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03/01/10
Gravy Train
Gravy. French Fries. Curds. Go.
The Olympics are finished. Curling was hot, a Naperville skater was a heartthrob and a few turncoat Blackhawks players earned gold for our neighbors up north. You're left hungry for more. Here to soak up that craving: poutine, Canada's favorite big plates of cheesy, gravy-soaked fries, perfect for post-Vancouver hangovers. (And yes, we know they're from Quebec. We didn't think you'd mind.)
MOTHER COUNTRY
Kith & Kin
Chef David Carrier's mother is Canadian, so he honors her the best way a chef can: with the power of the
cheese curd. At his Lincoln Park boîte, his traditional version uses roasted chicken to create savory,
gravy-smothered, hand-cut french fries that are dotted with cheese curds. Which reminds us: Mother's Day is
right around the corner.
- 411:
- Kith & Kin, 1119 W Webster Ave (between Clifton and Seminary), 773-472-7070
CHICAGO STYLE
Pizzeria Aroma
Four Blackhawks players competed for hockey gold yesterday (unfortunately, three were playing for Canada).
So another good Chicago-Canuck mash-up is in order: Chi-Town Poutine, Italian beef gravy poured
over fries topped with melted mozzarella and aged Parmesan. (Basically, like a green card marriage between
an Italian beef sandwich and poutine.)
- 411:
- Pizzeria Aroma, 1125 W Berwyn Ave (between Winthrop and Broadway), 773-769-4900
HORSING AROUND
Rocking Horse
Curds. Let's face it: not the most delicious-sounding food product around. So in Ontario, they substitute
the odd Quebecois cheese with good old-fashioned shredded cheddar—and that's how they're served at the
Logan Square hangout. So, yes, Chicago has been sucked into the Great Canadian Territory Cheese Wars.
- 411:
- Rocking Horse, 2535 N Milwaukee Ave (near Logan Blvd), 773-486-0011
SMALL PORTIONS
Small Bar Fullerton
Small Bar's new weekend brunch, with gravy-smothered sausage biscuits, is all well and good on a Sunday. But
when you're looking to sop up the booze from the night before—and it's a Tuesday—nothing
satisfies quite like that same sausage gravy, smothering a bed of salty hand-cut fries, and proving again
that gravy cures all.
- 411:
- Small Bar Fullerton, 1415 W Fullerton Ave (between Southport and Janssen), 773-525-2727
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
The Southern
Looking to the Great White North to inspire decadence will only get you so far. But add in a bit of the
French Quarter—spicy tasso ham, the porcine pride of the bayou—along with your gravy and cheese
curds, and suddenly you're a candidate for Canadians Gone Wild.
- 411:
- The Southern, 1840 W North Ave (between Honore and Wolcott), 773-342-1840
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