The burger itself offered very little reward either on any front. The bun was nothing special at all and the toppings were bland and most likely from the local Price Chopper. I had the "aged cheddar" and it was nothing more than some low end mealy mass that was a result of them throwing it on the bottom of the bun instead of properly melting it on the burger. The burger itself was nothing more than a preformed frozen patty devoid of proper seasoning or moistness.

More emphasis needs to be put into the product instead of all the cutesy worded menu items that are nothing more than a ploy to take your money. You don't need a massive kitchen to make proper burgers by hand or make your own mayo and castup or gravy for that matter. You just just have to have some pride in using great products and giving customers a product full of love.

I didn't feel the love.

Plus, if most people think the veggie gravy is just fine, then why bother making two kinds just to satisfy a few customers?

It's not that vegetarians *expect* to find something they can eat at places like that, but in groups of people dining out, it will ultimately be the person with the special diet (vegetarian, kosher, food-allergies, etc) that determines where the group ends up eating. So from a business standpoint, it's a very wise move to offer a couple of vegetarian options, even if the jist of your menu is meat-based, if only to keep potential customers from going somewhere else where the vegetarian in the group *can* find something to eat.

I wouldn't be surprised if the type of gravy used on poutine varies from region to region, or even restaurant to restaurant. Which probably leads to some great late night drunken arguments on the merits of chicken vs. beef vs. veggie... ;)

I also misinterpreted your "what’s with the veg choice" comment as referring to the veggie burger, not the veggie gravy. Offering both meat and veggie gravy options might be an idea (a gravy made from the bison roast drippings could be interesting, although given how lean the meat is, they might not get much). It's a pretty small kitchen, though, so they may not have the time or space to bother with both.

http://www.montrealpoutine.com/history.html

And, Sheryl, there's no need to take offense, I don't hate on veggies, but if I was a vegetarian I don't think I'd expect to find a meal at a place called Stampede that's pushing bison burgers as primary fair...to compromise an otherwise promising product (curds and all!) is a let down...why not offer both? then it'll be all gravy...

To be fair, Greg ate more of the poutine than I did, but on a second visit I had fries with gravy on the side. Maybe it's that I spent 7 years as a vegetarian and am used to veggie versions of meat-based foods, but I found the gravy really thick and flavourful. Gloppy and gluey - maybe if you let it get cold - but the same thing happens to regular gravy.

And I don't necessarily agree with Greg that it's specifically catering to the hipster market - but I do think it's a wise decision for restaurants to offer a variety of vegetarian options, and by using a vegetarian gravy, Stampede offers an additional vegetarian choice, without affecting the meat-eating customers in any detrimental way.

I'm also a bit confused by your reference to expecting "proper chicken gravy", as the traditional gravy for poutine is generally a brown gravy that is either beef or mushroom based. I don't think I've ever been served a poutine in Quebec made with chicken gravy.

And as for the veggie burger, it's a standard offering at pretty much any burger place nowadays, from fast food joints to "gourmet" places like Craft Burger, Burger Shoppe and Stampede. And when you're catering to the hipster market, as Stampede appears to be doing, you're gonna have a fairly high percentage of vegetarians coming through your doors.

I didn't ask the specifics about the bison meat, I'm simply going by what their menu says.

Also - please refrain from using TasteTO as a soap box for your personal causes. If you have an issue with what they're serving at Stampede, please take it up with them.

It's news to me that there is any such thing as all natural bison coming out of Peterborough. Unfortunately, most Ontario bison are either fed grain from who knows where at some stage, and/or because bison in this province is grown on small pastures, most are also subjected to chemical parasite controls.

Like all other ruminants, bison are not designed to digest grain. Grain is best avoided for the sake of their health and ours; 100% grass feeding with some mineral supplements is best. But finding a 100% grass-fed bison burger in this city is next to impossible.

As for parasite control......there are a number of ways to avoid the use of chemical parasite controls, but most bison farmers just don't have the time or money to implement better practices.