Sweet Potato Sizzler and Poutine

“I really could use something to eat.” I said. It was sure past my suppertime! My wife and I had just left the museum talk. Down the street we walked. On the corner ahead was a place that a few people had gone into. We read the menu posted in the window. It looked interesting; an English style pub. “OK let’s go in.” She said. I was ready. In we went. On the back wall over the bar, I could see there was a board with a couple dozen draft beer and ale. The wood paneled room was deep and the light subdued. Tables along the walls lined the way to the bar in the back of the room. Two empty tables were near the bar. Most of the others were occupied. Several guys stood at the bar, drinking and talking quietly. “A table for two?” The young hostess took us past the bar and into the main room. There was a long wooden rail separating the long room lengthwise. “OK?” as she took us to a tall table in the middle of the room. The room was almost full. “This is fine.” I said. We hung our jackets over the chair backs and climbed onto high chairs. On the other side of the rail sat three young women at a regular table. It was odd looking down on them from our perch. Another couple came in and was escorted to the last empty tall table. “Looks like a full house.” “Hi. My name is Laurie. I’ll be your server tonight. Have you been here before?” “No.” “Well then, you are in for a treat. A favorite is our Sweet Sizzler appetizer.” She motioned to the plate on the table on the other side of the rail. “Sweet potato fries with cheese. We also have 23 drafts available.” She handed us the menus. We read and planned. “Looks like an appetizer and dessert night.” I said as I saw the bread pudding in the dessert list and the size of a delivered Sweet Sizzler to the adjoining table. This room was nearly full. Mixed groups or women were at the tables. They were mostly in their late 20s or 30s. A few tables had an older couples like us. Background music was there but it was not in the way of conversation. Comfortable and relaxed. “Are you ready to order?” Laurie asked. “I think so. We’ll share a Sweet Sizzler. I’ll have a draft Bass Ale and my wife will have Wachusetts Ale.” I said. The cold mugs arrived almost immediately. Soon I could see a pyramid of fries on a plate coming our way. Laurie put it between us and gave a winking nod. The golden mound was topped with sour cream and a green scallion garnish. The melted orange cheddar formed the base for the mound of sweet potato fries. It looked like Poutine. I recalled the first time. It was in a ferry terminal restaurant on the Labrador Straits. There was an hour to wait before boarding the ferry to Newfoundland. “Poutine” was on the menu board beside the other fast foods. We had never had it before. OK it had to be tried. Looking out over the dark blue water, we savored an order with a plate of fried cod and two beers. Now on every trip to the North, we search for it. Poutine, invented in the 50’s, is comfort food in Quebec. French fried potato with cheese curds and a sauce. The sauce is made from veal/chicken broth. The cheese curds, shaped like long thick fries, do not melt. The peppery sauce is absorbed into the cooling potato and coats the curds. With their high moisture content, the curds squeak on your teeth. In the 70’s, a version traveled south to New Jersey. This had cheddar cheese and gravy. Different than the Quebecoise version because the cheddar melts and then solidifies around the fries. American versions now use different cheeses and sauce/gravy; local color and inventiveness. This is not diet food. “This is upscale Poutine.” I said. Sweet potato and melted cheddar now consolidated formed the base of the pyramid. Oh, and a few pieces of bacon imbedded in the cheese. Sour cream coated the potato peaks. Green vegetables on top. The sweetness of the fried potato, a bite in the cheese, hhmmnn bacon pieces. The food pyramid. “I don’t think I’ll have room for the bread pudding.”