What's a trip to Canada without poutine? Back in the states I have seen many gourmet poutine creations inspired by Canada's beloved poutine. In it's basic form it composes of fries topped with cheese curd and gravy. To my surprise, poutine can be found EVERYWHERE in Canada... basically any restaurant that has french fries whether it is a fast food chain or a mom and pop shop.
While shopping at Vaughan Mills I knew I wanted to stop by their food court for some poutine before I flew back to the states. I decided to go to A&W since the A&Ws back home have closed down so I thought I would enjoy a nice Root Beer Float ($3.50 CAD) with my Poutine Fries ($4.50 CAD).
It was surprising that there was a long line waiting for A&W on a Monday morning and it was an even longer wait for such a simple order. There was a lot of workers behind the counter but I felt like they could have been more efficient.
At long last I got my Poutine Fries!! It was really... salty... The gravy was incredibly salty and I think the best thing about this item was the cheese. The fries were on the soft side and it quickly became soggy under the gravy. I think this would have been more enjoyable if the fries were nice and crispy. On the other hand I really enjoyed my Root Beer Float. I happened to be in Toronto during the record breaking heat all year long so this was a nice cool treat. The Root Beer here was less sweet and less carbonated than the A&W back in the states so I really enjoyed it with the vanilla ice cream.
Just as the Chopped judges were saying on Canadian Food Network channel, I felt like A&W was "pedestrian" but I guess that is to be expected for a fast food restaurant. Except... they were not fast at all...