Culture Clash

This article is crossposted from donorthmag.com

By Russia Boles

The North Country and the Canadian province of Québec have shared a border for more than two centuries, and for just as long, Québecers have had their poutine and New Yorkers their michigans.

The Michigan

The michigan (yes, this is the formal spelling), a North Country staple, was introduced to the area by a woman named Eula Otis. Originally from Detroit, she and her husband discovered their customers couldn’t get enough of the meat sauce-slathered dog at the couple’s food stand. She shared her recipe with Clare Warne who ran the now famous Clare and Carl’s Hot Dog Stand.

Québecers have adapted their own version of the michigan. It’s usually served with onions, spaghetti sauce and a nice portion of poutine.

While Clare and Carl’s is one of the original hot dog stands in the North Country, these days, this is not the only place to enjoy a michigan in Clinton County.

Clare & Carl’s

4729 U.S. Route 9, Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Gus’ Red Hots

5 Commodore Thomas MacDonough Highway, Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Michigans Plus

313 Cornelia St., Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Ronnie’s Michigan Stand

1265 New York Route 3, Morrisonville, NY 12901

McSweeney’s Red Hots

600 New York Route 3, Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Poutine

Canadians know the heavenly combination of traditional poutine: crispy french fries, hot gravy and endless cheese curds.

It’s a Canadian staple, but found in abundance on both sides of the border.

New Yorkers have added their own twist to the dish. Canadian poutine has chunks of squeaky cheese curds, while American poutine is usually made with heaps of gooey white shredded cheese.

Poutine has been on the rise since the 1950s and is one of Canada’s most well-known dishes. Restaurants continually experiment with the recipe, creating new variations of the classic dish.

To get poutine north of the border, stop at:

La Banquise

994 Rue Rachel E, Montréal

Greenspot

3041 Notre-Dame Rue O, Montréal

Poutineville

1365 Ontario St. Est, Montréal

Restaurant Paulo & Suzzane

5501 Boul Gouin O, Montréal


About DoNorth

DoNorth: Touring the Adirondack Coast strives to show the splendor of Northern New York’s mountains and lakes to a growing destination travel audience.

Through high-quality photography, design and writing, the pages of DoNorth inspire travelers from Montreal, New York City and Boston to use Clinton County as a jumping off point to immerse themselves in the beauty and excitement of the Champlain Valley and the greater Adirondack region.

The result of a unique partnership between the Adirondack Coast, Visitors Bureau and SUNY Plattsburgh’s journalism department, DoNorth’s pages highlight the wide array of historical, agricultural, arts and recreational tourism opportunities in the area.

donorthmag.com