La Paryse

Address: 302 Ontario East
Phone: 514-842-2040
Reviews: Midnight Poutine, Hour, MontrealFood
Having tried M:Brgr just after it opened, I thought it might be the best in the city, but I had yet to try La Paryse. We had planned to go to the latter before a Beck concert in October, but it was a Monday night, the one night of the week La Paryse is closed. Finally we made it there on a recent evening, after a 5 á 7 on St. Laurent. Arriving at 8pm, the place was full, but turnover was quick enough that we got a seat within about 5 minutes. I ordered the standard burger with bacon. It arrived looking like a piece of art… nicely constructed with care but not overly fussy (see Midnight Poutine picture). It comes loaded with all the standards (tomato, pickle) and some not-so-standards (mozzarella instead of cheddar or swiss, mushrooms, and some mayo). Overall, sloppy and delicious! Across the table, the pinto-bean veggie burger was also good, although it got a little lost in all the accoutrements. The fries, however, were close to perfect. So overall, how does La Paryse rate next to M:Brgr? The M:Brgr meat was like chomping into butter – super tender – and was the star of the show. At La Paryse, the meat is good, but its the flavour of the whole package that is impressive. Overall, for my money, La Paryse wins the best burger. But its only by a split-decision, not by knockout, and the former champ wants a rematch.
Price: Inexpensive. $35 for two for a couple of burgers, fries, beer, wine, tax and tip.
Beer: Blanche de Cheval Blanc

Ma-am-M Bolduc (Maamm? Ma’am M?)

Address: 4351 de Lorimier
Phone: (514) 527-3884
Reviews: MidnightPoutine, MontrealPoutine
Hands down, the best poutine in Montreal (and yes, we’ve eaten at La Banquise… several times). The fries are done perfectly. The sauce is just right too. The atmosphere is cozy corner cafe, rather than the zoo at Banquise. The service is much friendlier too. The burgers and other foods are decent too – although they don’t rank with the poutine as the best in the city. The only thing missing is some good sausages on the menu.
Note: The “small” poutine here is really a regular sized poutine. I haven’t seen anyone order a “large”, but it must take up a whole table.
Price: Cheap! $20 for a burger, a “small” poutine and a beer, tax and tip included.
Beer: Boreale blanche on tap (Griffon too).

M:Brgr

Address: 2025 Drummond
Phone: (514) 906-2747
Website: http://www.mbrgr.com/
Reviews: Montreal Mirror, Chef Deck Review, Vitamin M
We ate here to celebrate the spousal equivalent’s recent promotion. It should be noted that she is a fish eating vegetarian with a special “poutine clause” so she had the tuna brgr, which was pretty good, and the poutine, which was a little less impressive. I think they use a beef based sauce rather than standard chicken-based gravy, so it is quite rich and a little unusual tasting. I had the standard brgr (not the $20 Kobe beef brgr), and topped it with bacon and brie. Fantastic! Extremely moist and tender, really flavourful. I haven’t yet tried the burger at Le Paryse so for now, so for now this is my current burger champ in Montreal.
Price: $40 for two with beer included.
Beer: Boréale Rousse on tap