Call me Ishmael.
Okay, don't actually do that, but finding the Moonshine Store was
like our white whale. We crossed what felt like an endless sea of
green fields, spying the waves of corn and hearing only our stomachs
rumble in anticipation for something we were only mostly sure
existed. Joey's epic road trip play list (which consisted of two
techno remixes and the entire Ronnie James Dio cover album) did
little to cure our impatience as the GPS led us deeper and deeper
into the exact middle of nowhere.
My point is, if you ever feel like going to the Moonshine Store
yourself, don't be discouraged by the absolute lack of anything
anywhere. Likewise, don't be daunted by what looks like an old
farmhouse, because that's exactly what this place is.
STOP FOUR
Name: Moonshine Store
Locations: Martinsville, IL
Suggested by: Joel
 |
| Some say he's written works that would put Chaucer to shame. All we know is, he's Joel. |
Despite
the extremely remote location the Moonshine Store is a crowded place.
Located at 6017 E. 300th
Rd in Martinsville, the store is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., and
you'd best not wait until the last minute to get there, because once
they run out of beef, they close up shop for the day on the spot.
The inside of the facility is like if all the nick-knacks of a
hundred Cracker Barrels were swept in by a tornado of charmingly
quaint antiquities. There are no tables, no chairs, just a counter to
order, a table of condiments a rack of chips and some coolers of
drinks. Memorabilia aside, it's probably the most straightforward and
least gimmicky establishment I've ever experienced. When you sit down
at the picnic tables outside the building though, you aren't worried
about that. No, you've trekked through some of the most barren
stretches of Illinois to get here, and you're only worry is whether
the food in front of you is up to par.
Did it ever exceed my expectations. To have a place this far from any
town, this far from what could reasonably be called your target
buyers, and to have it be so crowded, you have to be doing something
right, and what the Moonshine Store does right are the burgers. I
have no idea what they do, I don't know what kind of beef they use,
but something about the way these things are cooked makes for a
wonderful slab of meat on a bun.
Whether or not the food is worth the trip probably depends entirely on how much you like hamburger, or beef in general. If you like it as much as I do, then this one is a no-brainer.
