Bâton Rouge features it’s Lobster poutine for La Poutine Week (Twitter/BâtonRougeSteak)
Jess Reyes
The world just got a little cheesier as La Poutine Week kicks off its 4th edition today.
Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa and Québec City are some of many Canadian cities competing for the most delicious poutine dish.
Poutine might have originated in Québec but Na’eem Adams, co-founder of La Poutine Week, said the movement has extended over seas to include South America, Europe and Australia.
“We’re above 150 (restaurants) worldwide this year and we had more of a focus on getting into some international places,” Adams said.
The classic poutine consist of fresh fries, gravy and cheese curds, but this week consumers have the opportunity to pimp out the dish with lobster, fried eggs, steak and more.
“This year alone we have half a dozen Asian influence poutines which I think is really awesome,” Adams said.
The Bâton Rouge restaurant at the Eaton Centre is in on the action this year for the first time.
“Lately we noticed that a lot of restaurants are coming out with new unique dishes, and in the recent years we’ve really made an effort to sort of make our recipe stand out,” Sarah Condie, Bâton Rouge manager said. “One of the items on that happened to be our lobster poutine.”
The location features a popular poutine dish with a lobster-based gravy, cheese curds, french fries and real lobster pieces on top for $10.
“We thought it would be a fun way for our restaurant to be involved in city activities and also get our staff involved as well,” Condie said.
La Poutine Week also launched a VIP week pass for the first 500 customers in Montréal only.
The perks of purchasing the pass include an Uber credit to get around the city, discounts on various restaurants, a customized toque and a chance to win $100 President Choice gift card.
“The reason why we only did it in Montréal is because we really wanted to just power it out and see how it goes there first,” Adams said. “Then we really want to roll it out for Le Burger Week in September.”
Adams said the goal is to get the community to try a new way of eating poutine and to support local restaurants during a slower time of the year.
La Poutine Week runs until February 7th, offering food lovers a cheat day to indulge in some gourmet fries.