Duane Hicks
A local restaurant has landed on The Food Network’s list of “10 Highway Hotspots to Try On Your Canadian Road Trip.”
Flint House, which opened its doors at the end of November, was among the top picks by Dan Clapson in his Jan. 14 article at www.foodnetwork.ca
“In late November, I made my first trip to this small town for the opening of Flint House,” wrote Clapson, a food writer and culinary instructor based out of Calgary.
“Right on the downtown strip, walk in and you’ll find a surprisingly contemporary experience; a gorgeous interior featuring exposed brick walls, central fireplace, and open kitchen.
“For lunch you’ll find gourmet sandwiches like smoked beef brisket with mango salsa and pan-seared scallops, and grilled vegetable triple decker,” he concluded.
Flint House owner Duane Cridland said he and the staff were thrilled with the positive review.
“We were ecstatic to get his seal of approval,” Cridland noted Monday.
“He’s on television every day in Calgary and he’s a very, very well-liked writer.”
Cridland said Clapson, who is a family acquaintance, happened to be in this part of the country when Flint House first opened and agreed to stop in and give Cridland an honest opinion of his dining experience there.
“It kind of blew us away how well it turned out,” he admitted.
“I know we’re awful proud of our place. We’re very proud of the look and the feel it’s turned out to have,” added Cridland.
“Obviously something rubbed off on him and he was able to put it to print.”
News of the top 10 list spread like wildfire starting Friday.
“We were completely taken by surprise,” said Cridland, noting he was at Northwoods Gallery & Gifts around 1 p.m. on Friday when his cellphone went off and he was notified about the article.
“I was dumbfounded,” he chuckled.
Two hours later, a business contact in Winnipeg had called him to congratulate him.
By Saturday morning, the post regarding the top 10 list had more than 10,000 views on Facebook.
“We’re awful excited,” Cridland reiterated.
“It will probably generate a little bit of business for us, and that’s what we’re in this game for—to provide a great dining experience for people.”
Cridland said he’s even hoping that being on the list will get some food enthusiasts (or “foodies”) to build their travel plans around stopping here.
“I’m just hoping like heck that maybe somebody, instead of driving through Kenora, maybe they’ll drive through Fort Frances on ‘MOM’s Way,’” he remarked.
“Personally, I’m a ‘foodie,’” Cridland added. “When I go places, I go on the ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ website and I look for places in cities.”
He also noted Clapson’s glowing review could help Fort Frances “get on the map.”
The other nine hotspots on the list include Larry’s Chip Stand and The Riv Chip Stand (Sturgeon Falls, Ont.), Webers (Orillia, Ont.), Barley Brothers (Winnipeg), Red Barn (Moosomin, Sask.), Star Cafe and Grill (Maple Creek, Sask.), The Donut Mill (Red Deer, Alta.), Starlite Diner Car (Bowden, Alta.), The Curry Bowl (Fernie, B.C.), and Masstown Market (Masstown, N.S.)
Cridland said his goal is to visit at least two or three of these other places in the next six months.
Read more at www.foodnetwork.ca/dining-out/blog
