Video review of the card game Miss Poutine by Ted Cheatham.

Dave got the Arleta Poutine, Foster Burger’s take on the traditional poutine Galvaude with roasted chicken and peas. I’m sort of not into peas. But Dave will pretty much put peas on anything. ANYTHING. So he was in pea poutine heaven. We each had our own plate and I ate every last bite.

Foster Burger’s poutine has everything you could want in a poutine. Perfect fries, great gravy, which we learned takes three days to make. It’s because they add magic or something to make it super delicious. Three day magic. My one tiny quibble was that the curds were still chilled by the time the plate got to our table and they never really melted into a gooey mess. But they were fresh and springy and tasty.

We’re already planning future visits to dive into the varieties we didn’t get a chance to try: Brooklyn Poutine (curds, gravy, smoked pastrami), Woodstock Poutine (curds, mushroom gravy, mushrooms, onions, and garlic), and Clinton Poutine (curds, gravy, pork belly, bacon, pastrami, sauteed onions!).

It’s fantastic to see a Portland restaurant finally devote significant space on their menu to a variety of poutine concoctions. Foster Burger does not disappoint.

Foster Burger
5339 SE Foster Road
Portland, OR 97206
Phone: 503.775.2077
Web: www.FosterBurger.com

The very first poutine we reviewed here at Portland Poutine, back on October 26, 2009, was that from The Original: A Dinerant:

Despite the horked up name of this establishment (dinerant? really?), The Original: A Dinerant, cooks up crispy fries, stirs up an interesting gravy, and hides orange cheddar cheese curds beneath it all.

And at breakfast you can order that same poutine with two perfectly poached eggs on top! That’s what I did the other day, and I must say, it was fantastic, if way too much food for one person.

The Original: A Dinerant
300 SW 6th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204
Phone: 503.546.2666
Web: www.originaldinerant.com

Gravy is known for its breakfast (and the 30 people out front Saturday and Sunday late mornings waiting to get in), and rightfully so.

But Gravy also has a lunch menu (weekdays only) . . . and Gravy Fries.

Though not exactly poutine, Gravy’s Gravy Fries hold up nicely: great fries, shredded sharp cheddar in lieu of squeaky curds, and country gravy instead of brown gravy.

Call them Portland Disco Fries, if you will.

You can pick at the crispy fries at the top with your fingers, but I recommend a fork (or maybe even a spoon) for the majority of the fries deep in the bowl. Gravy’s Gravy Fries are friggin delicious; it’s all about the gravy.

Gravy
3957 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, Oregon 97227
Phone: 503.287.8800

In all my Portland poutine perambulations, I’ve never encountered a truly satisfying vegetarian gravy – until now!

Earlier this week I learned of a few new Portland poutine purveyors, and I couldn’t wait to try them out. Beer is the perfect accompaniment to poutine, so my first stop was the Hawthorne Hophouse.

Heather and I ordered a couple beers and split a sandwich and a large order of poutine. The poutine, as you can see, was plenty big, and set us back $8.00 (there’s also a smaller size for $6.00, and at happy hour you can fill your poutine needs for a mere $4).

Wow, this was a good poutine. The fries ran the gamut between crispy and soft, but were all golden brown, hot, and not too salty. The cheese curds, though orange, were distributed throughout the poutine; those on the periphery were still cool while those on top and inside were melty and gooey. And the gravy poured over the top was fantastic. Herby and meaty, but without the meat. We chatted briefly to the chef Bernie, and he confirmed that the gravy was 100% vegetarian, and house made. It’s my favorite so far of the vegetarian poutine gravies I’ve tried.

The Hawthorne Hophouse is a great addition to upper Hawthorne. We thoroughly enjoyed the poutine, and the beer selection is better than any other poutine purveyor in town.

Hawthorne Hophouse
4111 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, Oregon97214
Phone: 503.477.9619
Web: www.HawthorneHophouse.com