Poutine with a purpose
Poutine is typically fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, but restaurants are known to add flair to their recipes. Regardless, poutine is the guilty pleasure of most Canadians. Luckily, Calgary Poutine Week (April 20 – 28) is one week of the year where Calgarians can eat poutine guilt free.
Calgary Poutine Week has partnered with and supported Mealshare since 2013 to help give meals to people in need. For each poutine purchased from participating restaurants during Poutine Week, a meal will be given to someone in need. With participating restaurants throughout Calgary, there are plenty of poutines to try for the cause. It isn't surprising that many Victoria Park restaurants have created poutines for this year’s Poutine Week. We’ve pulled together a list of participating Victoria Park businesses to help you navigate the poutines available in our neighbourhood.
Raw Bar will be highlighting its Vietmodern cuisine with a K-Pop Poutine. Patrons can expect twice-cooked fries, Korean-style chorizo, brie gravy and gochujang – a savoury, sweet and spicy red chili paste.
Yellow Door Bistro returns this year with a French Onion Poutine. Their French Onion Soup is one of the best in the city, so we are confident that this poutine will be well worth the trip. The bistro’s poutine boasts fried confit beef fat potatoes topped with French onion gravy and a gruyere crisp.
Leopold’s Tavern might be one of the new kids in Victoria Park, but they are no stranger to poutines. They feature a new poutine every week, so it isn’t a surprise that they’re participating in Poutine Week. Their Crispy Chicken Cheezie Buffalo Dill Poutine will surely get your taste buds tingling. Hawkins battered cheese curds, fried chicken, deluxe cheese sauce and a buffalo dill sauce smothered on their hand cut fries.
Gruman’s Deli is throwing two poutines down this year, and we can’t decide which sounds better. Their Smoked and Poached Breakfast poutine includes their home-style hashbrowns topped with Montreal smoked meat, Quebec cheese curds, poached eggs and hollandaise. If that isn’t your style, try their Slow Oven Roasted Brisket poutine on house-cut Kennebec potatoes with Quebec cheese curds and house-beef gravy.
If you’re looking to try a poutine that’s a little out of the box, The Beltliner’s Vietnamese Chicken Sub poutine might be up your alley. Fries topped with cucumber, carrot, cilantro and a sour cream aioli is anything but traditional!
Mill Street Brewpub returns to poutine week once again, with two options available for diners. Option one is their Buffalo Chicken Poutine, which has breaded buffalo chicken, buttermilk ranch, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, and, of course, house gravy and cheese curds. Option two is their Donair Poutine. Fries are topped with house made East Coast donair meat, sweet sauce, lettuce tomato, red onion, stout gravy and cheese curds. You also might want to bring a friend, as their poutines are a fair size!
Naina’s Kitchen will be serving up a delicious dessert poutine for the week – Apple Pie Poutine. Fries tossed in cinnamon sugar, loaded with cheddar cheese cubes and Naina’s apple pie filling, and topped with sour cream and candied walnuts. This option is vegetarian and is available in a half or full order – depending if you’re with friends or not!
For diners with a taste for seafood, Briggs Kitchen and Bar has the perfect poutine for you. You won’t want to miss their Newf’s Poutine. Fries topped with chunks of lobster, cheese curds and a lobster cream.
From April 20 – 28, participate in Calgary Poutine Week to help support Mealshare programming. Don’t forget to share your photos on social media and tell us which poutine was your favourite!