General · Lifestyle · Restaurant Reviews
“A Canadian Meal in a Box”
By Sandy Zimmerman
(Photos by Sandy Zimmerman)
Smoke’s Poutinerie ONLY serves Poutine, but you ask, “What is Poutine”?
Poutine is a classic Canadian dish which originated in Quebec.
Natalie Buckel, Smoke’s Poutinerie Owner, explained while I watched the chef prepare their involved process for preparing my Poutine dinner.
Natalie began with the potatoes, “First we cut and blanch the potatoes,
cool them and place in the refrigerator. We flash fry the potatoes before serving and only use top quality Idaho potatoes.”
SZ: “This is different from just throwing the potatoes into the fryer.”
Natalie: “We do everything here, it’s a long process. From start to finish, it takes a
few hours preparation for all of the food to be ready for customers when they walk in.
The next step is adding cheese curd. We use the popular Wisconsin cheese curds, known as squeaky cheese. Sometimes when you bite into the cheese curd, you hear a slight squeak.
SZ: “I will listen next time.”
Natalie: “Cheese curds are similar to white cheddar, really tasty and hard to find.
Now we pour the gravy on top. There are three types of gravy- our traditional gravy with a rosemary garlic base. The second, a peppercorn gravy.”
SZ: “That’s the one I request for my steak in a gourmet restaurant.”
Natalie: “Absolutely, it is exactly like you are picturing with a great peppery taste. Our third gravy, a vegetarian gravy, has a mushroom base. All of your food soaks in the gravy.
This is the time to look at our menu and add what you want. My personal favorite is the double pulled pork chipotle with bacon.
Our chili is made in-house served with Nacho Grande jalapenos, SALSA, guacamole and sour cream. It has a kick to it!”
SZ: “Imagine, every bite brings a new taste sensation. You would not think a meal in a box would take all those steps.”
Natalie: “The Philly Cheese Steak is a juicy flat iron steak served with onions, mushrooms, cheese sauce and red pepper. There’s the bacon cheeseburger with prime ground beef and cheese sauce.”
We can alter any of our dishes, we have people come with different allergies and offer several food options, even Vegetarian choices. These are big meals, you are going to be full. It is going to ‘FEEL LIKE A WARM HUG FOR YOUR STOMACH’.”
SZ: “Just add everything you want to satisfy your hunger, as big as you build your custom-made meal! Look at the menu make-your-own-choices for your meal. In fact this is a great chance to try tasting several of the exciting selections added to your meal.
I’m on a diet and chose grilled chicken, applesauce, fajita vegetables and mushrooms.”
For information, call 702-339-7746. Smoke’s Poutinerie is located downtown, 725 Las Vegas Boulevard South, in the Pawn Plaza Retail Center. www.smokespoutinerie.com https://youtu.be/qsgrPNDTKjE?t=5 https://youtu.be/nv4c2e5cm8s?t=5
Award-winning Syndicated Columnist/ Talk Show Host Sandy Zimmerman’s Las Vegas Today Show programs and Discover the Ultimate Vacation travel specials.
For information, call (702)-731-6491. Sandyzimm2003@yahoo.com