clumsyhalfninja

Here’s my review of my first experience at Smoke’s Poutinerie (407 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa). I hope yours is better than mine:

I was the only one in line. “Sweet!” I thought to myself, as I had been starving for a few hours and food could not enter my stomach soon enough. After ordering a “Traditional Veggie” for my boyfriend and a “Veggie Deluxe” for myself, I sat down to wait for my order to come up. After a very long 15 minutes, it was finally ready. However, due to the disorganization at the counter, someone waiting at the counter who had ordered after us was almost given our order; the employee didn’t know whose order it was, or what the order consisted of.

As I started walking down the street eating my box-o-poutine, I realized that it was not very hot; the fries tasted as though they had been sitting out, which I would not expect from a meal that was freshly made (I could only assume that was the case, since it took 15 minutes to prepare). There also seemed to be a severe lack of gravy. I said to my boyfriend, “Gee, they don’t put a lot of gravy on it, do they?” He looked at his and said, “There’s some on mine. Maybe yours doesn’t come with gravy?” to which I replied, “That would be silly. They wouldn’t even have the right to call it poutine without gravy.” Upon closer inspection, I realized that what I thought was a “lack” of gravy was just the sauce from the caramelized onions, and my poutine was, in fact, missing gravy entirely.

I returned to the restaurant to retrieve the missing gravy, which, to my dismay, was not even hot enough to melt the curds.

Taste-wise, the poutine was passable: the vegetable gravy was rich and thick and the curds were fresh. However, the toppings were less than generous and the fries were dry (probably due to the temperature, which was difficult to get past).

The novelty of an all-poutine restaurant is an excellent one, but as far as poutine goes, I’ve had better. Here is my list of favourite poutines, all of which, I can say with confidence, are much tastier than Smoke’s:

• S&G (Carling Avenue, in the parking lot of the Beer Store and Produce Depot near Maitland)
• Elgin Street Diner
• Glen’s fries (Wagon on Wellington near Hilson Avenue)

I will give Smoke’s a second chance. After all, it was their first day and they were undoubtedly overwhelmed all day long. But as far as first impressions go, it was definitely underwhelming.

Roxy after our walk yesterday.

here’s the thing about me: i don’t make friends very easily, and i’m not that easy to get to know. but once i consider you a true loyal friend, whether or not distance or time separates us, or we don’t speak or see each other often, you’ve got me for life.

i have a few people in my life that i feel very lucky and honoured to consider true friends. i met them all in different ways. i found some but most found me. some were a natural pairing, some had to persist more than others. but one thing they all had in common was that they saw something in me that i often couldn’t see myself: that i was worth being friends with. these people have been an essential ingredient in my survival of last decade. i’ve gone through many phases and they have supported me through them all, regardless of whether or not they agreed with my choices.

as the decade draws to a close, i look back on some of my experiences. some i smile upon, some i cringe at; but the two constants that came out of all of them were a) i learned something from them and b) my friends were always there to help me through them, even if at times i tried to push them away.

so this new year’s eve when we all raise our glasses, i am toasting to you, my friends, and not just to the end of a year or decade but the end of an era. thank you for being there for me and know that i will always be there for you.

much love,
mica
xo