Discussions

My girlfriend is from Quebec  
Just trying to give her a taste of home  
Anywhere in Brandon serve one??  
And yes, squeaky cheese is required

New york fries in the mall has the best cheese for poutine around IMO rather than most shredded

Has to be Original Joe's, they have real Quebec cheese curds

uses the cheese curds on their poutine.

Has great poutine, you can have it with cheese curds or shredded cheese, fries or taters (breaded potato wedges) yummy!

I have a lot of family in Québec and I am half Québecois.  
Yes it is supposed to be made with Cheese Curds - better fresh from Bothwell when it hasn't reached the fridge yet! You can buy Bothwell Cheese Curds at the Grocery (Sobeys used to). It will be cold, but still pretty good.  
It is also about the sauce people! I have had real poutine in Québec and it is amazing how many bland or just plain wrong poutine sauce is being sold at restaurants and fast food joints. Some are good- don't get me wrong- just not the right poutine flavour.  
If you really want to impress her, see if you can make your own poutine sauce - check online from real Québecois and read the reviews!  
 
Hope this helps

I am not trying to start any type of cultural debate and am just trying to increase my level of understanding.  
 
With respect to your comment about being half Quebecois, I was led to believe it is a term akin to say being a Manitoban in that it relates to place of residence and/or place of upbringing. I was not aware it was a right of inheritance so to speak. For instance, if I lived in Alberta but one of my parents originated in Manitoba, I would not say I am 1/2 Manitoban.  
 
Again, this is not a cultural thing. I am just looking to better understand the term Quebecois.

 
 
Edited by ThatsNotMyName, 2019-11-22 17:59:47

to say but there is no where in this town that has anything close to Quebec poutine. It isnt just about the cheese as another commentor said its the taste of the poutine gravy and creamy cheese curds mixed together. weirdest thing is A&W is the closest you'll find to the real thing

Unfortunately your girlfriend will be disappointed.  
 
Here's my list of my top 5 poutines in Brandon:  
 
1) Mary Brown's Chicken & Taters - why I selected this one - the use of potato wedges is very unconventional but it does an amazing job soaking up the sauce without things getting too mushy. The sauce used it a bit reminiscent of some of the fast food poutines I had in Quebec to an extent. Good amount of curds on the dish.  
 
2) Komfort Kitchen - I haven't been there years but that one was always a really enjoyable poutine.  
 
3) Joe Beeverz - good if you want "over the top" poutines, they're more about going over the top on the classic dish. Pretty much pub grub otherwise.  
 
4) Prairie Firehouse - It's not on the menu but I was able to order their poutine a few months back as a side dish. They have the best fries in town. The gravy was alright and a sprinkling of curds.  
 
5) New York Fries or Harvey's - If all fails, NYF/Harveys do a decent job. If Harvey's used fresh fries like NYF as they're part of the same company, I'd be happy.  
 
The biggest problem about poutine in Manitoba is that a heavy beef gravy is expected to be used when most of the best poutines I've had were either chicken based or a combo of chicken and beef. The cheese curds from Bothwell/Saputo take a while to get to Brandon so by the time they get to Brandon - they lose the fresh squeakiness/texture. A lot of places use fresh-from-the-fridge curds, they [i]should[/i] be room temperature at the time when they're being added to the dish.  
 
Best poutine in Manitoba: Le Garage in St B, followed by possibly Black Bird Brasserie, also in St B.