Scheduled to open sometime in November, a new open-late restaurant named Q-Tine (2339 N. Milwaukee Ave., no phone yet) is unpacking its portmanteau.
Unpacking its name: the “Q” comes from “barbecue,” and the “Tine” from “poutine,” naming the counter-service spot’s two specialties. Barbecue, still smoldering after becoming a smoking-hot trend a few years ago, will come Memphis-style. Poutine seemed to fizzle as a trend, but the Q-Tine crew thinks poor execution doomed it. “The classic poutine has cheese curds,” says Greg Morton, the chef/partner. “Ours will be melted. They won’t be cold in the middle. You can’t bite down into a cheese curd and have it feel like it’s 40 degrees in the middle.”
Morton says some of the poutines will integrate barbecue, too, such as one with a horseradish–sour cream–apple cider white sauce. “It’s a killer white sauce,” he says. “Over fries and smoked brisket. Crispy ends and tender meat that just melts.”
The owners are getting extra mileage out of the Q- prefix. A coffee granita, named for its high-octane caffeination, will be called Q-Tane, and the staff is the Q-Team. And we’re really hoping those crispy ends will be called Q-Tips.