Montreal French Fries in West Bridgewater: C’est Bon!

I started hearing a couple months ago about a new hot dog and french fry place in West Bridgewater, Montreal French Fries. The brain-child of a Montrealer who emigrated to Boston, the restaurant offers poutine, the Quebec dish that combines gravy, cheese curds and fries.

This place was a lot of fun. It’s a white building adorned with a blue and red stripe resembling the colors of the Montreal Canadiens. Inside, slogans such as “Poutine c’est bon” and “chien chaud” (hot dogs) are painted on the wall. Ice skates and hockey gloves are also on display. A steady-stream of customers came in ordering grilled hot dogs, puck burgers (small burgers served pressed in a hot roll) and, of course, french fries and making comments. One woman talked with nostalgia about Montreal and asked the owner, who was working the grill, about why he moved to Boston. Many commented on the novelty of being able to order authentic poutine.

For the health conscious, the restaurant also offers wraps and salads and assures patrons that it does not cook with trans-fats. It was interesting to note that the restaurant, which is located on Route 106 just off of Route 24, was much busier than an adjacent Wendy’s. A victory for local, interesting food over a chain.

I didn’t get a chance to interview the owner. He was too busy putting hamburger sandwiches into the press and putting orders up on the counter. He did say the popularity of poutine caught him by surprise. “Everybody comes here for the poutine,” he said. “It’s amazing. I thought I was the only one to know about it.”I tried both the poutine and sweet potato fries. Intimidated at first by the texture of the cheese curds, I dug in and found the mix of potato, gravy and cheese delicious. Finally, I don’t think you can go wrong pressing burgers and hot dogs.

Watch a brief movie about the restaurant here.