![\"Classic](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Classic-poutine1web.jpg\")
<\/a>Although at Mess Royale<\/a>, which opened in Hillcrest last month, Montreal transplant Hugo Tassone gives us a taste of the real deal by adhering to the exact standards for making it.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also incorporated into the menu sandwiches using hand-stretched bagels shipped in from Montreal\u2019s eminent St-Viateur Bagel shop. And for those who think that Chicago is the only North American city that puts a signature stamp on hot dogs, Tassone exposes us to the wildly delicious \u201ctoasty dogs\u201d served on grilled, buttered rollseHe that became concession-stand trademarks at the Montreal Forum during hockey games.<\/p>\n For the poutine, Mess Royale uses hand-cut fries that are double-fried. The gravy comprises a secret blend of spices and meat stocks. It\u2019s thin and somewhat salty \u2013 not much different from American brown gravy except for its subtle, caramelized flavor detected by the keenest of palates.<\/p>\n Cheese curds are the critical ingredient, providing the soft, buttery joy spots strewn throughout the dish. Tassone searched high and low for them in the U.S. before finding a Wisconsin dairy farm that produces the curds with the exact same flavor and texture as those used in Quebec.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a young cheese that has to feel a little squeaky between your teeth,\u201d he says, adding that he goes through nearly 200 pounds of the curds every week.<\/p>\n Both the gravy and cheese are present in all of Mess Royale\u2019s poutines, which extend to about a dozen other versions beyond the \u201coriginal.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cTony,\u201d for example, kept us equally engaged. It\u2019s crowned with sweet Italian sausage and zingy banana peppers, which so many San Diego kitchens sadly overlook in lieu of jalapenos. They\u2019re simply not the same thing.<\/p>\n If you prefer carne asada, pastrami or chicken and mushrooms in the mix, the menu obliges with several other modern varieties, including the \u201cmorning recovery\u201d featuring bacon, sausage and a fried egg.<\/p>\n As one of the few people in the world who isn\u2019t nuts about bagels, the sesame-studded ones used here were a revelation because they\u2019re sweeter and airier than most. Arriving twice a week in refrigerated containers, the Montreal bakery dips them in honey water before cooking them in a wood-fired oven.<\/p>\n We chose a bagel sandwich containing gently smoked Norwegian salmon, garnished generously with cream cheese, capers, red onions and tomatoes \u2013 a winner all the way around. Other sandwich choices include avocado with cream cheese and veggies; pastrami and Swiss; and roasted turkey with bacon, Jack cheese and chipotle mayo.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>