You Gotta Eat... At Boomers!

My longstanding lust for poutine (originating from my university years in Quebec) is no secret...

From the marvelous duck poutine I enjoyed last summer, to the accolades I showered upon Chef Chuck Hughes for his Iron Chef-winning lobster poutine at Savour Stratford, the poutine references have been a regular staple here at The Local-Come-Lately. The Canada Day Poutine Pageant (one of my early posts) showcased Stratford's true national pride with a downtown performance by Steven Page and a pair of poutines from nearby Boomers Gourmet Fries.

Well, Stratford's mecca for Canada's signature gnosh is getting nationwide attention this week, as it's featured on the very first episode of Food Network Canada's brand new show You Gotta Eat Here!

The premiere airs this Friday (January 6th, 2012) at 9 pm. Hosted by John Catucci, I reckon this new show will be Canada's version of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (which is great because that's one of my longtime Food Network favourites!).

Boomers Gourmet Fries owner Sue Pasquale (above) couldn't be more stoked about being Canada's poutine poster child! I've been working virtually next door to Boomers for a while and so in honour of her impending slingshot to fries-curd-and-gravy superstardom I grabbed dinner there tonight. When I showed up Sue was rocking out to Hello by Dragonette and sharing stories of the shoot last summer and folks coming in to get autographed menus this past week!

The reason You Gotta Eat... at Boomers! is because of its famous gourmet poutine menu, that includes creative interpretations like Goat's Cheese Poutine, Cosmopolitan Poutine, and Hickory Sticks Poutine. I told Sue I wanted to try whatever John Catucci liked, so first she hooked me up with a Poutini (hand-cut fries, curd and gravy topped with onion rings and a three-olive garnish, above). Perfect for celebrating the New Year!

Sue is a fellow Italian, and I have the feeling John Catucci is too, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Boomers Meatball Poutine (above) will be featured in Friday's episode. In fact, the site for You Gotta Eat Here includes recipes from all of the establishments that are visited, and the recipe for Boomers is for Sue's Meatball Poutine (it takes 2 hours to make those tasty meatballs in marinara sauce, so I think I'll just swing over to Boomers whenever I get the hankerin' but don't have time to DIY). 

Sue is planning for a fun evening on Friday... one of her friends has invited all of the customers who were interviewed for the show to come watch it with her! I'll be watching along with the rest of the country as You Gotta Eat Here celebrates Stratford's poutine treasure!