Specialty Poutines at The Crispy Spud

When we hit the roads of summer to go visit the in-laws, we stop about twice a summer at this potato stand in Carleton Place, The Crispy Spud. An old chip truck on cinder blocks, it is located on Highway 15, it is family owned since 2011, and offers your usual food truck fare, like hot dogs and burgers and french fries. It is usually opened from May to October, but be aware that you’ll need to bring cash!

They also have a big menu section for their Specialty Poutines, with 32 options to choose from in two sizes, small ($14) or large ($18). The selection includes things like Chili, Pepperoni, Hawaiian and Mushroom. Without consultation, we all decided to order one, looking forward to the fries, gravy and curds – and all the delicious extra toppings!


While we waited for our food, we sat at one of the picnic tables, jealously eyeing the one table that was in the shade. It was 28 degrees and the sun was blazing. The lady who was finishing up her meal with her grandson waved us over to offer the table right away, allowing us to secure the most sought after piece of real state on the grounds. Despite being besides the highway, they have put some effort into the landscaping – and they sure love their Canadian flags. After about 10 minutes, buzzer #18 went off to call us back to the pick up window.

Mini-Waffle had decided to go for the Indian Butter Chicken Poutine. He’s been looking for those lately, ever since he spotted one on the Law & Order menu and tried it.

The butter chicken sauce was thick and rich, slightly spicy. The menu has a disclaimer for peanuts and tree nuts, but none were visible. Likely, an outside supplier is used. The chicken pieces were white meat and were tender enough. Oskie was quick to note however that the chicken had not been cooked with the sauce, which made for a less wholesome flavour. “At Law & Order, they cook the chicken with the sauce, it’s better!” he opined. Truth is, that is not the case, but the chicken used by L&O is breaded chicken tenders tossed in the sauce, which allows for the flavour to penetrate with more depth. Here, the sauce is only added on top of the fries, cheese and chicken. Still, not bad.

The Waffle Jr. picked her favourite flavour profile, Taco style – no green onions please.

Now, this one looked like a mini taco salad on top of a poutine. So on top of the poutine, you had a bed of romaine lettuce (Iceberg would be better), corn chips, taco beef, sour cream, guacamole, tomato and shredded cheese, with extra taco seasoning. Thumbs up for going all in and not skimping on the toppings. The seasoning totally worked and tex-mex expert Clara couldn’t stop eating, even after the she was full. She pushed it away and came back to it twice!

Ms. Waffle had elected also for one of her favourite flavour, buffalo chicken.


Crispy chicken tenders tossed in Frank’s, diced tomato, shredded cheddar and ranch dressing. The sauce was deliciously tangy, the Frank’s flavour on full display on the breaded chicken. Not sure the shredded cheese was necessary on top of the curds for this one. The ranch dressing wasn’t bad but I’d rather they go for blue cheese dressing. As for the tomatoes, not sure why they are involved. Nevertheless, pretty good.

As for me, I went Newfie Style! A Poutine with dressing, ground beef and newfie steak!

Now, that is something you don’t see everyday. On this one, you can best see the dark, rich, beefy gravy that they used for their poutines, served piping hot. Not bad at all. The Crispy Spud also offers a vegan option made from beans. lol. I had heard about Newfoundland fries, which does come with a breadcrumb dressing flavoured with savoury spice. In this poutine, it didn’t really shine over the meats and the gravy, but it was giving the dish some depth. Interesting. The ground beef seems to come from a burger patty, chopped up, which makes for some nice charring. As for the Newfie steak, it is simply a thick slice of fried baloney, ie a “steak”. Obviously, it was chopped up and not served as a steak. I thought it could have been fried a little longer – it wasn’t very crispy. It certainly brought some saltiness to the dish – not that it needed it.

Nobody seems to know why fried bologna is called a Newfie steak (Or Newfoundland steak). What we know, however, is that of the six million kilograms of bologna sold by Maple Leaf across Canada, 60 % is consumed in Atlantic Canada, over 3.5 million kilograms. Newfoundland and Labrador alone accounts for 60 percent of these sales, with more than 2.1 million kilo of bologna eaten annually by its half a million residents. Apparently, the arrival of bologna in Newfoundland can be traced back to the salt cod trade to Italy, who might have brought bologna to the island in the 1600s.

Crispy fries are the cornerstone of a perfect poutine, offering a delightful contrast to the creamy gravy and cheese curds. At the top, the fries were golden and crunchy, retaining their texture despite being doused in the rich, savory sauce. However, at the bottom of the poutine, as time went by, the fries lost their crispiness, soaking up the gravy and becoming tender – but not mushy. Meanwhile, the cheese curds, as is too often the case in Ontario, were not squeaky. The curds weren’t cold, thankfully, which allowed them to melt and become gooey.

At first, I thought I would order a large, but decided against it, gambling on the Waffle family to fail to finish. And I was right! We got plenty of food and left Crispy Spud satisfied.

The McRib is back!

It had been a long time coming. Ever since the McRib first made its debut in 1981, the McDonald’s delicacy has been standing out as a unique and beloved creation. So when McDonald’s announced on January 25th that it was bringing back the iconic sandwich to Canadian menus, people got excited.

The McRib is more than junk food, it is a cultural phenomenon, as evidenced by social media platforms lighting up with posts celebrating the McRib’s return, and by mainstream media covering the story.
Even Tania was caught in the frenzy, sharing with me the Ultimate Homemade McRib Recipe from Serious Eats.

The McRib has appeared on and off on the menu but was last sold in Canada in 2014. Many Canadians had given up on ever seeing the sandwich again, as McDonald’s USA had announced in 2022 that the elusive McRib was finally back… embarking on a “Farewell Tour”.

