Shoo Fry, the poutine and burger shop, opens Thursday

Thursday, Oct. 20 is the launch of Shoo Fry, a specialist in poutine, the Canadian-born cheese-curd-and-gravy-topped french fry dish, as well as slider-size burgers and shakes.

Matt Baiada's first location is the subterranean space at 132 S. 17th St. that previously housed Underdogs.

Baiada, who also owns a Cold Stone Creamery location in Delaware County with his wife, Rachel, has a dozen varieties of poutine and a few sliders (beef, except for the scrapple slider), plus shakes. Customers can choose from classic, curly, and steak fries, which get proteins (cheesesteak, pulled pork, even peanut butter).

Baiada, who seized upon the idea during a 2012 road trip to Canada, considers the poutine-slider-shake combo to resemble the longtime burger-fry-shake fast-food combo.

See the menu here.

Little Baby's Ice Cream has devised a flavor of shake made with its ice cream and Beiler's shoo-fly pie.

The Baiadas opened a stand at the King of Prussia Mall in 2013 as a six-month tryout in what he calls "a dark corner of the mall." That worked out, and they began developing shops.

The 17th Street shop will run 11 a.m. through 9 p.m.

Work has started on Shoo Fry's Fishtown location, at Girard Avenue and Shackamaxon Street.

Also on the poutine front: Smoke's Poutinery, a Canadian franchise, is due to start construction soon on its first Philadelphia location. It's taking the former Subway store at 411-413 South St. The franchisee said he hoped to be open around Thanksgiving.