The evening before our steam train excursion we had the good fortune to dine at the Bistro in The Everett Boutique Hotel. We did not expect to find a venue like this in a small town in North Carolina.
—On the road again…
—This time we were looking for relief from the unrelenting heat during August in Southwest Florida. We chose to spend a long weekend at high elevation (by East Coast standards) in the vicinity of Asheville NC. Allegiant Airlines has a convenient early Thursday morning flight from Sarasota SRQ to Asheville Regional Airport with a return flight Sunday afternoon. This schedule fit well with a steam train excursion into the Great Smoky Mountains through the Nantahala Gorge.
—The scheduled two-hour flight took only an hour and a half. The plane cruised for the last twenty minutes alongside rivers and lakes in valleys where clouds had settled in as ground fog.
—We drove directly from Asheville Airport to the vicinity of the train station in Bryson City. Downtown featured numerous choices of brewery tap rooms and fast food amid a few magnificent old municipal buildings. We spent about twenty minutes admiring the old buildings and another twenty minutes shopping in Calby’s Antiques and Gifts in the old 1905 Bennett’s Drug Store building.
—The evening before our steam train excursion we had the good fortune to dine at the Bistro in The Everett Boutique Hotel. We did not expect to find a venue like this in a small town in North Carolina. The “Empressive G&T” had Empress 1908 Gin mixed with Butterfly Pea Flowers Tonic and fresh limes. We ordered the Carolina Mountain Trout and the Field and Foul Étouffée (Wild Boar and Cranberry Sausage, roasted duck breast, Andouille Sausage, roasted tomatoes, and jasmine rice). Our accomplished server Wendy added on a tasty chocolate dessert. We washed down dinner and dessert with a simple sparkling wine.
—Still full from our dinner the night before, we arrived at the train station mid-morning the next day. We do not think of ourselves as dedicated railfans, we have fond memories of railway excursions: in Scotland, the Fort William to Mallaig line (Harry Potter fans call it the Hogwarts Express) that skirts heather-clad slopes with silver threads pouring downhill from springs into the deep blue lochs; in Australia, the long Perth to Adelaide trek through the Nullarbor Plain; and, in Canada, the Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver. Recalling the pleasures of food and drink in dining cars, we had selected the Moonshine Experience option for this four-and-a-half-hour Nantahala Gorge excursion.
—The steam locomotive itself cuts an impressive figure. We saluted the engineers Brent and Dale as they checked the boilers, and we chatted with the conductor, Bryan. A plume of white steam erupted from a smokestack when the engineers blew the whistle signaling “All Aboard”.
—We boarded the train and found our way to our table and barrel chairs in a restored rail car. The stamped metal ceiling, carpets, wooden panels and tables, and leather upholstery revived a setting of 19th century elegance. A plaque with the image of the King of the Moonshiners, Lewis “Major” Redmond, in prominent display, recounts the legacy of an outlaw moonshiner. We settled into the ambiance while watching the rapids of the Tuckasegee River surge alongside and underneath the railroad tracks. The tracks run uphill through hardwood forests.
—As the train rolls along, the bartenders in charge of dispensing the moonshine, David and Lasada, pour shots into small plastic glasses. The first two shots contain classic clear corn mash whiskey, as smooth but no more so than premium vodka or tequila. The shots that followed had fruit flavors added: berry, apple, coconut, and others less distinct. The fruit flavors reminded us too much of the cloying flavors in cough syrup.
—While tasting these shots, the passengers have a chance to order cocktails, wine, or beer from the bar. The moonshine shots overlap lunch options of pulled pork barbeque or vegies (a savory grilled portabella mushroom and a tough and almost raw slice of eggplant), both served with coleslaw.
—The uphill trip concludes at a whitewater rafting and kayak training center. The downhill trip back to Bryson City gives passengers another chance to see the beautiful lakes with houseboats floating in the calm and clear waters of Lake Fontana and boat docks below houses built on the hillsides.
—Though not a culinary event or a memorable whiskey tasting, the Nantahala Gorge excursion allows a visitor to the region to tour a diverse and somewhat isolated region in style and comfort. Highly recommended for that reason.
