Elite Event: All Gravy Everything @ Smoke’s Poutinerie

Poutine, in all its gratuitous gastric glory, is pretty simple. I mean, yeah, just put a bunch of gravy all over that. Because everything is better with gravy on it. Especially french fries & cheese curds. Gravy is like the Canadian version of bacon.
You know, here in ‘Merica, it’s bacon that makes everything better. But for Canadians, it seems like that distinction goes to gravy. So what, then, is Canadian bacon? Or how about Canadian bacon with gravy on it? What would that be? OK, taking that tangent too far.
Whatever the case may be. However gravy fits into the equation with french fries & cheese curds. All the different Poutine variants I got to try at All Gravy Everything @ Smoke’s Poutinerie were horribly, guilt-​inducingly delicious.
Seeing how this YEE wasn’t the 1^st or 2^nd time I’d been to Smoke’s, it’s safe to say I’m a glutton for this type of culinary punishment. & I’m sure I’ll be back for more. & judging by reactions from the Elite turnout, I’m thinking I won’t be the only 1.
Thanks Smoke’s for making me feel so bad about feeling so good. A little dietary indiscretion is necessary from time to time & your Poutines certainly fit the bill. & Thanks Nique F., so much, for this & all your other East Bay YEE’s. It’s been a Helluva run with you as our El Capitan.

On this lovely Tuesday, I was honored to join in on this Gold Elite event sampling some delicious poutine near my old stomping ground. Driving here was nostalgic as I spent some of my best times around Durant Ave as a freshmen in college. If Smoke’s Poutinerie was around back then, I am certain my freshmen 15 might have escalated to 25.
Nique and Jon were looking as cool as ever manning the front of this small and packed eatery. The service was top notch as the manager told me I can customize however I wanted along with free beverages. I asked for a vegetarian traditional with grilled mushrooms and a side of guac. Food heaven? Yes! The hot, tasty gravy along with the melty cheese curds and delicious potato bites. What more can you ask for?
There are so many options on the menu and a meal size was more than enough as I was only able to eat half before I felt stuffed. I took the rest home and it was another filling meal the following day.
I can’t think of a better way to spend my Tuesday evening carbing with lovely elite Unilocalers and Nique and Jon. East Bay has got it going on and we are just so darn lucky to have the best CM and Unilocal Intern to whip out these fantastic events.
Until the next time, lovelies!

My, My What a fun Poutine night it was! Nique finds the most unique spots to share with us! Having never enjoyed poutine before I didn’t know quite what to expect. Looking at Smoke’s menu was overwhelming; so many choices! We got to sample several, all different and all very tasty.
As always it was a fun group and we talked and laughed almost as much as we ate. Our table was in agreement that this is THE place to meet next time we are partying in the area. Poutine is the perfect staple to soak up alcohol after last call since Smoke’s is open until 4am! This is a «stick to your ribs» kind of meal. Speaking of meal, there are 3 size portions to choose from. Next time it is the snack size for me, the regular meal is super sized in itself.
We turned down the offer of a ride from the lovely Linda M. and Judy B. so we could slowing stroll back to Downtown BART. We really needed the walk after all that Poutine!
Another fun Elite Event, thanks MRS. Nique!

French fries smothered in cheese and gravy. Open ’til 4am.
Oh. My. God.
If this were around when I used to close the bars, I would have been in big trouble.
In Ohio, our after the bar grubfests consisted of gyros, White Castle, Skyline Chili and Denny’s. But THIS. Perfection.
I loved this Elite Event. It was simple. Gather, socialize, eat poutine and drink Jones soda. My only difficulty was choosing a poutine. I felt overwhelmed and went with the simple traditional, and I loved it.
In addition to the wonderful Unilocalers, I enjoyed chatting with the staff. Really, really friendly and efficient. I brought home a poutine for Mr. M, who is somewhat stingy with praises about food. His declaration, «Pretty fucking good.» is high praise indeed, especially after the poutine had been sitting in the car for a few hours while I went for a beer before heading home. I know for a fact that we will be coming back. There are even several vegetarian options for our little veggie girl.
Thank you, Nique, for making the Golds feel special!
Grubtastic!

