Restaurant owners find ‘lost love' in small-town setting

But it doesn't bother her. That's just part of the charm of living and working in one of Montana's premier historic places — Virginia City.

"I don't mess with her and she doesn't mess with me," said Kelley, who began hearing the disembodied soulful tunes shortly after taking over the management of the restaurant. "I had no idea that there was a ghost here. I thought someone had left the stereo on. She sounded a lot like Billie Holiday," said Kelley. "The story goes that she's a woman searching for her lost love."

That's something to which Amy and Scott Kelley can relate. Whether it's the trove of interesting people who walk through door of their Banditos Restaurant each summer, the eclectic mix of locals or the quiet calm that comes after the tourists have gone home, the Kelleys have found their lost love in the small-town setting of Virginia City.

"We could go wherever we want to and do just fine," said Scott. "Living in Virginia City is a lifestyle. We love this building and this town."

Virginia City has its own unique ebb and flow. During the summer months, the boardwalks overflow with tourists from all over the world anxious to get a peek at one of the best preserved 1800s mining towns in the country. As soon as fall arrives and kids go back to school, the tourism season grinds to halt and the streets again belong to the few who call the town home.

"It takes a certain kind of person to live in a town with 120 people," said Amy. "I love the fact in the winter that you don't have cars zooming up and down the street. It's so quiet."

With such a short tourism season, the Kelleys, like all other Virginia City business people, have to work hard to develop a niche that keeps both locals and tourists coming in the door. They've done that by putting together a unique menu and by reaching out to traveling musicians.

"We're dealing with a very short season," said Amy. "We have to be creative and look for ways to bring people in here. It gives us a chance to be creative, too."

By searching out the freshest of ingredients and putting together a menu that changes nightly, the two have found a way to ensure that both locals and out-of-the-area visitors keep coming back.

"My mother taught me how to cook. Since then I've worked in a lot of different restaurants," said Amy. "I know how important it is to keep all your ingredients as fresh as possible. I have meat cut fresh, seafood flown in, and I use local lamb and beef."

The restaurant focus is on Mexican dishes, but don't expect to get anything close to the fast-food variety.

"Most people haven't tasted the kind of food served deep down in Mexico," said Amy. "The food served there is a whole different world … it's not like what you're served in many Mexican restaurants around here. It's not all covered in the same sauce and it doesn't all taste the same. We're trying to achieve something different."

"Every year we get repeat customers and every year the number of them grows," said Scott. "On any given night, I'll know 80 percent of the people's names here."

While Amy focuses on the food, Scott job centers on providing the atmosphere and entertainment. They've discovered that musicians traveling between gigs sometimes want to get off the beaten track and will swing through Virginia City for a chance to soak up the ambience and play to an appreciative crowd.

"This is something they wouldn't see if they stayed on I-90," Scott said. "We've had some national acts who want to get out and see something of the state while they're here."

So far Banditos has featured folk, jazz, rock 'n' roll and even a brass band. Even though the music might be dated, it fits with Virginia City's historic role, said Scott.

"In reality, Virginia City was about as hip as it got in 1860s," Scott said. "It was a very social city. When you think about it, the city hasn't really changed all that much. It's always been filled with lively, colorful people."

"That's what makes Virginia City unique. There's really nothing like it," he said. "It's the town that never died. It's just cool. We love it."