Praying for poutine at the Holy Grale

Annnnnd...it is my understanding that there are plenty of joints in Montreal and many parts of Canada that mess with the standard poutine recipe, including elevating it with all manner of new-fangled uppity haute cuisine touches.

Not speaking directly to the subject of Poutine...or even the Holy Grale for that matter but I have a real problem with any number of traditional dishes being attacked by someone with a squeeze bottle and an "uppity haute crusine" approach. There are some things in the world of food that just don't NEED to be "reinvented" or personally interpreted.

To quote a true American hero.
"Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
You may choose a classic dish at a restaurant that executes the dish well (such as say the pot roast at equus) and I may choose a restaurant that takes that dish and puts it on it's head.

Ryan,

Good point.

Sorry for not quoting the parts of this thread I'm addressing (I think the participants will get it though).

Re: authenticity. So, Mozz has a certification for their pizza from one of the Italian pizza organizations, though I don't recall specifically which one. Does it remind me of being in Italy? No. Frankly, I don't recall any pizza in Italy that was wiped with garlic oil on the crust, which to me is kind of a Papa John's move. Did I like the pizza? Yes, I thought it was quite good, and minus that garlic oil, I liked everything about it. Heck, even that tasted good, it just was not what I was hoping for (and unlike the chorizo gravy, not enumerated on the menu or by our server, nor a reasonable expectation for the pizza given their slant). Should they be taken to task for their food and how they represent it? I'll let you decide.

I guess my point was, there are plenty of Candians who have taken far greater liberties with their poutine than some chorizo in the gravy and subbing real cheese shreds for curds. Now, I think it's fair to say, "hey, you guys may be calling this poutine, but as someone who's had poutine, it's not what I was hoping for", but it's also fair to say that (as Ryan pointed out), it's nice to see some awareness of things not emblazoned with fleur de lis around here. I like that there's a whole crop of places and food pros who do a good job of balancing local awareness (hey - another food trend!) with a wider perspective on what's cooking. Kimchee Dog? Old hat in LA, but fresh for Bardstown road. Should I criticize the Grale or laud them for it?

PS, sorry I missed that chowder Ryan. It sounds awesome. Any chance that might show up at Zbar sometime?

[Robin Garr]

... Also there are few things I personally loathe more than over cooked shellfish and potatoes in a chowder so I decided to cook 60 person pre-measured batches at a time so that the shellfish wouldn't be too overcooked and the potato dice that I had previously cooked in duck fat would still have some consistency. From there the saffron, lemon, freeze dried roasted corn, pink peppercorns, coconut milk powder so on and so forth was just my own interpretation of flavors that would work with the clam stock, bacon stock, mussel stock, and corn stock that I had combined, reduced, and added the coconut milk to.

My chowder wasn't for everyone, and that's okay because we had a lot of people that really loved it....

Ryan, was your chowder No. 1?

... Also there are few things I personally loathe more than over cooked shellfish and potatoes in a chowder so I decided to cook 60 person pre-measured batches at a time so that the shellfish wouldn't be too overcooked and the potato dice that I had previously cooked in duck fat would still have some consistency. From there the saffron, lemon, freeze dried roasted corn, pink peppercorns, coconut milk powder so on and so forth was just my own interpretation of flavors that would work with the clam stock, bacon stock, mussel stock, and corn stock that I had combined, reduced, and added the coconut milk to.

My chowder wasn't for everyone, and that's okay because we had a lot of people that really loved it....

Ryan, was your chowder No. 1?

That was the one, a tough "chowder" to start with I think.

[Robin Garr]

That was the one, a tough "chowder" to start with I think.

To tell you the truth, I was awed by it. I gave it my highest rating. I know the other judges spoke well of it too, so without knowing the points they gave, you must have come close!

I hope it's okay for me to say "it was way up there"!