Holy Smoke’s…Poutinerie!
This was my first ever Poutine experience and I wasn’t even drunk! But if I were to be in such a condition, I would definitely come here to soak up all the suds from a nearby bar I happened to be at earlier in the evening.
Thanks to Nique, I got the pleasure of being an official photographer and partake in the poutine goodness. They have 30 toppings here including the original traditional poutine of gravy and cheese curds on french fries. I just wanted a taste of a couple of them in a couple of snack boxes — Double Pork (Bacon and pulled pork and cheese over hand cut french fries!!!) and the Philly Cheesesteak (Steak, red peppers, grilled onions, mushrooms and cheese over french fries) but instead of snack boxes, I was faced with two meal sized boxes when my number was called! I guess I’ll be having leftovers and regret for breakfast in the morning. A few long walks and salad and I’ll be good as Gold… Elite
To quench our thirst, we got to choose from a rainbow of Jone’s Soda flavors from the cooler. It’s too bad they don’t have any cold beer, because that would go great with a box of poutine.
Big thanks tonight to the friendly staff and management of Smoke’s Poutinerie — Best of luck to you guys, I know you will do well next to the UC Berkeley campus and of course, thanks as always to the awesome Nique and Jon!

Oh. My. Poutine! This was a great event! It was a beautiful evening in Berkeley to enjoy some good food and meet new people. There were so many options to choose from; I’ll have to go back to try some of their different combos, with an empty stomach of course. I left thoroughly stuffed with delicious Poutine and walked away with some new Unilocal friends.

Poutine for dinner? Hell yes! :) Another great event as always from our lovely and amazing CM Nique! I love poutine and when I heard of this event I got so excited. I didn’t even know this place existed. I ordered the steak peppercorn one and my friend got the traditional with chicken and they were both delicious. I loved the gravy and she loved the cheese curds. It was so yummy that I was telling all my coworkers about it the morning after and one is going to go check it out tonight :) The hospitality of the staff here were great. Thank you again for another great event!

I love poutine. Fresh cut fries drowned in gravy and adorned with cheese curds. The Canadians think of the most epic creations. Gotta beat those frigid temps somehow by loading your body up with starch, fat, and grease in every meal.
I’ve had my eye on Smoke’s Poutinerie but could never make the trek up to Berkeley from the South Bay. A Gold Elite Event and some spare time got me up there really quick.
Nique and Jon did an amazing job organizing this awesome event. Got some new Unilocal swag in the form of headphones. Perusing the menu, the Triple Pork Poutine caught my eye. Pulled pork, bacon, and sausage! It was a must.
Grabbing a bottle of Jones Soda, I did the usual meet and greet, talking to new Unilocalers (shout out to Aaron M., the Pink Rabbit). Then my number was called and I dived into the box overflowing with fries and pork. The cheese curds melted within the hot mass which I loved. And there was a good amount of gravy situated at the bottom.
I can see why this place is located near UC Berkeley. It’s cheap, very filling, and meets all the food groups a college kid needs.

Pure gluttony!
Me and my +1 David sampled the Nacho Grande, Philly Cheesesteak, Prime Beef Deluxe and the Triple Pork. Yes, we tried 4 and yes, we are heffers :)
The best one out of the bunch was the Triple Pork– it melded the best with the gravy and cheese curds.
Service was really great and fast– definitely a great spot to come back to for late night drunken eats.
Thank you to the Smoke’s Poutinerie and Nique F. for an awesome event!

Absolutely amazing event from start to finish! The pulled pork poutine was not only an amazing alliteration, but it was also awesome sauce in ways I could have only dreamed about!
Props for the Jones Soda, too. So many flavors and all so yummy!
This place was clean, the service was fast and friendly. I could never ask for a better dinner, and I can’t wait to go back to try even more varieties.

