Here’s the UWS Dish: Jacob’s Pickles’ Poutine

By Abigael T. Sidi

“Ça va faire une maudite poutine!”  (“It’ll make a damn mess!”), Warwick Café Idéal owner Fernand Lachance is said to have shouted at a customer who asked for cheese curds to be added to his patates-sauce (fries-gravy). The year was 1957 and, right then and there, about two hours outside of Montreal, poutine was born.

This account, of course, is contested, but everyone agrees that mid-20th century Southwestern Quebec was the dish’s birthplace.

Poutine’s popularity in Quebec cannot be overstated; several food chains have developed around it, and every McDonald’s and Wendy’s across the border offers it as an alternative to their classic fries. You’d think that such a genius dish combining French fries, melted cheese and gravy would be equally embraced by Americans, yet, paradoxically, poutine is excruciatingly difficult to find in the United States, including in New York. (My parents used to travel all the way to Long Island City to have it, at the now sadly closed M. Wells.)

Thankfully, restaurateur extraordinaire Jacob Hadjigeorgis, the famed owner of Jacob’s Pickles and Maison Pickle, took it upon himself to make sure Upper West Siders could revel in the ridiculously hypercaloric, succulent dish. “I have always been inspired by Montreal cuisine,” Hadjigeorgis told me. “Creating a standout dish using our hand cut fries, scratch made brown gravy, and lots of cheese was an epiphany that hit us in the kitchen one day looking at all the classic poutine ingredients right in front of us on the kitchen line. We had to try it!”

You’ll find Hadjigeorgis’ mighty poutine at Jacob’s Pickles’ new location on Columbus Avenue (corner of West 93rd Street). It is listed in the starters section, encircled with a prescient (ominous?) sign that reads “INVITE YOUR FRIENDS,” all caps. That Jacob’s Pickles, of all places, would include such a warning sign for one of their dishes was an intimidating indicator of what was to come. Also, how many such friends was Hadjigeorgis thinking, exactly?

When the gigantic epic poutine arrived, I thought “three” — as in, I’d need three friends to help me finish it. I soon changed my mind to four, then five, then eight.  I kid you not, you could feed my entire softball team on this thing and still have leftovers to spare. The more I ate, the more the poutine tower stayed the same, staring at me in the eyes with a defiant “is that the best you can do?”

Jacob’s Pickles’ version is not a poutine in the traditional sense, in that it doesn’t use cheese curds, instead capitalizing on loads on shredded mozzarella. The sauce is also different, with a flavor profile more reminiscent of American soul food, as compared to the deeper, saltier, French beef/chicken stock bases used across the Northern border. Indeed, Hadjigeorgis shared that “our gravy has more of a southern profile [it is a classic brown gravy], using shredded cheese instead of curds for better meltability and cheese distribution, and of course we had to give it the signature ‘Jacob’s Pickles generous portion; stamp.”

While a spin on the traditional poutine, the Jacob’s Pickles version is no less deeply satisfying, staying true to the ultimate-comfort-food nature of the dish. The melted cheese indeed coats every single fry, and said fries boast Hadjigeorgis’ signature, rustic potato-ey flavor profile. On that day, the dish was somewhat light on the gravy, which sacrificed on lusciousness but prevented the fries from turning soggy. While Mom approved, a disappointed Dad refused to call the dish poutine (“sogginess is the whole point, Abs!”) and focused on his Jacob’s Pickles go-to’s (fried pickles, deviled eggs.) Notably, sticking the poutine left-overs (an easy three-quarters of the dish) in the air fryer did a decent job reviving it for a second round at home.

By now, I’m sure every Rag reader knows that Jacob Pickles moved from Amsterdam Avenue to its new location at the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 93rd Street (right across from Trader Joe’s). Luckily, Hadjigeorgis never considered leaving the neighborhood. “The Upper West Side has been near and dear to my heart from a very young age,” he said. “It’s been like a second home to me from spending time as an 8-year-old being part of the NY fencing club (…) to attending high school in the area, and now I’m residing here and raising a family.”

The new location’s footprint is double the size of the original Amsterdam location (350-seat capacity), seamlessly blending interior and large exterior windowed space with the restaurant’s iconic comfy/industrial décor and gorgeous, plush green booths, all accented by candlelight. The vibe is the same as before – think, The Smith, but homey and warm – while bursts of natural light brighten up the space at lunch/brunch.

The menu, which remains rooted in timeless classics served in gargantuan portions, has also expanded to include over 20 new dishes, with a new attention to seafood (including a mussels tower); an intriguing, NoLa-inspired Muffaletta salad; and an enticing slow-cooked brisket pot, right on time for the winter months ahead, which you can now order family-size as part of the new Sunday Supper TO GO series (pickup after 4 p.m., $60/4 people, Sunday evenings only). The menu also features a “Whole Hog Private Dinner in the Whiskey Vault”, coming December 2025, which has Dad making plans.

With their move away from the Amsterdam location, I wondered about the fate of Jacob’s Digs NY, their urban farming non-profit that used the garden next door both to source ingredients and teach kids about agriculture. Hadjigeorgis confirmed it is still active and added that “we are constantly engaged with the community, specifically schools in the area, through various programming. We love that anyone in the neighborhood can come to us with an opportunity to make an impact and we can always help. From the garden projects and green markets with the UAGC [Urban Assembly School for Green Careers] to being on the board of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, each year connects us with more and more aligned causes.”

Jacob’s Pickles, which launched in 2011, has grown into one of the neighborhood’s true culinary treasures, and it is only fair that it ranks among the very few spots deserving of a Here’s the Dish, Part II. (For our first piece, where Ava Stryker-Robbins delighted in their truly amazing pickle repertoire; read about it — HERE.

Jacob’s Pickles is open from 10 a.m. til midnight from Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekends. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway): Reservations are essentially mandatory for Saturday or Sunday brunch. Pick-up and delivery are available at these times, but the restaurant’s online system does not offer the full menu. To get anything you want, including the Sunday Supper TO-GO family brisket, give the restaurant a call at 646-566-6630.

The Dish: Poutine ($19.00)
The Restaurant: Jacob’s Pickles, 680 Columbus Avenue (corner of West 93rd Street)

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