Poutines Deathmatch: La Banquise vs. Patati Patata
Or, 'Two Poutine- and Montreal-Virgins Share Their Thoughts'
Editor's note: Serious Eats readers Kathy Park and Rob Price emailed with this account of their recent trip to Montreal—and their first taste of poutines. Yum. Thanks, Kathy and Rob! —Adam
Words and Photographs by Kathy Park and Rob Price | After a seven-hour road trip from New York City with only one food stop for breakfast, we were ravenous when we arrived in Montreal for Labor Day weekend (it was Canada's Labor Day, too!). For the drive, we had printed out pages of Montreal food chatter from Serious Eats and Chowhound, and learned about poutine. After many jokes about the word poutine, we decided that the dish Montreal is famous for, made of fries, gravy, and cheese curds, was the equivalent of chili cheese fries in the U.S.
Once in Montreal (for the first time), we asked a friendly local where we should go for poutine and he said, "Trust me, Patati Patata." Another friendly Montrealer said, "The best poutine is at La Banquise." We decided to live life to the fullest and go to both establishments for our first tastes of poutines.
Patati Patata
Walking up to Patati Patata, we saw the line extending out of the small and welcoming shack of a place. It looked like a well-established East Village joint and we took the familiar feel as a good sign. After waiting only about 10 minutes we got two seats at the bar (there are maybe 15 seats total) and ordered a Poutine Classique ($4), two plain sliders ($1.75 each) and a half pitcher of Boreale Blonde ($6.50).
Our eyes widened as the poutine was served from behind the counter. In front of us was a healthy-sized mound of fries, a handful of cheese curds scattered in the nooks, and a ladle of creamy gravy poured over everything. Is it possible to go wrong with this combination? The fries were crisp, the gravy subtle and not too thick (or thin) and the cheese curds were squeaky. And guess what, the plate was clean in two minutes. The sliders were also satisfying, although one of us thought the bread was too thick.
La Banquise
Then it was off to La Banquise. Our first impression: this place is as laid-back as Patati Patata with its neighborhood feel, but more families and groups come here. If Patati is East Villagey, La Banquise is Soho-ish. Certainly, the space was a lot larger at La Banquise and a more extensive menu of poutines and other foods. We ordered the Poutine Trois Viande (regular size, $7.25), a pogo (which is called a corndog in the U.S., $1.75), a small green salad and a Cheval Blanc beer.
Although we had ordered the classic Poutine at Patati Patata, we couldn't deny the three-meat extravaganza at La Banquise. For the purposes of this review, however, we tasted several fries/gravy/cheese curds-only bites. We excitedly anticipated the second round of poutine even though we had eaten at Patati Patata. And it arrived with a glorious mountain of meat on top, into which we excitedly dug. The poutine at La Banquise was good, especially because the gravy seemed more well-seasoned. But, the fries were slightly on the soggy side and the cheese curds weren't as springy.
The Results
It was a tight competition. We discussed the merits of both poutines. We loved both poutines and both poutines loved us. At the end of the day, however, we had to give our poutine props to Patati Patata. Those sexy and crisp fries are what broke the tie.
We'll be back to Montreal for more. A tout a l'heure!
La Banquise
994 Rue Rachel East, Montréal Canada (at Lafontaine Park; map)
514-525-2415
Patati Patata
4177 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal Canada (map)
514-844-0216
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26 Comments:
Poutines Deathmatch? Great title.
Raphael at 5:13PM on 09/09/08
MMMMmmmm... pout-ine *drewl*
hungrychristel at 5:37PM on 09/09/08
Say "Patati Patata" five times in a row, fast. It's hard!
Thanks for posting our review, Adam! You know...Rob and I felt like we had indulged by sharing the "regular" size plate of Poutine Trois Viandes (beef, pepperoni and bacon) as our lunch at La Banquise, but saw that others in the restaurant had ordered the large size of poutines for themselves and ate them as entrees!
Who likes to rock the party? Candadians!
Myszka at 5:50PM on 09/09/08
@Myszka/Kathy: Thanks for sending that in. It was fun. I still haven't had poutines yet. You need to get to the Inn at LW12 and compare. Then lemme know if they're good enough.
Adam Kuban at 6:36PM on 09/09/08
Pountine is my ultimate comfort food. I live in NY and have to go to Canada to get the good stuff. It is sometimes a pain getting back into the US because there are so many canadiens who come to NY to shop. But if I really want good pountine I go. PS it's NOTHING like chili cheese fries.
joanpieroni2 at 8:46PM on 09/09/08
I love when Poutine-Virgins finally find their awakening. There are as many varieties of poutine as there are villages in Quebec. And the joy is discovering each and every one of them.
Come back soon!
AmazonGoddess at 8:50PM on 09/09/08
I'm just an Upstate New Yorker, but I can tell you that poutine is absolutely not the equivalent of chili cheese fries. Poutine is Quebecois soul food, pure and simple. A meal on its own, poutine is cheap, satisfying, delicious, and warming in winter. Chili cheese fries just don't compare.
I'll scope out Patati Patata next time I'm up north (never heard of it), but La Banquise has my heart. I've had quite a few great poutine there over the years. If you're visiting, one thing to remember is that La Banquise is open 24 hours unlike most of Montreal. It makes for a great nightcap or brunch.
As a former NYC resident and frequent Montreal visitor, I think the author got his NYC/MTL neighborhoods mixed up. La Banquise is laid back and located in an odd, sparse residential neighborhood which is more like parts of the East Village. There's nothing SoHo aboout it, as far as I can remember or tell. Patati Patata looks to be in manic clubland, from the map.
kurteye at 9:54PM on 09/09/08
I live in Quebec and am not particulary a fan of poutine - perhaps I haven't eaten the best one yet. Next time I go to Montreal (I live about 20 minutes away) I am definitely going to Patati Patata and La Banquise to try out their poutine.
