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Imagine a plate covered with crispy French fries then topped with creamy cheese curds and a heavy splash of brown gravy. It may sound like an indulgent ingredient list, and it is. But that is what makes poutine such a culinary delight.
Add an egg, some bacon or sausage or any other morning-time treat, and you’ve got something even more special: A breakfast poutine. Metro Detroit is home to a handful of restaurants who offer this wonderous dish, and it is worth getting up early to try.
First, a history. According to legend (otherwise known as the collective World Wide Web), poutine supposedly was first made in the 1950s in Canada. There, a restauranteur agreed to give in to a customer’s whim to add cheese curds to their French fries, calling it a “dreadful mess.” Detroit’s Thrillist once called poutine “the unholy trinity.” All in all, cheesy fries are hardly a mess; they’re a dog-gone delight. But we digress.
Here are five places in Metro Detroit that offer a breakfast-style poutine for those who want to try something new, seek the best in salty snacks or need a pick-me-up meal after a long night out. For the best of the best, look for good seasoning, lots of melt from the heat of these ingredients as well as homemade gravy to top it all off.
Brooklyn Street Local
Ask anyone around Metro Detroit, and they’ll tell you to go to this Detroit-based restaurant for its many styles of poutines. Its breakfast version, which is also vegetarian, features hand-cut fries, a sunny-side-up egg, organic cheese curds or Daiya vegan cheese and mushroom gravy. You can add beer, lardons or tempeh if you need a protein boost. Come for the pie, stay for the poutine. Only the Detroit-based geniuses here don’t call it that; look on the menu for “Running Through the Six.” This features its legendary duck-fat fries, duck gravy, cheese curds, scallions and caramelized onions. Add an egg on top for a breakfast poutine for only $1 more. Everything here is well seasoned and delicious, so it’s a win-win. Green Dot Stables You have to order the poutine, but make sure you add a few sliders to the mix – we recommend the mystery meat, no matter what it is that day. That said, this Detroit favorite’s “Le Poutine” is cheesy and hearty with its well-cooked fries. There is a bevy of options to add on top by asking your waitstaff, such as kale, chimichurri, egg, ham, onions and more. You could even consider “squeeze cheese,” but that’s only for the brave. If you’ve got the energy to drive out to Ann Arbor, the GKB breakfast poutine promises to be worthy of the effort. It features two fried eggs on its flavorful duck confit poutine. The brunch menu, filled with locally sourced foods and specialty drinks, also has farm-fresh eggs, smoked bacon and an open bar. If you want to try something a little different and go off the rails, then head over to this Detroit mainstay. Here, they’re serving up Poutine Tots – you can get it as a side dish to another meal or order the larger portion to share with the rest of your table. Or you can keep it all for yourself. Make sure to put a side order of bacon or egg on it for a breakfast delight. You can go traditional with poutine fries, but why would you?
