Yes, indeed. I’d pose that I don’t find cheesy fries and poutine to be the same, at least in the US. Generally, cheesy fries are just regular fries that are topped with shredded cheese and put in a salamander broiler to melt. Poutine, in my experience, has larger chunks of cheese/cheese curds and a brown gravy, at minimum.

I’ve only had poutine at a couple places in the US. One was a brewpub/gastropub and the other, oddly, a local Mediterranean restaurant. The order from the Mediterranean restaurant is pretty much a meal, with meat and onions (add a salad and you’re probably nearing “balanced”, if you spread it out over a few meals).