French fries are one of the worldโs greatest inventions. Thatโs not up for debate (sorry), but hereโs a valid question: Is there a way to take those salty, greasy, crisped up rods of fluffy potato and make them even better?
If youโve been to Canada, you know people up north think the answer is yes. They call that answer poutine.
First invented in the 1950s by one late-night drunk or another (origin stories are as messy as the dish โ โpoutineโ means โmessโ in Quebecois slang), poutine is the ultimate Canadian comfort food. In the province of Quebec, you can get it almost anywhere, from gastronome haunts like Joe Beef to fast food joints like McDonaldโs. Yes, McPoutine is a thing.
What exactly is poutine? Itโs what happens when you take fries, scatter them with cheese curds and pour thick brown gravy over the whole thing. The result like a loaded baked potato gone mod, cheese fries turned deluxe, Thanksgiving leftovers taken to the next level. Itโs familiar, but thanks to the squeak of not-quite-melted curds, also unique.
And itโs about to be everywhere in Philadelphia.
Actually, if you look closely, itโs already pretty common. The number of Philly bars serving poutine has exploded to the point where itโs no longer notable to have it on the menu.
That wasnโt the case in 2010, when chef Matt Levin opened a short-lived Queen Village gastropub called Adsum. There wasnโt a review or breathless blog post that didnโt mention his poutine โ whether to laud it (โone the cityโs most sinful late-night munchies,โ Craig LaBan, Philadelphia Inquirer) or denigrate it (โThe foie gras on top was small as as half a preยญmaยญture babyโs foot,โ Phyllis Stein-Novak, South Philly Review).
But now. Now!
Poutine is a specialty at Northern Libertiesโ Blind Pig, which has local curds made to custom specs, and also at Coeur, the Montreal-inspired bar and dining room in Bella Vista. Itโs on the menu at Little Lion in Old City, where it comes topped with pork belly and a fried egg, and at Alla Spina on North Broad, which Italianizes it with a topping of pigs head hash. Even taco joints are getting in on the trend โ Heffe in Fishtown does something it calls โTijuana Poutine,โ in which waffle fries sport queso Americano, Mexican chili and pickled jalapenos.
That is to say, itโs a trend. So no surprise that itโs getting even more serious.
By the end of September, the first outpost of Shoo Fry will be open in Rittenhouse. Billed as a โclassy French fry bar,โ the counter service spot was inspired by owners Matt and Rachel Baiadaโs road trip to Canada, where they fell in love with poutine and decided to bring it back home. In addition to poutine, their menu includes sliders and shakes, but fries are the star. Franchising has already started, and the second Shoo Fry is set to launch on a Fishtown corner (the former East Girard Gastropub) this December.
While the local chain finds its footing, it better keep watch on the competition. Smokeโs Poutinerie, a giant Ontario-based outfit with more than 100 locations, is making a move into the region. The first of five planned area branches will open next to MilkBoy on South Street, possibly as soon as October.
This spring, the trend hits Reading Terminal Market. Itโs not in the name of the new stand replacing Salumeria, but itโs one of the main attractions. Along with batter-coated franks, Fox & Son Fancy Corn Dogs is touting poutine, plus โsqueaky cheese curdsโ on their own.
Which is the last thing to consider: Are cheese curds a requirement, the signifier of โrealโ poutine?
According to some fans, yes.
Curds โ aka fresh cheese solids before theyโve been pressed or aged โ wonโt melt down entirely when hot gravy is poured on them, making them very different from the gooey, gloppy liquid that coats the potatoes in cheese fries (this is what separates poutine from disco fries, popular in North Jersey and Upstate New York).
But at Shoo Fry (tagline: Poutine. Sliders. Shakes), there are plenty of cheeses to choose from as you load up your fries, Chipotle-style. And as much as Coeur co-owner Brendan Hartranft loves curds โ โI spend more time nibbling cheese curd on the line than anything elseโ โ he doesnโt believe in a proscriptivist approach.
โWith food, I donโt understand the whole โauthenticityโ thing. You go to a place to see what their take is on something,โ he says.
โIf you like it another way, thatโs great, Iโm happy for you, but for now, youโre here. Enjoy the experience.โ
