Detroit Tigers: Poutine Dog

Your French lesson for today: Poutine. It is a Canadian dish that consists of french fries and cheese curds covered in brown gravy. Don’t feel bad, I had to google it myself. Sadly, or perhaps luckily, I had never had poutine until I set foot into Comerica Park and sought out their specialty dog. That in itself is a chore since they have a few (all use Natural Casing franks):

The Late Night-shredded cheese, bacon bits and a fried egg (yes, a fried egg).

Pretzel Dog-jalapeno cheese, diced green onions on a pretzel bun.

The Slaw Dog-coney sauce and slaw.

The Coney Dog-shredded cheese and chili.

I nearly chose the Late Night Dog because it was so weird. Detroit is also known for its Coney Dogs. I opted for the Poutine Dog because it gets the most press (therefore more famous), has a local flair and is one very original dog. I always try the dog the gives the team the best chance to score well.

The Poutine Dog has french fries, cheese curds and brown gravy over the frank. It looked much smaller in real life than it did in the internet pictures. It is like waiting months thinking your are going to get to meet Scooby Doo but in the end you really get to shake paws with Scrappy Doo.  Still, a dog this different had me excited to try it.

Appeal-the weirdness of the toppings (unless you live in or near Canada) drew me to it. I had the idea it might taste funky. 4

Ingredients-I have no idea what cheese curds are supposed to taste like. Pork rinds yes, cheese curds no. The brown gravy had me looking for some mashed potatoes. The fries were an excellent addition, but there were too few of them. 4

Uniqueness-off the scale. 5

Monstrosity Factor-I was underwhelmed by the size of it. By the third inning I had a quesadilla coney dog in hand (a coney dog in a browned tortilla). 3

Value-it was not scary expensive, but for the amount of toppings seven bucks is just a tad too much. Six would be more appropriate. 4

Overall Taste-not bad. I was worried it would freak my taste buds out, but after eating it I had an urge to throw a bunch of ‘ehs in my sentences (you know, like the Canadians do). 4

APPEAL	4
INGREDIENTS	4
UNIQUENESS	5
MONSTROSITY FACTOR	3
VALUE	4
OVERALL TASTE	4
TOTAL	24

With an overall score of 24 the Poutine Dog lands the Detroit Tigers smack in the middle of the pack of the 13 ballparks I have visited to date. I do credit Comerica Park for having a stellar lineup of specialty dogs. Not only are there the dogs I mentioned but a fine selection of Winter’s Sausages, regular dogs and special Coney stands. If you find yourself at a Tigers game I would recommend adding it to your list of dogs downed. And if you try that Late Night Dog, let me know how it is.