More than 20 restaurants seeking liquor licenses or trying to renew or modify their licenses will go before a committee of Community Board 3 tonight. We've already told you (ad nauseum) about two of them, Grand Park and a "Jewish fusion" restaurant at Essex and Canal. There's another restaurant that caught our eye: "T Poutine," at 168 Ludlow. 

What is poutine, you ask? We headed to the restaurant's web site for some answers: "Poutine is a dish consisting of french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and gravy… it is quintessential Canadian comfort food, especially but not exclusively, among Quebecois." A New York Times article a couple of years ago noted that poutine "goes deep into the Quebequois psyche." Sure, some Canadians are a bit embarrassed about this caloric creation. But when the CBC conducted a poll on the greatest Canadian inventions of all time, poutine beat out the electron microscope, the BlackBerry, the paint roller and the
caulking gun, lacrosse, plexiglass, radio voice transmission and
basketball.

But in spite of its status as a beloved national treasure up north, "T Poutine" could very well run afoul of the community board. It just so happens that its location, on Ludlow between Stanton and Houston, is already home to at least seven bars or restaurants. "T Poutine" is not asking for a full liquor license – wine only. But these selling points on their web site are unlikely to sway many members of CB3: poutine "is becoming a sort of traditional ending to an evening out on the town or clubbing… we will maintain a trendy, hip environment that caters to the patrons who live and entertain in neighborhoods with bustling nightlife and destination spots."

One footnote: we couldn't help notice the "apartment for rent" sign above "T Poutine." On Misrahi Realty's web site, they're advertising  one bedroom apartments at 168 Ludlow, priced between $2195-$2395. Ten out of 17 apartments have already been rented! Prospective tenants might want to check out the building's soundproofing.