January 14, 2016
Poutine lovers, rejoice: Smoke's Poutinerie, a Canadian restaurant chain known for its 30 varieties of the dish, is coming to the area.
The brand announced Tuesday that it has signed a big franchise agreement that will bring a full eight Smoke's restaurants to the East Coast, the first of which will open early this year. The exact locations of these have yet to be announced, but the brand is looking to set up camp in the major university and college markets in the Philadelphia area, as well as in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. (In other words, University City seems like a sure bet for a locale.)
Traditionally, poutine is a bunch of french fries served with cheese curds and gravy on top. At Smoke's, they pile on other ingredients, too, from peas and mushrooms, to chili, chicken, beef and steak. They even have a "Philly Cheesesteak" version, with steak, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, onions and cheese sauce. Not sure where they got the whole red pepper-mushroom thing from, but it can't be worse than every other city's faux "Philly Cheesesteak" recipes, right?
The big boxes of potatoes-and-toppings start at $6.99 for your basic meal-sized platter, but add anything fun on top, and it'll cost you $8.99 and up.
Until Smoke's Poutinerie opens its first Philly location, get your poutine fix at local restaurants like The Blind Pig or Coeur.
