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Grab your stretchiest pants and stock up on those lactose pills, Winnipeg — La Poutine Week is back.

Friday marks the start of the week-long national festival dedicated to celebrating all things fries, curds and gravy. This year, more than 70 Winnipeg restaurants have signed up for the second local edition of the event (by far the most of any other participating city in the country) and have concocted some of the most extravagant poutines you’ll find this side of the St. Lawrence.

You want curry? You got it. How about a chicken leg or an egg on your fries? No problem. The options are almost endless and, mostly, delicious.

So, to help you out as you plan your route for the week, four dedicated Free Press writers ventured out on one of the coldest days of the year to taste a quartet of poutines from restaurants scattered throughout the downtown area. As it turns out, gravy is an excellent insulator.

During their back-to-back-to-back-to-back tastings, poutine enthusiasts Erin Lebar, Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, Wendy King and Jessica Botelho-Urbanski (who dubbed themselves the “Poutineers”) considered several categories, including fry crispiness, creativity, choice of cheese and gravy style, when judging each offering.

Here’s what they thought, in the order in which they ate them.

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Japanese Curry Fried Chicken Poutine

Kyu Bistro (185 Isabel St.)

Traditional style Japanese curry with mozzarella cheese curds and crispy fried chicken, garlic buttered corn kernels, drizzles of coconut crème on a bed of crisp battered fries. Price: $13

• Fry crispiness: Kyu had a good crisp on the fries, though it was hard to tell if they were actually battered or not. The ones on top held up well, but by the end, the bottom fries are defeated by the moistness of the curry. There were also additional potatoes as part of the curry that initially seemed like overkill but are actually very delicious.

• Gravy style: The Japanese curry has a wonderful flavour; it doesn’t have a ton of heat but made for a stew-like, creamier overall...

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