It’s here! Poutine Week! As you well know, this is my favourite of the YYC food weeks, & I’ve been incredibly fortunate to join five Calgary food aficionados as Poutine Pushers. This is my third year as a Poutine Ambassador of sorts & no, the thrill hasn’t worn off. I’m super excited to get the opportunity to sample so many of this city’s fine creations.

The instagram station

Calgary’s Poutine with Purpose is the best seven days of the year, if you ask me. Why? Two reasons: Participating restaurants are competing to sell the most poutine over the course of this week AND every poutine sold at these restaurants provides a meal to a youth in need thanks to Mealshare YYC! You eat delicious poutine, & help Mealshare in heir goal to end youth hunger. Win win!

In 2018, Calgary Poutine With Purpose sold 11,000 poutines and Victoria sold 2,050, helping thousands of youth. Wow! I can’t wait to see how well this year goes!

& it’s incredibly easy to get involved:

  1. Find a restaurant or poutine you want to try atpoutinewithpurpose.com
  2. Eat poutine.
  3. Provide a meal to youth in need
  4. Tell everyone!

I kicked off my 2019 Poutine with Purpose with a Saturday full of delicious poutine at the Gravy Bowl. N was working up at site so I brought my bestie along as my date. I had to miss this event last year so I was even more excited than usual, if that’s possible. Teams made up of a chef + a Local Brewery compete in a live cook-off for best poutine.

My sweet date

The idea is that teams present to the judges, while we sample those same poutines family style. This year, guests were also handed a token to cast their vote & award one pairing the People’s Choice Award. In true Danel & Alanna fashion, we took this task very seriously. 😉

Over the course of four hours, we sampled EIGHT poutines with beer samples. Whew! It was intense, but delicious. & I have to say, I was incredibly impressed with each & every pairing. Each restaurant + brewery really brought their A game.

Our vote went to the Alberta Prairie Poutine by Elbow Room + Half Hitch We’re both suckers for crispy brussels sprouts & theirs were cooked perfectly, as were the fries. The kick from the serrano aioli took it to the next level. It turns out we were in good company since it took home the People’s Choice Award.

Smiles for Half Hitch +Elbow Room
Cleaver & Railyard dishing out poutine
Cheese stretch!

The Lamb Gyro Poutine by Yellow Door Bistro + Banded Peak took first place from the judges. With lamb gyro, halloumi cheese, a delicious herb gravy, & twice cooked fries topped with tabbouleh & garlic sauce, it was a top pick of ours too. If they were to bottle that garlic sauce, I’d be first in line to pick myself some up!

The Lamb Gyro Poutine. I missed rhe IG station on this one. I blame my food coma. Haha

I have to give a shoutout to 4 spot for the jalapeño cheese hush puppies they topped their BBQ in the Garden Poutine with. If those aren’t on their menu, they should seriously add them.

Leopold’s + Annexe (i loved this one as a dish but it was the least poutiney poutine we ate)
Cacio e Pepe Poutine by our hosts, Double Zero, + Wildrose
4 Spot + Cold Garden (hush puppies!!)

As always, I was to give a special thanks to Karen for organizing this amazing event & thinking of me every year. She puts so much time & attention into making this week truly awesome & is just such a rockstar. I can’t say enough good things about her! The fact that it’s turned into such a great opportunity to give back to our community, with the help of Mealshare, may just be the best part of Poutine with Purpose.

(Find my previous year’s posts here, including my first Poutine Crawl experience way back in 2014! I can’t believe this is my 6th year of poutine-ing!)