J.A.C.'s CHIP WAGON

J.A.C's is located along Rt. 42 in the parking lot of the local golf course and driving range. This busy locale gives J.A.C.'s a steady flow of patrons and after having the poutine I can tell why. I knew that at some point one of these chip wagons would wow me, but I was beginning to worry that they were all starting to taste the same. Then I tasted J.A.C.'s poutine, the new front-runner in my poutine challenge.

FRIES: Perfectly sized, perfectly cooked, perfectly tasty. These chips are cut to a thickness in between Jeannie's and Ma's and allow for the mushy potato center with that crispy fried crunch. The chips at the bottom, however, do become soggy - but this ought not deter you because the gravy is so good (see below).

CHEESE: The curds are average on taste but plentifully scattered throughout, which is what a good poutine needs. You can have cheese in just about every bite of this poutine.

GRAVY: Phenomenal. This is the best gravy I've had from the local chip wagons. It has a more "golden mushroom" flavor than a generic brown gravy flavor. That is, it is salty and light. The cook claims that it is just simple beef gravy, but my taste buds suspect otherwise. The gravy is also a perfect consistency so that it spreads throughout the entire dish to the bottom, covering every nook and cranny.

ARRANGEMENT: Strongest element. The arrangement of ingredients makes this dish a non-stop poutine party. Ingredient proportions and distribution gives it a consistent flavor combination throughout. There is no need to pause and manually assemble your next bite, J.A.C. has it all prepared for you.

SIZE: Same size as Jeannie's and Ma's. Nice round cup for easy handling. Overflowing with poutine goodness.

COST: $4.75... but comes to $5.09 with tax! This is the only downer: tax. Tax on poutine? None of the chip wagons do this. But if you can swing the odd $0.09 extra, it is worth it.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10 - J.A.C.'s strong ingredients and phenomenal arrangement makes poutine more than just a snack, it is an experience. If I wanted my friends to try a poutine, this would be the one. Way to go, J.A.C.'s!