When you think of comfort food, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

Mac ‘n cheese was a popular answer in a (very brief) survey taken at the Cascade Radio Group studios. Coming in at a close second was phở- a traditional Vietnamese soup packed with noodles and vegetables. Classic combos, including tomato soup & grilled cheese and fried chicken & mashed potatoes, each got a vote or two. And a very specific local taco truck got its own vote – with the voter informing me that pizza (all varieties) was a close second, in comparison. Judge wisely.

All of these are excellent comfort foods. Quintessential, some would even call them. Some of you are probably wondering what bizarre Ukrainian dish I’m going to counter all of this with. I’ve got an entire post dedicated to varenyky, after all. And I do make a mean borscht for the holidays. So, your assumptions are certainly justified. But they’re wrong.

My go-to comfort food is served piping hot, smothered in gravy and layered with squeaky cheese. It’s poutine.

For those who may not know: a traditional poutine is made by layering French fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds. It was first served in Quebec back in the 1950’s, but by the 90’s it was known as the second national meal of Canada (first place goes to Kraft Dinner, of course).

I’ve sampled dozens of different poutines since taking my first bite over a decade ago. At one point, I had a whole blog where I reviewed every poutine I could get my hands on (good luck finding it). Breakfast poutines, spicy poutines, regional poutines, drive-thru poutines, “these aren’t cheese fries, I swear it’s poutine” poutines… the list goes on. I will say, though, that I haven’t had a sweet or dessert poutine.

On second thought… maybe this is where I should draw the line.

I’ve even had poutines in Bellingham over the past year. So imagine my delight when I saw the Herald post a poll asking their readers to choose the “Best Poutine In Whatcom County.” I clicked on the poll, confident that I could set the record straight on what I felt was “the best” so far. None of them showed up in the poll. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I decided to go try whichever poutine came in first place as soon as the results went up.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon, and the results are in. Off to Aslan Brewing I go.

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With dozens of starchy, cheesy plates of poutine already under my belt, I know what I’m looking for in an ideal serving. The fries should be double-fried so that they can structurally support all the other toppings. The gravy and the cheese curds should be dispersed throughout the layers of fries- not just dumped on top like an afterthought. Cheddar cheese curds are a requirement in any poutine, no exceptions. Anything else is just a cheese fry.

I ordered Aslan’s Das Boot Festbier to complement their now award-winning French fry dish. The beer was smooth and subtle- it was perfect alongside the fries.

Speaking of:

These are Aslan Brewing’s waffle fries, seasoned and deep-fried, topped with a mushroom gravy, finely chopped cheese curds, parsley, and chives.

The presentation? Fantastic. I love the pop of color from the herbs and the deep golden color on the fries. We’re already off to a good start. I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms, but I can tolerate a mushroom gravy. I’ve had them in other poutines before and while they’re all right when it’s warm, it’s absolutely miserable to try and get through when it’s been in the fridge overnight.

Of course, I’d be remiss not to talk about the cheese curd presentation. Some folks like a finely chopped curd. I get it. You do get more overall cheese coverage if you mince it down. But to me, one of the most satisfying things about a poutine is chomping down on a massive hunk of cheesy goodness. The essence of the cheese gets lost and melted into the gravy, and is completely forgotten about when the fries get involved. I did my best with this bowl to make sure everything got mixed as evenly as possible.

If you’re wondering if my sole critique about the cheese curds deterred me from finishing the bowl, fear not:

The taste was absolutely smashing.

Everything was well-seasoned. I expected nothing less from a place that specializes in world cuisines and flavors. The blend of it all was savory, with a bit of a nice kick at the end. Some of the fries that were coupled with an exceptional amount of gravy lost their crisp structure after a while. The toppings were only ladled on top of the fries- meaning some of the potatoes were getting completely drenched. On the bright side, even without the crispy texture I was hoping for, those were some of the best bites of the bowl.

The voters of Whatcom County have voted correctly, it seems. This bowl of poutine was a great way to spend a Friday afternoon. It certainly exceeded the quality of the other poutines I’ve had here. But could they be bested?

I’ll be trying out the three other finalists in the Herald’s poll within the coming weeks. We’re going to find out together.