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Poutine conquers Hogtown Trailing behind the flood of Montreal expatriates, poutine has finally made it to Toronto--the real thing, cheese curds and all. >> The Bavarian Bratwurst Wagon Company (BBWC) has been selling authentic German sausages in front of Toronto's city hall for the past 16 years. But for the last few years, they have cornered the Toronto market on what was once a delicacy exclusive to Québécois cuisine. Sure, there have been impostors: Harvey's and Burger King have tried to pull off a mass-produced poutine concoction themselves. But according to BBWC owner Bob Mcintosh, "Our poutine is real because we import Québécois cheese curd, we use pure beef gravy and we hand-cut our fries. Others use mozzarella and powdered gravy." >> Customers agree. "Just taste the stuff and you'll understand that there is an art to making poutine and these guys have mastered it," says devoted customer Alison Gordon, her plastic fork dripping with dark brown gravy and half-melted curd. >> The BBWC is even creating new converts. As he takes his first bite of poutine ever, downtown courier Andy Williams remarks, "That's nice. Mmmm. I like the gravy too. Cheese is cool." >> Daily, the BBWC goes through five kilograms of cheese curd and at least 400 ounces of all-beef gravy, which Mcintosh prepares on the premises. "Those quantities triple in the summer," Mcintosh says. --Samantha Yaffe
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