Well, as Beyonce’ sings it, «If you like it, then you should put a ring on it!» As for my poutines, I like to put a lot of toppings and gravy on it!
I’ve been to a few places that serves poutines in the bay area, but by far and new reigning champ in my book, Smoke’s Poutine takes the crown. At this event, everyone was greeted and checked in by CM Nique and her assistant, Jon. There was a check-​in offer for Unilocal ear buds, which are pretty cool! Also, the sponsor of the event, Jones Soda, also had some schwag available such as t-​shirts, key chains, pens, and jackets.
Once the restaurant was opened to serve us, I immediately took a look at the menu, which was high on the back wall. I was in the mood for some poultry and heat. The solution for this craving was the Chicken Inferno Poutine. This meal of deliciousness consisted of red bell peppers, jalapenos, white chicken meat, and cheese curds embedded on top of crispy french fries and doused with brown gravy and sriracha!
The cheese curds were gooey and stringy. I’ve never had a poutine with curds with this much talent! The veggie heat providers (red bell peppers and jalapenos) where fresh. The chicken meat was tender. Every single bite of my poutine had flavor!
To cool down my burning mouth from the hotness of the meal, I had a bottle of Jones Soda. Jones Soda had a variety of flavors and chose the melon crush flavor. This drink tasted like a creamy cantaloupe mix that I enjoyed!
As always, it’s always good to meet new Unilocalers and catching up with old ones!
Thank you Nique and Jon for organizing a awesome Gold Elite Event! Robert, Paige, and Carlos, thank you all for making sure everyone was taken care of. I’ll for sure be back to try out the other menu offerings! It’s good to know that these guys are open till 4am everyday!

FOOD COMA #2 ~ FTW!!!
First & foremost, thanks to Eugene for inviting me as his +1 to partake in this awesome Gold Event. Indeed, everything was «ALL GRAVY». How would you like your Poutine? Ummmm… double pork, triple pork, and even vegetarian. Owner Robert is extremely generous and his staff are informative and super friendly. Paige and Carlos work as a great team, we were fed with finger-​licking goodness. They know how to make the most scrumptious fries, smothered with delicious toppings to make an amazing Poutine. Is gluttony a sin? Thank you for hosting us.
This is how East Bay CM Nique and Jon rolls, from Gold to Platinum style. I’m so grateful to have indulged in this fun tasting party full of Gold Elites and old friends. I will definitely be back with the fam bam, great meal for kids & adults or adults who think they’re still kids. I’m also glad Eugene charges his ankle bracelet after each event (it’s a joke for those who don’t get it); otherwise, I’d be SOL!

I was Excited when I saw this event posted !!! I had never had Poutine before and I like trying New things. So I RSVP’d and Crossed my Fingers. Niques Events are hard to get in because she puts s much thought and efforts to her events. T
They are some of the Hottest tickets in the Bay Area !!!
I was excited when I got my Confirmation Email and Party Pass.
So after I charged my Ankle Bracelet .
I rolled to Berkeley and Niques Solid Gold Event !!!
I stashed My Whip a block away and Street Hiked to Smokes Poutinerie .
When I rolled up I saw our own Ms. Nique looking Sasha Fierce in her Leopard Dress. Jon Niques Intern and Eastbay Enforcer was scanning Party Passes.
Robert the Owner of Smokes Poutinerie was Handing out some really cool Jones Soda Co Swag .
Jones Soda was the Official Drink for the Gold Event .
But Robert being as Generous as he is also let Elites get Mexican Cokes .
There where a lot of Hungry Elites in Attendance and Robert, Paige and Carlos really were AMAZING !!! They Held It Down and Served every Unilocaler Several Heaping Meal sized servings of Yummy Poutine .
Robert was So Generous that he let every Elite in attendance Eat and Drink as much as they wanted. Thanks Robert you have a real big Heart.
Now to the Poutine I LOVED IT!!! I’m a Meat and Potatoes type of guy. Poutine was right up my Alley!!!
I had the Philly Cheese Steak Poutine with Mushrooms — One Word Heavenly !!!
Talk about Fresh Ingredient’s Cooked To Perfection and then Combined. Served Piping Hot. Man The Portions are Huge and So FILLING. Very Vivid and Distinct Flavors !!!
If You haven’t had Poutine Before you Need To go to Smokes Poutinerie and Robert, Carlos and Paige will make you Heaven in a Box.
I also tried The Pork Lovers Poutine. OH My this was a Treat also I don’t think you can make a bad Choice off of Smokes Menu Of Goodness.
Robert also mentioned that you can Make Your Own Poutine Creation by picking your own Toppings of their Large List.
Pretty Damn Cool!!!
The Best Part they are Open Till 4 AM !!!
Talk about a Good Midnight snack !!!
It was Nice Seeing Old School Unilocalers and some New Elites!!!
Side Note We Are Very Fortunate To Have Our Unilocal CM MS Nique !!
She has Been a Shining Star In Our East Bay Elite Community Since 2011. I remember when Monica recruited her. We Elites have had a Wild and Fun Run so Far !!! She has held Tenor in the Eastbay the Longest !!!
Thanks Nique we really like what you have done for all of us and you all have touched us one way our another in your own special way.
I hope Unilocal knows what a Treasure our MS Nique is.
Thanks Robert for Rolling Out The Red Carpet and Treating Us Like Royalty and Your Food is Wonderful !!!
The Service Was Excellent Above and Beyond — Carlos and Paige were Friendly, Efficient and a Wealth of Information .
This Really was a Gold Event — Solid Gold !!!
Thanks Nique, Jon, Robert, Carlos and Paige for an Awesome Unilocal Gold Event !!!
2015 The Year Of Learning, Earning , Change and Swagger East Bay Unilocal Style !!!

