Patate Ben-Venue | French Fries are Best in Quebec

All About Spuds

The name of this snack bar, Patate Ben-Venue, roughly translates as “Potato Welcome.” The headline on its business card reads “Frites Maison.” Sure enough, pommes frites, aka French fries, put this colorful roadside enterprise on the good-eats map. Ben Venue has been getting its potatoes from the same family potato farm for over a quarter of a century. If you want proof that French fries are best in Quebec, you have found it right here.

When I stepped up to the counter to complement chef on her French fries, she proudly explained what she called the “three stages of the pomme frite: Not cooked, half cooked, ready to eat.” Double frying gives pommes frites at so many of Quebec’s premier snack bars their chewy skin and creamy center. With nothing but a sprinkle of salt, they put French fried potatoes in the Pantheon of yummy snacks.

Poutine, Of Course

The same spuds form the foundation for Ben-Venue’s poutine. Yes, French fries are best in Quebec, but their crisp edges suffer a wee bit from the blanket of gravy. Nevertheless, the flavor combo sings. Heat from the potatoes and gravy turns the dish’s cheese curds semi-molten. Their dairy tang complements potatoes so well.

And Burgers, Too

The Ben-Venue cook boasted that her cheeseburger (billed on the menu as “notre fameux cheeseburger”) comes topped with pure Velveeta. She melts a thick slab of it into a sliced bun that she griddle-cooks on both sides until it turns wickedly crisp. Only then is the grilled burger patty inserted. Mustard, onion, pickle, and slaw accompany it (but ketchup does not belong). Likewise, when you order a Ben Venue hot dog roti, it comes on a gorgeous grilled bun, the buttery luxe of which sings mischievous harmony with the blubbery little wiener inside.