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| - I remember the day I heard about this mythical "all poutine" joint that would be opening up on Adelaide, and how my long-stifled gravy urges made a bargain with my junk food conscience. Their menu was so unique - beyond the usual curds & grayveh, poutine with curry chicken?! With pulled pork?! - I knew I had to give this ship a test drive.
So there I was on opening day, standing in line in the cold, waiting for some fries to warm my belly. I ordered the poutine with chicken and peas (what?! I like peas!!) and here's the verdict: the fries are perfect - spiced just the right amount and crispy enough to maintain a crunch even under a pile 'o gravy. The cheese curds are worthy of picking off your leftovers even when you're too full to finish, but the gravy wasn't hot enough to melt them (boo!). I thought this might have been first day jitters, but on my second visit it was the same deal.
But here's the thing: Smoke's is open pretty late, so when you're a little tipsy and Lady Grease is calling your name, this is where the place really shines. I'm actually kind of wishing I was half drunk right now, so I could hit up Smoke's guilt free (when it comes to food, what happens at 3am stays at 3am). Who needs perfection after the party when you've got something warm, salty and oooooozy?! You know?
PS: The portion is gigantic, so if you're only a little hungry or have a small appetite, you should split with a homie. All the fancy topping versions are cool, but at the end of the day, I recommend going for the traditional - and BONUS - there are vegetarian versions including a vegetable gravy. Nice!
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