Mike Nelson is the co-owner of the newly opened Moonshine Cafe located at the former Old Jailhouse Restaurant. Get A Taste Of Moonshine New Restaurant Opens In Boone By Frank Ruggiero There’ll be no bootlegging at the Moonshine Cafe and Lounge. Owners Mike and Nova Nelson will see to it, but it’s not to say that the building hasn’t seen its share of bootleggers. The Moonshine Cafe opened a couple weeks ago in the old Boone jailhouse, which formerly housed The Old Jailhouse restaurant. The Nelsons, previously owners of Angelica’s Vegetarian Restaurant and Juice Bar and later the Coyote Kitchen, are bringing something new to the old building. While Angelica’s naturally focused on vegetarian fare and the Coyote Kitchen specialized in Caribbean cuisine, the Moonshine Cafe’s menu has been packed with international cuisine to regularly rotate through different countries and regions. It’s starting out with traditional Mexican, Thai and Appalachian entrees. For instance, the Mexican section will feature dishes like homemade mesa tortillas and handmade tamales. In keeping with tradition of their previous two restaurants, the Nelsons are fusing the menu with the local, organic food distribution system, as well as the North Carolina Organic Growers. Their current distributors range from local growers to “back-door type sellers,” as Mike phrased it, to dealers who specialize in just one vegetable. “The quality of the food is roots, and the quality of the ingredients is roots, too,” he said. The Nelsons are combining their culinary experience from their previous two restaurants, culminating with their favorite aspects of food and breaking the cooking process down to the very elements of how food is prepared. For instance, no fryers can be found in the Moonshine Cafe. For frying, certain dishes will be pan-fried in olive oil. The Nelsons see healthy eating as part of Moonshine’s mission, as well, “making good food a part of our daily awareness,” Mike said. As such, all food is hormone-free, including Kobe beef. The Nelsons are pleased to see such foods are becoming more readily available. “They’re more available now than they have been and more important now than they have been,” Mike said, adding that purchasing and selling such food raises awareness and helps in the evolution of the food cycle. “It’s very nice being able to tie these things together.” Unity of Diversity The current menu, though seemingly worlds apart in terms of Mexican, Thai and Appalachian, also ties together. For instance, in the Thai menu one can find catfish, which is also on the Appalachian menu. Also with the Appalachian menu, the Nelsons are able to obtain food directly from the source, “taking what’s available and tying it together,” Mike said. This provides an opportunity to regularly concoct new and delectable dishes, such as trout with blackberry apple salsa. “And you could find all those things within 100 yards of each other,” Mike said. The possibility of traveling the world in terms of the menu is also exciting for the Nelsons, allowing the Moonshine Cafe to have a flavorful and constantly evolving menu. Mike said he and Nova plan to take advantage of this by offering regular specials, depending on the season. If something proves to be particularly popular, it will remain on the menu. An herb garden right beside the restaurant will ensure herbs and spices are literally garden-fresh, and the Nelsons will continue to grow produce on their farm in Tennessee. They’ve also committed to buying goods from the Leola Street Community Garden in Boone. “We want to show how the community can conduct itself on a more sustainable level,” he said. “Like the building, this has a life of its own and we’re here to have fun with it, and we are. Each plate that comes out of the kitchen has a lot of individuality that’s put into it.” The kitchen crew and staff come from the Coyote Kitchen, Mike said, “so they’re really aware and used to all the things we’re doing and enjoy doing it, putting out some plates of really good food.” The Nelsons have left the Coyote Kitchen in the hands of Ben Whitehead, the restaurant’s manager, and his wife, Jamie. During the Moonshine Cafe’s first week, the restaurant served lunch, but the Nelsons decided against doing so regularly. However, to put the already-crafted lunch menu to use, the restaurant will be available for private parties to rent during the daytime. Early Dinner Instead of lunch and dinner, the Nelsons prefer to concentrate on dinner, which starts at 4 p.m., and late night, which lasts through the wee hours. Hence the name “Moonshine Cafe.” Moonshine reflects a portion of history and heritage of the mountains and is also appropriate considering moonshiners may have spent — or done — time at the old jailhouse, Mike said. The name is also appropriate in the literal sense, as one can stand on the restaurant’s porch at night and see the moon rising directly across the street. Something New in Something Old The Old Jailhouse restaurant closed last November, and opportunity eventually came to knocking on the Nelsons’ door. “Nova always loved the building, but I always thought it was too small,” Mike admitted. “But we heard it was going up for sale and got a good offer. We always had the idea of starting a new restaurant.” The table layout was modified to provide more table space, and the interior was redecorated. However, inmates’ scratchings and etchings can still be found on the age-old bricks. The building was originally completed in 1889 at a cost of $5,000, and was later converted for home and apartment use in 1925. More than 80 years later, the building has found its latest set of inhabitants, who hope to remain there for many moons to come. The Moonshine Cafe is located at 142 South Water Street in downtown Boone. For more information, call 262-5000.