French fries, I love you. That's why I'm leaving.

I have a problem with French fries. And like so many problems, it took me a while to realize that things were getting out of hand. They used to be an indulgence, a side for the occasional burger or sandwich. Even then, I'd sometimes be strong and substitute a salad, knowing that fried food -- like red meat and raw cookie dough -- should be consumed in moderation. Then I started working at a restaurant that cut its own fries, and I started to slip. At the end of the night, I'd sneak a few from the fryer (they just sit there, waiting for their death by garbage). I'd anticipate the nights the staff was served them for dinner, and if I had a craving, I knew I could order a batch, crunchy and salty and made from potatoes, which are clearly my ambrosia. Thick, thin, crisped to a brown, sagging with grease, salted, peppered, doused with Tabasco, even baked (which in my heart of hearts seems extremely wrong), I love French fries.

Try to imagine, then, the joy (and the impatience) I felt when Ellen tipped me off to Duckfat in Portland, Maine. A quick look at the restaurant's Web site will tell you everything you need to know: owned and operated by the renowned Hugo's folks, this little eatery is celebrated for its fries and sandwiches. Make that Belgian fries and panini with ingredients of duck confit, meatloaf and tongue. They also serve soups and salads, beignets and churros, and a "Five dollar" milk shake that will set you back a cool $4. But the real star of the menu, and the thing I sought out on my recent trip, was Duckfat's poutine.

If I were on death row and offered the choice of a final meal, Duckfat's poutine might just be it. This seems fitting because, in a way, it sort of was. Before my trip, in a moment of inspiration (or perhaps guilt or panic) I vowed to give up French fries. Not forever, but for the summer, I decided. Like I said before, moderation is key. Besides, there have to be some satisfying alternatives to salad and slaw. I want to find them. But first:

Poutine is essentially cheese fries, only in Quebec, where the dish hails from, the fries are topped with fresh cheese curd* and gravy. I learned of poutine on a trip to Montreal a few years ago, but have never seen it stateside. Duckfat's version is far better than anything I had north of the border: medium-sized fries cut in-house, fried in duck fat, then topped with nice big chunks of cheese curd and a thick, slightly peppery, duck gravy. It sounds insane...because it is. My friend and I were actually embarrassed to be splitting an order and a panino, until the couple next to us ordered two. We had no problem then justifying an order of beignets and a pot of coffee, never mind I'd already had a house-made cream soda.

* Not unlike cottage cheese, a friend tells me they actually sell this stuff by the bagful -- "like popcorn" -- at the Madison, Wis., airport.