Poutine, pesto pizza, and awesome stout beer @ Universal

· by · in Dine Out, Montreal, Quebec, Travel. ·

Hmm…I don’t even know where to start on this posting because everything I had at Universal was great!  The service was also excellent.

Advised by at least 2 very well-travelled friends to try Poutine before I left San Francisco, I literally carved this onto my itinerary least I forget to try this dish.  I even called G via long distance to confirm restaurants I should go to try this dish.  In other words, I. was. serious.

Although I did not go to one of the more famous “poutine” places, I think I did well to come to Universal.

A traditional poutine is a dish that’s consisted of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy.  [Note the ugly dish below]  There are now many, many variations of this treat, but this being my first Poutine ever (and probably my last), I got the traditional version.  It was humongous.  I ate 1/4 of the plate.  It was yummy, but very, very filling.  Burp!

traditional poutine

my leftovers

Next, I ordered the pesto pizza (pesto, shrimp, artichoke, and cheese) Delicious, but since I ate the Poutine, I had no room to eat this pizza.  It became yummy breakfast.

pesto pizza with shrimp and artichoke

Now, for the beer.  I am sure a lot of people are very familiar with Guinness from Ireland.   But have you heard of St. Ambroise oatmeal stout (5% alc)  by McAuslan brewery in Canada?

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

I haven’t, but I am pretty beginner in beer and wine, so am learning lots this year.  [You should also ignore the glass they gave me to drink the beer from St. Ambroise because I did not try Blanche De Chambly]  Anyway, I thought it would taste very bitter and unpleasant, but this one’s darn good and goes surprisingly well with the Poutine.  According to the bottle, this beer is brewed from 40% dark malts and roasted barley and “carries strong hints of espresso and chocolate.”  It does have a more complex flavor, but not overwhelming or unpleasant.  In fact, it went down smoothly and I really prefer this one.

Service here is also friendly.  The wait staff was some of the friendliest I have met, and generally very cool people.

Merci beaucoup.

Universal | 2055 rue Peel | Montreal, QC H3A 1V4 | Canada
Universel on Urbanspoon

4 responses to “Poutine, pesto pizza, and awesome stout beer @ Universal”

  1. Still not sure why Poutine hasn’t caught on in the States… Yum

  2. Yum, poutine! I’ve only had it in Vancouver (since that’s really the only part of Canada that I ever visit) but I’m sure it’s not the same as the real thing.

    • No idea that they had that there, too. Oh, now that you mentioned it. When I was in Vancouver years ago, I tried their smokies (sausages/hot dogs) grilled perfectly on the street with onions, mushrooms, the works…so much better than just plain hot dog. 🙂

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