Montreal Poutine Truck

Not too long ago I had written about authentic French Canadian poutine here in Albany (link to post here). Come to find out, Shirley's Cafe in Jonesville shortly and unexpectedly closed as soon as I wrote that post. Noooo. It was already sad enough that Montreal Poutine had a short run in Crossgates Mall. While we frequented the Mall stop on a semi-regular basis, I can see why they closed. The poutine was never consistent; fries were soggy, not enough salt in the gravy, lacked flavor but the squeaky cheese curd flavor was always spot on. Disappointed that two of our closest Canadian poutine had closed, we almost came to terms that the only way we would ever get great poutine would be to visit my family in Montreal. Then, we saw the light at the end of the poutine tunnel in the form of a shiny yellow truck...

Much to our surprise, while strolling Art on Lark, we came across the reincarnated Montreal Poutine as a food truck! I'm a sucker for any food trucks; they are my go to for lunch spots in Downtown Albany. All trips to street fairs deserve at least one fried item so our poutine fix was totally justified. If you've never had poutine, a classic is a good way to start out: fries, gravy, and cheese curds. And it must be beef gravy, no if, ands or buts. If you're a seasoned poutine vet, go for the Montreal Smoked Meat Poutine. Smoked meat is a Montreal staple that is akin to pastrami and absolutely delicious on rye with mustard but even better in poutine. I didn't say this was a healthy venture but so worth every cheese curd. Montreal Poutine has the perfect balance of poutine elements: crispy hand-cut fries and salty beef gravy that's hot enough to warm the cheese curds but not melt them so they are still cold and squeaky! 

I hear Montreal Poutine also has a stand up in Saratoga at the tracks. This might very well be worth frequent trips up north this summer, especially if the the Shake Shack stand is still up there. While the Shake Shack is a NYC staple, it still ranks pretty high in my top burgers of all time. But seriously, if you see that bright yellow Montreal Poutine truck making its rounds, make a point to stop and give it a try; calories, cholesterol and all. This Canadian approves this NY made poutine.  -R