) Still, join your friends in the fully packed dining room while they snack on what can best be described as stupidly good dude food.
Desi Galli
For poutine in a pinch, Desi Galli is the place to go–or better yet, order on Postmates or Seamless. Inspired by co-owner PriaVanda Chouhan’s childhood in Montreal, the Indian street food spot includes desi poutine, a South Asian twist on the French-Canadian staple. It’s pretty light (well, relatively speaking) and will leave you feeling a little less loaded than traditional takes.
The White Swan Public House
At this Seattle lakeside seafood spot, a DIY trick–spooning some of the restaurant’s covetable chowder (littleneck clams, bacon, and scallions, oh my!)–over fresh french fries quickly turned into a tip-top plate of poutine, which the White Swan Public House appropriately named Poutine o’ the Sea. In case you didn’t catch that, let me reiterate: chowder poutine. I’ve got two words for that: game changer.