O’ Holy «Golden» Poutine Fries!
SITREP
It is always an amazing time when East Bay Community Manager (CM) Nique F. showers her Gold Elites with delicious fun!
This particular night’s piece of Golden goodness was a private «poutine party» at Smoke’s Poutinerie in Berkeley, and it was no mere snack, but a virtual smörgåsbord of culinary delights!
THE SETUP
For the uninitiated, the «mysteries» of poutine have been shared with us from our wonderful neighbours North of us. [And «no» I’m not referring to CM Kevin B. and our Elite friends of North Bay Unilocal (but they ARE dam nice too), but rather our Canuck friends from Canada, «eh»?]
Our French Quebecan friends would tell us that Poutine is traditionally a combination of fries, gravy, & cheese curds. Smoke’s has put its own spin on the classic dish by making available more than 31 different toppings that you can put on your poutine.
PRE-​SET VS. MADE-​TO-​ORDER
You can ask for a pre-​set combination, or — like the «made-​to-​order» plan of Pieology/​Blaze Pizzas or Chipolte Burritos — set up your own poutine with the toppings ranging from veggies, meats or dam hot spices! (Mah mouth is still burning!) ;)
OUR CHOICES
Deciding to go with their «pre-​sets», we jumped for:
* The Chicken Inferno; and,
* The Bacon Cheeseburger
Both of these choices were outstanding! Some extra Sriracha kicked it into high gear!
MANIC GOLD CREW
It was great fun seeing my crew of dynamic Unilocaler Gold Elites like Yue, Ron, April, Eugene, Christine, John, Jay, and many more awesome Golds, some of us chatting it up about our upcoming Unilocal Spring Break (YSB) 2015 plans in Ft. Lauderdale.
KUDOS
Thank you Smoke’s Poutinerie! Paige, Carlos, you kids are AMAZEBALLZ and along with your manager, thank you kindly for your wonderful hospitality.
Your Poutine is a great addition to the culinary landscape. And I love your swag! I’ll definitely be using the windbreaker!
TIP O’ DA HAT
And my hat is off to CM Nique Farrar and Marketing Guru Jon — you youngins are always the most popular kids in school cause you throw fantastic parties!
THE LOWDOWN
Le Smoke’s, Le Poutine, Le Unilocal,LE YUM!

Thanks to Nique, Unilocal and Smoke’s Poutinerie, I now have tried this Canadian treat that people have been reviewing.
I have to give credit to the staff on how well they handled the overflowing crowd. Everything is cooked to order. The food came out quickly. The people behind the counter were friendly and efficient. They did a great job!
Elites were able to order anything on the extensive menu and have a Jones soda to go with their meal. I had the traditional poutine: French fries covered with gravy and cheese curds. The meal size was more than enough to fill me. I suspect that the snack size would be better.
The menu has some intriguing non-​traditional poutines. I can see myself stopping again when I am in Berkeley.

Smokes — Thank you and thanks for helping Unilocal celebrate the GOLD Elites of Unilocal… was an awesome The Jones Orange and Strawberry pop was great, had not tasted a pop like that since I was a kid. The Philly Cheesesteak meal plate was very filling, after the last bite, I surrendered to wait for my food coma to arrive. The fries were fresh, the toppings incredible, You’re staff was super friendly, the manager/​owner was super nice. it’s almost as if we’re a guest in his kitchen.
Thanks Nique for setting this up, I was happy snappin photos of peole having a great time!!!

