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DISH ON DINING: Diners flock to Root & Bone in Horse Shoe

Root & Bone chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth and Crossroads owner John Turchin welcomed diners at a preview opening Thursday night.

By Matt Matteson, Published: June 15, 2024

HORSE SHOE — Not since Shine opened on Main Street in 2019 after seven years of renovation has there been a more anticipated restaurant launch than the new Root & Bone at the railroad tracks in Horse Shoe.

Now named Crossroads, the building at 4165 Brevard Road next to Briggs Garden Center has been home to a hardware store, gun shop and several restaurants. After buying the building on Dec. 31, 2020, Horse Shoe Farm Spa and Silo Cookhouse owner John Turchin set out on a major renovation inside and out, removing an exterior façade to expose the original stonework.

“We could have opened earlier but we wanted the right people and the right look,” he said.

The restaurant’s proprietors are Aussie-born Janine Booth and Floridian Jeff McInnis, award-winning chefs who also have Root & Bone locations  in Miami, Indianapolis and Chesterton, Indiana.

The restaurant draws its name from the staples of the American diet — vegetables and meat. The cooks serve “elevated southern comfort food” in three different themed dining areas of the 5,900-square-foot space. If you like open, bright and airy, there’s a dining area for you. That’s the “root” or veggie side. If  your taste is meat then maybe you’d choose the more intimate “bone side.” Or if you prefer to chill on the porch as Ecusta Trail users go by, you may order a cold beer or other beverage from the outdoor bar.

The menu features award-winning dishes such as sweet tea brined fried chicken, braised brisket meatloaf, grilled peach and tomato caprese salad, barbecue spareribs, the R&B burger and crispy fried chicken biscuits.

McInnis and Booth plan to support local growers and farmers and have already started their own garden on site.

Root & Bone is open 4-10 p.m. every day but Tuesday. Thursday is “BBQ and Blues” night featuring live music. Reservations are recommended. To check out the menu or make a reservation visit https://thecrossroadsnc.com/.