"An attractive place in Brooklyn to indulge in a platter of poutine does not exis--"
Sorry to interrupt, figment of our imaginations, but here's UpNorth: a new bar prime for Canadian-style indulgence. It is now open and ready to ply you with maple-bacon burgers, tequila-cucumber cocktails and poutine. Lots and lots of poutine.
Behind it: two brothers of the team that brought us Noorman's Kil (Brooklyn bar of countless whiskies, if you don't know) who had this vision of bringing a taste of their hometown to New York. Luckily for all of us, that happens to be Québec: home of fries drenched in gravy and cheese curds. Also, ketchup chips, we guess.
It's got a polished cabin sort of feel: wood beams lining the ceiling, artfully placed taxidermy, some white-washed brick and blue leather accents. More of a friend than a date vibe, we'd suggest coming with a few people you know who would appreciate filling a table with indulgent foods and sharing the lot of it. Start with some Canadian beers (Molson, Dieu du Ciel, St-Ambroise) or non-Canadian cocktails (the Rose is a Rose with gin, mint, cucumber, elderflower, rosewater and pomegranate is choice).
From there, there's classic poutine with local cheese curd and gravy, but there's also not-classic poutine. Options like the Chicken Tikka exist, with spiced fries, Tandoori chicken, cheese curd, crispy shallot, raita and cilantro. There's also the Montréaler (Swiss cheese au gratin, fried pickle and crispy shallot) and things that are not even poutine at all: maple-bacon burgers. Sweet potato fries with mango chutney or nine other sauces. Ketchup chips, we guess.
