Outdoors: Red Top Motor Inn and Restaurant

Along the Trans Canada Hwy 17 E in the village of Iron Bridge, Ontario is a landmark known throughout the region and beyond, for nearly 60 years. It’s now called the Red Top Motor Inn and Restaurant. Built in 1961 with its distinctive festival style red roof, the Red Top is a landmark for many travelers finding their way through the area.

I had the chance to meet up with its current owners, Antonio Benito and Greg Brown, about a week after opening for the season on May 1.

Greg explained it was named Century Motor Inn, then Estok Motor Inn, before they bought the property in 1999. When they asked the previous owners, "What is the one thing you would do differently with the business if you could start over," both said, "Change the name!"

So Greg and Antonio named it Red Top Motor Inn and Restaurant, in keeping with its most distinct and memorable feature everyone remembers. Great idea!

The Red Top Restaurant prides itself on the quality of the food it serves. Using fresh, locally sourced ingredients for their dishes, soups, and stock made from scratch is the key. Throughout the season, they will source vegetables from the farm around the corner at Triver’s, and fresh fish from Nyman’s Fishery out of Lake Huron near Blind River.

Smoked fish from Clarence’s on the North Shore, Maple Syrup from Make Scents Maple Products on St. Joseph Island, and Berkshire pork and chicken from area Mennonite farms. Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are brought in from the area during the season. The artisan cheese served comes from Thornloe and Kapuskasing, Ontario.

- Sandra J. Trainor

Read the full article about the Red Top Motor Inn and Restaurant