They said it couldn’t be done. Never say never. You’re welcome Canada, the McRib is back! McDonald's Canada #missionaccomplished✔️ #promisemadepromisekept  #neversaynever #tomorrowneverknows #mcrib #McRibMania #TeamMcRib
They said it couldn’t be done. Never say never. You’re welcome Canada, the McRib is back! McDonald’s Canada #missionaccomplished✔️ #promisemadepromisekept #neversaynever #tomorrowneverknows #mcrib #McRibMania #TeamMcRib

Other members of the Waffle’s family had no idea what they were missing. Inspired by Justin’s working class leadership, I was going to fix this. No, not that Justin. This one!

The anticipation and excitement was contagious. Ms. Waffle agreed to pick up some McRibs on the way back from a shopping trip. Turns out, the saucy sensation is not available at every location, so she had to make a long detour to make it happen. God bless.

Soon, we all had the pleasure of indulging in the magical McRib. Well, not quite, as the Waffle Jr. opted for a cheeseburger. I wanted to ban her to the outlands but I figured it wouldn’t be worth the drama and would keep me from rediscovering the flavors, textures and smells of the elusive and exclusive sandwich.

The McRib was designed to be a pork alternative to the traditional beef patties that dominated the McDonald’s menu. Served on a roll with sesame seed, it has a distinctive rib-shaped pork patty, is smothered in tangy barbecue sauce and topped with pickles and onions. Read more!

Tacos Del Rancho justo lo que necesitaba

I woke up at 2 AM, awoken by the arrival of yet another snow dump. My alarm was set for 4 AM, for a United flight out of Ottawa which was originally scheduled at 6:25 but had already been delayed by half an hour the night before.  I knew the heavy snow would cause further delays and my layover in O’Hare was impossibly short to begin with. Perhaps for that reason, I couldn’t get back to sleep. Or perhaps I was too much aware there was no other flight to Tucson out of O’Hare. I was already assuming that I’d spend the night in Chicago and my plan B was a deep dish pizza adventure and a visit to the United Center to see the Blackhawks play the Predators.

We landed late in O’Hare, but United had decided to hold the plane for the few of us who needed that connection! Even my checked bag made it!  Long story short, I was really impressed with United. But not impressed enough to order their food.

After getting my bag, getting the rental car and checking in at the hotel, I had been awake for far too long while having only had a small bag of plane pretzels. It was well overdue to get some real food. I drove back towards downtown, having passed a whole bunch of restaurants along the way. I ignored the KFC, Arby’s and other McDonald’s and ended up at Tacos Del Rancho under the Arizona afternoon sun.

Tacos Del Rancho is a fairly new joint, located in one of the numerous small strip malls on Oracle road. Established in September 2021, it is 100% family-owned and operated. They say that their tex-mex menu is inspired by the Sonora desert. Points for making their own salsas and also their own fresh corn and flour tortillas. Bonus points for using certified Angus beef. On the menu, you’ll find Nachos, Asada Fries, Gordita, Burritos and of course, Tacos! The decor is minimalist, but polished with bright colours.

I relied on the staff’s advice before ordering. They told me that the most popular item on the menu was the Taco Del Rancho ($4.50). Frankly, if the dish is named after your restaurant, it HAS to be the best thing you offer. So I ordered it in a combo! Two tacos, served with  beans, rice and a choice of side – I picked the Chile En Rajas – and a soda. Read more!

A pizza in a Cage (II)

It had been a while since I last tried a pizza at La Cage, which is no longer “Aux Sports” as the Waffler nation well knows. In fact, pizza wasn’t on the menu for a while, although they did have flatbreads on the menu a while ago. Not the same dough, so not the same, though.

Now available in some locations, a selection of Neapolitan pizza. I was intrigued, because unlike before, they now have a dedicated pizza oven in select locations. Options include Prosciutto & Arugula; Bacon, Sausage & Onion; Margherita; Italian Sausages. I decided to go ahead and order the Margherita.

Margherita pizza is a traditional culinary specialty said to have originated in Naples, Italy. Very popular for its simplicity, this napoletana pizza is topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. The colors of these three ingredients are meant to represent the Italian flag. It seems to have been first described, in 1830, by Riccio in the book Napoli, contorni e dintorni.

So if it is so simple, why is it so popular? If simplicity is the base, the real secret of a Margherita pizza lies in the use of high quality ingredients. You want a very fresh, fairly raw pizza sauce, made with San Marzano tomatoes. You want real fresh mozzarella di Buffala, coming in balls, not the industrial blocks. And of course, the freshest of basil, sweet with large leaves.

Read more!

Not the ringer we expected

Fast Food chains are always looking for new offerings to attract consumers. Variations should be limitless yet it is rarely really out of the ordinary. Still, here in this corner we decided to give a shot to Harvey’s newest burger:

The Angus BBQ Bacon Ringer Melt.

So you get a 100 per cent Canadian, flame grilled Angus burger topped with BBQ sauce, cheese, bacon and Onion Rings on a toasted bun. As always, you top your burger with your choice of fixings.

I fired up the app to get it to go from the Saint-Joseph Boulevard location in Hull. First things first, Harvey’s informed me that they were currently experiencing supply challenges with their gravy. As a result, their Poutines may temporarily be unavailable on the menu at some locations. I had no interest in a Harvey’s poutine so I cannot confirm if it was actually available, but the app kept offering it to me as an option.

Harvey’s sells it’s Angus BBQ Bacon Ringer Melt for $8.79. The regular Angus Burger goes for $6.39, with cheese for $7.19, with cheese and bacon for $8.39. So basically an extra 40 cents for a couple of onion rings.

Read more!