Bilingual communities in southern Manitoba are hoping to lure poutine-loving Winnipeggers in for a visit with eight different takes on fries and cheese curds covered in gravy.

The Poutine Trail is an idea cooked up by CDEM Manitoba, which works to spur economic development in bilingual communities. Restaurants in eight communities — Lorette, St. Malo, St. Pierre, Ste. Agathe, St. Jean Baptiste, Ste. Anne, Richer, and Marchand — are creating especially decadent and unique poutines.

The hope is that people from Winnipeg will be inspired to explore some of Manitoba's French-speaking communities.

"We're really looking to draw the Winnipeg crowd into these communities. So what better way than poutine?" said Roselle Turenne, a tourism consultant with CDEM.

"We know that it's popular, we know that people like it, and we know that people will drive out to taste something that's really unique and creative."

Some of the poutines:

Lucky Luc's in Ste. Agathe is making burger poutine: hand cut shoestring french fries topped with ground beef cheese curds and cheddar cheese, smothered in a bourbon BBQ gravy and garnished with crisp bacon and onion tanglers.

hand cut shoestring french fries topped with ground beef cheese curds and cheddar cheese, smothered in a bourbon BBQ gravy and garnished with crisp bacon and onion tanglers. Lorette Chicken Chef will be serving up a perogy poutine: home-cut fries topped with perogies, choice of bacon or farmer sausage, garnished with green onions, sour cream and gravy.

home-cut fries topped with perogies, choice of bacon or farmer sausage, garnished with green onions, sour cream and gravy. Old. No. 12 Cafe and Lounge in Ste. Anne has breakfast poutine: grilled baked potato chunks topped with fried onions, bacon bits, cheese curds and gravy.

There are also rumours of a tourtiere poutine in the works.

The trail officially starts on Aug. 31. For more information you can visit Poutine Trail on Facebook.