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restaurant grégoire: will travel for poutine

the poutine, one of the better known culinary creations of québec, is just as polarizing as anything else in la belle province.  some people love it, others hate it.  personally, i am a huge fan.  crispy golden fries, piping hot poutine sauce, and fresh cheese curds that squeak with every bite – what’s not to like?

i love poutine so much that i get regular cravings for it. luckily for me, montreal is awash with places that serve it.  however, all poutines are not created equal and the majority are decidedly subpar.  so when i hear of a good one, i am willing to travel for a taste of it and make up my own mind about its merits.  i once went all the way to trois-rivières for a sadly over-hyped poutine.  however, that disappointing adventure hasn’t deterred me from my quest for good poutine.  this is what brought me to restaurant grégoire in mercier.

i first heard of this place from a high school friend.  he, a self-proclaimed poutine connoisseur, had recently dined there and decided that theirs ranked in the top tier.  he suggested we take a road trip across the mercier bridge and i jumped at the opportunity to satisfy my craving (and my curiosity).

i went for one thing and one thing only: the holy trinity of artery-clogging goodness – the poutine.  they came in four sizes: mini, regular, large, and family.  you also have the choice between regular, italian, chicken, pepperoni, vegetarian, sausage, and smoked meat varieties.  being a poutine purist, i opted for la régulière aka la classique aka la traditionelle.  i am a firm believer that a good poutine should be able to stand on its own.

restaurant grégoire is essentially a roadside casse-croûte, a fast-food joint.  we ordered at the cash: two large poutines and two ginger ales.  in exchange for our cash, we were handed our drinks and a numbered card.  we picked a table and placed the card in its designated stand. after a short wait, the lady who took our order shows up at our table with our poutines atop of a plastic cafeteria-style tray.

the poutine was served piping hot.  the glistening sauce was of a good consistency, not so thick that it was goopy or so thin that it was watery.  yes – sauce, not gravy. this is québec and, regardless of its method of preparation, it is referred to as poutine sauce.  the consistency of the sauce allowed for maximum coverage, smothering the cheese and weaving its way through a good portion of the fries.  the sauce also had the perfect balance of saltiness and sweetness. the french fries, deep-fried to a dark golden hue, were good but not my favourite.  they were thinner than i would have liked and although they came to the table crispy, by the time i was halfway through my poutine, they had gone limp.  the best component of their poutine is definitely the cheese curds.  i use this term loosely because the curds were somewhat flat as if they had been sliced.  thankfully, and as you will see from the photographic evidence, it was not shredded cheese.  you can tell that the cheese curds were fresh because they squeaked beautifully with every single bite.  they were warmed just enough by the sauce to the point of almost melting, but without becoming an amalgamate of cheese.

final verdict: good poutine, great cheese curds.  the overall product may not have been the absolute best i have ever had, but it ranks up there with the better ones i have tried. i will surely return some day.  all i need is a ride…

restaurant grégoire
975, boulevard st-jean-baptiste
mercier, québec
J6R 1A5
T: 450.692.5242

payment methods: cash, debit

hours:
i was so excited at the prospect of poutine that i completely forgot to make note of their opening hours.  all i know is that they start serving lunch at 11am.

Restaurant Grégoire on Urbanspoon

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