The poutine at Au Pied du Cochon in Montreal. Photo by Joey DeVilla

Dish of the Week: Poutine

For those of you long time seekers of poutine, your dreams are coming one step closer. A new food truck eat Wonky will be hitting the streets in August and serving up poutine. For those unfamiliar with poutine, it is a Quebecois dish that consists of fries topped with a non-beef or pork-based gravy and cheese curds. A variation, disco fries, is served with regular cheese and a beef gravy is served at ChurchKey.

The most important element of poutine is the cheese curds, which, unlike regular cheese, is un-aged and un-shaped. They are best eaten hours after production when they are rubbery and squeak when you bite in to them. The challenge in finding poutine in the area is proximity to a producer who can provide fresh cheese curds.

Eat Wonky, run by Jeff Kelley and Minas Kaloosian, will include traditional poutine. They will source their curds from a dairy in upstate NY, where they will be made and shipped in less than 24 hours to ensure maximum freshness and squeak. They will also source vegetarian-friendly gravy ingredients from Canada. For those who want an even more artery clogging dish, you’ll be able to get a Wonky Dog: a NY-style hot dog topped with poutine. For vegetarians, they’ll feature a grilled cheese sandwich made with curds and served with vegetarian gravy on the side for dunking.