The title of 'Best poutine in the city' is one that could be argued until the curds come home, but according to some locals, that poutine can be found at an east end gas station.
Motorists passing by the Rubino's Petro-Canada station will likely have noticed some construction taking place on the west side of the property. A 2,500 square foot addition to the service station will see the convenience store expanded, a walk-in freezer installed, a small warehouse added, and a relocation of their increasingly popular deli counter known as 'Giovanna's Italian Homestyle Cooking'.
Manager Frank Rubino told TimminsToday that he has heard that some people are under the impression a full service restaurant is in the works, which is not the case.
"You're still going to come through the front entrance, but there's going to be a take-out window. In saying that, it's just going to be for walk-ups, its not a drive-thru or anything."
Still, it will be a new look for a property that has been a place to fuel up for decades. Many local residents will recall the site was formerly home to a Shell gas and auto repair station owned by the McGinn family which closed in 2010 after 48 years in business. The old building was demolished and a shiny new Petro-Canada station opened for business in December of 2012, which included the deli counter.
Rubino said within the new addition, there may or may not be a 'table and chairs' set-up
"Possibly, yeah. That's up in the air still. Because I want to see what I can fit in here first, I want to spread it out to look neat, get the aisles straightened out, and if we have room I'd like to put two or three tables in. I'm sure we will have room."
Giovanna's was once located on Bruce Avenue in downtown South Porcupine, but has been serving food at the station on Harold Avenue since its opening.
"It's not all the same food. We kept the sign, but obviously we got into burgers, poutine, and more. But we will be bringing back some of the homemade Italian food like lasagnas," said Rubino.
Currently serving everything from submarine sandwiches, pulled pork, and Francesco's Pizza slices, to chicken wings to Angus burgers, it is likely that poutine is the counter's biggest draw, and one of the area's best kept secrets.
"It is sort of unexpected for sure. I didn't think it would take off like that, because there are a few chip places in town."
With the addition, the building will total 4,900 square feet, and Rubino is hoping the work will be completed by mid-October.
The expansion first came to light at a city council meeting in October of 2016, where 'Rubino Holdings Inc.' got approval to combine nine city lots into one property, in order to facilitate the addition.
The gas station's price sign will also be on the move, as Rubino said the current one 'has been smacked a few times'.
"People run into it. We've even had transports rub up against it, so we're moving it right to the end of the lot."
Manager Frank Rubino said there is a very small crew working on the expansion, and is hoping the project is completed by mid-October. Andrew Autio for TimminsTodayHe called the addition of the walk-in freezer 'huge' for operations, and said he wants to get into the live bait and fishing tackle market as well.
"That was something I wanted to try put in before tables, I want to try to squeeze that in somewhere, and eventually get into ammunition as well. I'm applying for my license. Just bullets, I don't want to get into dealing with guns."
There will, at some point, be a period of approximately two weeks where the Giovanna's counter will be closed for the relocation to the far end of the building. Rubino said once re-opened, there will be an increased emphasis on breakfast food, along with new equipment which will allow for fried chicken to be added to the mix.
"We're going to expand our menu, people are going to like it."
So why all the hype about the poutine? It likely has to do with the care the employees put into an order. The fries themselves can be seasoned in a number of ways. There are multiple flavours of cheese curds available, and each order is properly layered to give an even distribution of the components.
"People are always commenting on how its the best poutine in town. I never hear anything bad, everybody loves the staff, saying how friendly they are. I'm lucky, I have four workers who have been here over three years, and they're doing a great job."
Rubino said there will likely be more alterations in five years or so, which could eventually include an outdoor seating area. It could be needed if more and more locals find out about the food.
"Word of mouth has really helped us, because I haven't done much advertising for it. We don't even have a sign outside," he said with a laugh.
