Q-Tine Review - Logan Square - Chicago - The Infatuation
"Picture this, a plate of fried cheese sticks covered in marinara sauce and topped with pepperoni. It's like a sophisticated take on a deconstructed pizza, which sounds pretty awesome to us, and we assume you too. Well poutine is basically the Montreal version of that, a mashup of all sorts of unhealthy yet delicious toppings piled onto fries, and there’s no real reason it shouldn’t taste good. It's why we were pretty pumped for Q-Tine’s take on Memphis style meats in classic Montreal poutine form. And it’s also why we were pretty let down by the fact none of it is all that good. Everything about this poutine tastes kind of cheap, from the french fries to the toppings. And don’t get us wrong, cheap can be delicious, but when you base your entire restaurant around different versions of poutine, you can’t really skate by on mediocre fries. Q-Tine has very mediocre fries. We’d be fine with them as a side filler to a good sandwich or steak, but as the basis of a meal? Not so much. The variety of ingredients that come on the fries are also equally as disappointing. The classic gravy and cheese curd version is generic at best, and the specialty versions are where things start to go south. Q-Tine does have one redeeming quality though in that maybe it caters to the late night/drunk scene, which is pretty much the crowd we expect to see here at all times. And that's partially because Q-Tine is only ever open when you're drunk anyway - they open at 4:00pm daily and either close at 2:00am or 4:00am depending on the day of the week. So if you stumble in here after a good night of boozing and dancing at Slippery Slope across the street, then sure, it could give you what you need. But that probably still depends on how much you've had to drink. Food Rundown Q-Classic Poutine Decent at best, and that’s the problem. The fries aren’t great which kind of kills the whole thing, even if they are covered in gravy and cheese curds. Coach Q Same as the classic but add Montreal smoked meat. The smoked meat actually makes things worse. There's no sense of flavor or peppercorn spice, and that’s not a good sign. Q-Philly Steak This special was all over the place. Fries and equally lackluster fried onion strings are covered with a cheese curd sauce that’s mixed with beer. This might be the first and only time we ever complain about beer, but the sauce tasted like the beer was just dumped in last minute instead of actually getting cooked together. The steak wasn't helping the situation either. Q Memphis Ribs The ribs are actually pretty good. If you live close by and are considering making a quick pit stop, we’d work it around the ribs. Sides All fine, but none of them are going to salvage a meal. If you end up here after drinking like we advise, they aren’t necessary anyway." - Sam Faye
