Nosh Pit

Poutine at the Coterie Room: Best in the City?

So we hear.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Oct 14, 2011 at 10:25AM 7 Comments

The poutine in question. Thanks to the generous Seattle Food Geek for the pic.

Poutine, it’s right up there with brunch as far as Seattle obsessions go.

Word from a trusty source says the kitchen at The Coterie Room is whipping up the best, most precise plate this city’s seen for some time. Curious, I called owner-chefs Brian McCracken and Dana Tough to learn more about it. Here, they break down their newfangled approach.

The fries They’re of the steak variety (larger, they allow optimal mopping of gravy without losing heft). They’re blanched and cooked a bit longer so as to stay crisper, then tossed in chives, salt, rosemary, and oil—lending “an herbaceous note to the potato.”

The gravy This, say McT, is the clincher. The sauce is rich with pork trotter and braised pork shoulder, and reduced to a consistency so exact it took them a week to perfect. (They wanted to ensure it coated the fries evenly rather than just sit on top.) “It’s almost like a demi-glace.”

The cheese Beecher’s. Breaded then fried and lightly salted. The result: a crispy outside, gooey inside.

The dressing An assortment of herbs and spices, lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper makes for an herby and fragrant finish. They say the freshness helps nullify that uh-oh gut bomb sensation one often experiences post-poutine.

There you have it. Thoughts? Sound like the stuff of poutine legend? Think you’ve tasted Seattle’s best plate elsewhere?

Add a Comment »

Tags: Food Finds, Food Trends in Seattle, Poutine

Culinary Clips: Probing Seattle’s Love of Poutine Part II

“It’s like a savory bomb in your stomach,” says Chris Howell, head chef at Smith.

Posted by: Abby Tracy on Sep 14, 2011 at 12:46PM 0 Comments

Our poutine probe began in Fremont, where a line cook at Uneeda burger shared his theory on Seattle’s curious fascination with the Canuck concoction, in which gravy and cheese curds cover piles of French fries.

Now we head to Smith, a Linda Derschang joint on 15th Avenue East that has been serving up poutine since its earliest days. There, head chef Chris Howell schooled us on the proper execution for superior poutine, the popularity of which, he says, comes down to simple human appetite. “People love cheese, people love fries. It’s never going to stop.”

Behold:

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cheap Eats, Linda Derschang, Culinary Clips, Poutine

Culinary Clips: Probing Seattle’s Love of Poutine

Nosh Pit investigates the local fries-curd-gravy scene. We begin at Uneeda Burger.

Posted by: Abby Tracy on Sep 07, 2011 at 02:21PM 4 Comments

Poutine: What’s the deal? Canada’s sloppiest dish has become a total thing here in Seattle. Why? How did this happen?

In this series, we confront some of Seattle’s premier poutine providers, and find out why they’re heaping piles of fries, cheese curds, and gravy upon us.

We begin in Fremont, at Scott Staples’s joint, Uneeda Burger. Uneeda’s line cook Ryan Trevors is one of the poutine pros up in there; in this segment he explains the strange appeal of the Canadian concoction, and tells us where it falls on the Quality Spectrum of Things We’ve Inherited From our Neighbors to the North.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Fremont, Culinary Clips, Poutine