Poutine Lovers, Have I Got A Bite For You!
Behold the magical poutine dish from Badhappy in Chicago. This tiny hole in the wall serves what has been called the best poutine in town, and I am about to show you why!
But first, a reminder as to what this delicious dish is – and where it came from!
Poutine is a French Canadian dish, made with french fries, topped with brown gravy and curd cheese. Poutine originated in Quebec and can now be found across Canada, and is spreading to the US as well!
In the basic recipe for poutine, French fries are covered with brown gravy, and topped with fresh cheese curds. The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy used is generally a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper. These sauces typically also contain vinegar or a sour flavoring to balance the richness of the cheese and fries.
Need Poutine? First, Head West!
Head across the tracks to West Chicago – and the terrific new poutine shop called Badhappy – check out their website for their entire menu, pics and more!
http://www.badhappypoutineshop.com
Badhappy is a small place with a really great vibe…I mean, look at their logo on the wall!
Once you are inside, you grab a grease pen and menu, mark what you want and order right across the counter to the cooks behind the grill…
They have lots of items on the menu that are non-poutine, but I was there for the good stuff, and I dove in and ordered the whole works:
The Good the Bad & the Happy – ($13.00)
Pork Belly, Beef Cheek, Truffle Mayo, Foie Gras Mousse & Gravy, Frites, Curd, Sunny Egg
Look at that! Yes, it has the fries, gravy and cheese curds that make up the traditional poutine, but then they went BADHAPPY on me!
Look at that sunny side up egg – sitting atop a collection of fries and cheese curds…my first experience eating cheese curds was when I was in Milwaukee doing a live show on Halloween. I fell in love with them but never see them on a menu…
To go with this, the Badhappy boys add crispy chunks of pork belly like so…
…then a bit of foie gras mousse gets put in there as well…
Note the yellow truffle mayonaise that is on the plate…and i LOVE MAYO…
All of this goodness sits atop a bunch of thick, crispy fries that have been drenched in gravy…
YUM!
Of course, the Badhappy guys have a few challenges if you are up to it – like this one from the website:
The Triple-Double Challenge
[You can do it]
”Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Take down a triple BadHappy Sauce Burger (18 oz), two full poutines, and a milkshake (12 oz) in 30 minutes or less.
If you complete the challenge (and 6 guys have so far), the meal is free and you get a BadHappy t-shirt and a sticker on the wall of fame. If you don’t finish it in time, you gotta pay $30 and walk it off.”
Good luck with that! Or how about this one:
The BadHappy Battle: Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves
[Ladies, we love you! Men/Man is used for Highlander purposes only]
“Challenge a friend, or the reigning champion to The BadHappy Battle. It’s like the Triple-Double Challenge, but the loser pays for both meals,and the winner gets much applause, a t-shirt, a spot on the wall, and continues their rein until knocked out by another challenger.”
That sounds fun as well! No matter what you do, head over and do it with great poutine at Badhappy – great job, guys!
Categories: BACON, Food, Food Review, Hamburgers, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized
johnrieber 
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