Gold Elite means golden goodness!
Thanks to Nique and team, we get to sample those golden treats coveted by Canadians — cheese curds — in the form of poutine (pronounced poo — teen :)
French fries, gravy, and cheese curds — but Smoke’s does one better — and gives us a multitude of combos! Among a multitude of Gold Elites, this is *the* event.
I tried their Traditional Poutine, ’cause I’m a traditional kind of girl. But I added extra cheese curds and bacon, because both of those make everything better.
YUM!!! The meal size was such a big portion that I was glad I hadn’t eaten anything before this event!
The second one I tried was Prime Beef Delux Poutine, which was completely different in flavor than the traditional.
It was all washed down with Jones Soda — Cream Soda was excellent and the most popular flavor of the night!
Unilocal S.W.A.G. Yes. Unilocal-​branded headphones :) Also XL Jones Soda T-​shirts and hats, which went quickly!
I recommend that you try this place out if you’ve never had poutine. Or you can catch a plane to Canada and try it there. It’s just that Berkeley’s that much closer :)
Thanks again, Nique and Jon, for a great event.
Gold is good :)

A review in Franglais, in honor of Smoke’s Poutinerie:
Merçi beaucoup for another awesome event Nique! T’es magnifique comme toujours.
I enjoyed seeing vieux amis, as well as making some nouveau ones! It was especially nice to have all us old-​school Elite D’Or get together.
At one point were reminiscing about all the various CMs we’ve known over the years, including East Bay of course (Je t’adore Ligaya T!) as well as South Bay, North Bay, and bien sûr SF. A casual poll confirmed my belief, Nique is absolument the most consistently incroyable Community Manager any of us have ever known. You’ve been holding the East Bay Elite community together since summer of 2011, and you just keep on rocking. You’re the best Nique, merci mille fois!
This event was a little more eat-​and-​run and a little less fête than the usual YEE, but I’m not complaining, I finally got to try Smoke’s! Their fries were easily some of the best hand-​cut frites I’ve ever had. Sensationnel. In addition, the staff were super sympa, and the food came quick and was plentiful. Je respecte beaucoup the Unilocalers that were up for ordering seconds, and I love that Smoke’s didn’t hesitate to keep the food coming. Extra credit for Jones Soda, the bubbly sweet Cream Soda balanced perfectly with the salty fatty smokey goodness in my bowl.
To sum up: Nique is #1 and Smoke’s is sublime, excellent, grand, super, formidable, and other words that appear to be English but are clearly written here en Français.

How do I load my fries you ask? Well, that’ll be with some tender juicy pulled pork, and some curd pullin’ «fork in the air» cheesiness of fun! Now, that’s how I loaded my fries!
So, just after work, and cruizin’ on over to The People’s Republic of Berkeley. I was excited to hear about this new place that I had bookmarked a few months ago, was hosting an event. After reading all the reviews, I knew I had to attend this party!
But before I get started, here’s a few tid-​bits about Smoke’s Poutinerie:
~ It’s a little red store serving up some big bowls of loaded fries.
~ They use yellow potatoes that are sent from Ontario, Quebec. The fries are hand-​cut daily, and specially seasoned.
~ Their curds supposedly make a squeaky sound when poked.
~ They’ve got a «challenge»! It’s being able to scarf down 13 lbs of Poutine in 10 Minutes to become a World Poutine Eating Champion, and be part of the Wall of WoW!!!
Starving, I tried the Triple Pork Poutine: Seasoned fries topped with chipotle pulled pork, some double-​smoked bacon, and Italian sausage pieces. Sooo freakin’ good! The curds were stretchin’ three feet high! And that pulled-​pork was simply AH-​mazing!!! Though the taste somewhat started to fade away, bite after bite, I had livened it up with some sriracha sauce. If there was one thing I probably would have want added, in my opinion, I would’ve liked a small peppercini to join in the flavor.
I even sampled a taste of the Bacon Cheeseburger Poutine: Fries with prime ground beef, double-​smoked bacon, and more cheese sauce. T’was good too, but I gave up red meat for lent. So I’ll save my appetite for this fully next time.
I’m so full right now I really can’t believe I finished that Triple Pork. I wolfed it all down, and washed it away with a naturally sweet pure cane Jones Soda. Man, this was one filling night! Lets just say, all I had eaten all day was a blueberry Greek yogurt for breakfast, an almond nut bar for lunch, and a 30oz detoxing formula of kale juice. I check my email today, and «OH HELLZ YEAH!!! I’ve got a golden ticket to a YEE, yippee!!!» Then thinking, DETOX… aww, crapper!
Nique, Jon, and manager/​owner Robert: Thank you for the belly-​filling fun! I’ll definitely spread the word!!!