Thanks for the review. Glad you had a good time in Montreal.
Liliana at 11:31PM on 09/09/08
Oh man, I miss Montreal. I live clear on the other side of the country, but made the trek out east every spring from 2000-2007.
Patati Patata sounds like they have it just right. Crispy, saucy, squeaky! Perfect poutine. And a pitcher of Boreale Blonde? Heaven.
Oh, and grammer policing me can't help myself: The US has Labor Day, Canada has Labour Day :)
francie at 12:16AM on 09/10/08
That's what I get for nit-picking.
Grammar, not grammer! Crap.
francie at 12:17AM on 09/10/08
If you feel up to a pilgrimage, go to the (debated) birthplace of poutine, Warwick. I'm told they still make it best.
(To be fair, I'm not a fan of poutine, so I can't judge degrees of tastiness.)
piccola at 12:54AM on 09/10/08
Yes, the poutine at Patati is indeed quite good, but I will return to that place ever again.
I don't know if the cashier was having a bad day or whatever, but he was a total prick. He had a scruffy bread and had some tattoos on one of his arms (In case anyone wants to identify this worker). It drove him insane to have to repeat the salad dressings for my friend among other things. He didn't even the decency to hand me my change, but just slap it on the counter. The food was good, though.
Perfect example of a bad employee who makes you appreciate all the other smiling, approaching workers at retail stores and restaurants.
steven1984 at 1:12AM on 09/10/08
Poutine I understand. What I do not understand is pizza fries and cheese fries with mozzarella. Mozzarella is mellow. When I want cheese fries I want sharp cheddar, or something with oomph.
JerzeeTomato at 2:08AM on 09/10/08
For your consideration, this photo is of poutine at Crabby Joe's in Wallaceburg, Ontario, about a year ago. Definitely NOT the same as the dishes in Montreal! And in this photo, my daughter tries to make sense of the Crabby Joe's version. Clearly, we need a trip further east ...
LunaPierCook at 6:40AM on 09/10/08
@JerzeeTomato
Poutine might not be your thing either. It is not made with sharp(aged) cheddar. It's made with fresh cheese curds. If it's made with anything else it's not poutine AFAIC.
As for Patati Patata, it seems from the pictures and description that Patati have changed their poutine since I've last had it. It used to be quite tiny and served in an edible basket formed of julienned potatoes and deep-fried that kept the sauce from pooling at the bottom of the plate. It was a great idea, but probably not a very cost effective one. I'll have to check out this new incarnation of the Patati poutine.
My favourite Montreal poutine is still the poutine Bourguignone at Ma'am Bolduc with the poutine Italienne at Lestage in front of the Henri-Bourassa metro coming in a close second.
Thanks for the great report.
P.S. It's nice to see a poutine thread on a non Quebecois forum that's not full of "ooh, that's so gross" comments.
SqueezeBottle at 9:09AM on 09/10/08
That would be Lesage and not Lestage that's in front of Henri-Bourassa metro.
SqueezeBottle at 9:46AM on 09/10/08
It looks like something right up my alley! I've promised to make poutine for a friend of ours from Quebec (now living in the US) when he comes to visit. We've got a great source for cheese curds and I'm anxious to try it.
Fanciesmom at 1:40PM on 09/10/08
@Adam: Per your suggestion on how to get my Poutine fix in New York, I looked up the Inn on Yelp and Menupages...and couldn't find it (on Little West 12th or anywhere else). Help! Mama's got to get her poutines on!
@Kurteye: Oh, I can't speak in any detail about the neighhborhoods of Montreal after a 48-hour visit there, but if you re-read our review, our opinions are about the feel of Patati Patata and La Banquise, not the feel of the neighborhoods in which those establishments are located.
Myszka at 2:17PM on 09/10/08
i'm ashamed.. i live 5 minutes walk from both of these restaurants and i've never tried either one
cdcdcd at 11:46PM on 09/12/08
ummm...just curious...in the Patati picture...what is that thing on top of the poutine that looks like a HUGE kidney bean? Is it a bean? And I would love to try to make this at home...what are the 'rules'? Is the gravy just brown gravy..or is it make with veal stock or something equally luscious? Someone send out a family recipe!! I already make awesome fries...this would elevate them to incredibleness! Well...if I can find a cheese curd connection....
pjacob01 at 12:21PM on 09/15/08
Nevermind....it's an olive....silly me...
But I'd still love someones tried-and-true recipe!
pjacob01 at 12:25PM on 09/15/08
@pjacob01
The sauce is usually a well seasoned chicken velouté or gravy. The best thing would be to add the drippings from a roast chicken and chicken stock to a roux, and lots of black pepper.
There are variations though, and you could certainly make your sauce from veal stock, pork stock, venison stock and add such things as red wine, or curry powder.
SqueezeBottle at 4:23PM on 09/15/08
@pjacob01: I read somewhere online (was it on Serious Eats??) that they use chicken gravy for poutine.
Myszka at 4:30PM on 09/15/08
I have never had poutine. I've wanted to try it forever. We don't have cheese curds down here in North Carolina. But we do have gravy. And lots of it.
Trikki427 at 9:00PM on 09/15/08
In good Quebecois, it's "A tentôt!" The french spoken here in Quebec is very different from the french spoken in France. But great post! I have yet to go to either of these places although I live here, I know, heresy! Lol.
Chocolatesa at 11:10PM on 05/08/09
Hum! Tough choice!
Although patati patata adds wine and chicken stock to their gravy, my favourite remains the classic poutine from La Banquise. Check out this video to see how the chef makes the poutine.
katerine rollet at 12:56PM on 08/18/09