Love poutine? Good news! Coming up soon you'll have a week to enjoy different poutine dishes from restaurants along Michigan Street in Grand Rapids.

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The first Michigan Street Poutine Week was held in early 2020... and well, we all know what happened next. Due to the pandemic, there was no event last year, but it's back in 2022.

If you've never had poutine, it's French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It started in Quebec, Canada in the 1950s, but has become a Midwestern staple throughout the years.

According to the Farmer's Almanac,

Its name comes from a Quebecois slang word meaning 'mess', and one popular story posits that Warwick restaurateur Fernand Lachance created it in 1957 at the request of longtime customer Eddy Lainesse. While making the dish, Lachance is said to have exclaimed, Ca va faire une maudite poutine! (Roughly translated: 'It will make a damn mess!).

As with any dish, there are many variations on poutine. I've seen it made with sweet potato fries instead of regular fries, or with different toppings like bacon, avocado, onion, sausage, mushrooms, jalapenos, fried eggs - the list goes on!

So I'm excited to see what creative poutine dishes will be offered at Michigan Street's Poutine Week!  The friendly competition among locally owned businesses on Michigan Street (and nearby) is February 16th through 26th.

Here are the restaurants participating this year:

Once you've stuffed your face with delicious poutine, you'll be able to vote for your favorite here.

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