Barnstormer BBQ, Ft Montgomery, NY

Had lunch with Gail at Barnstormer today at their new location on Rt 9W in Ft Montgomery, NY. (about 5 miles south of USMA at West Point).

I had the pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and corn bread. Gail had the Carolina pulled pork sandwich with FFs and cole slaw. They were both very good.
The pulled pork sandwich is a big pile of smokey pig slathered, a bit too much, in a spicy sweetish red sauce. The sauce, for a red sauce, is quite good, but, in my opinion, it overwhelms the pork - the next time we visit i'll ask for it on the side and add it to my own taste. The cole slaw was very lightly dressed with a nice vinegary dressing - I piled it onto my sandwich. The cornbread was two generous squares of dense , yet light, yellow cornbread - I could have used some butter on it. Our sweet tea was almost as good as the best you an get in the South.

Gail's Carolina pulled pork was also a high pile of pig gently sauced with a spicy vinegar sauce - somewhat of a compromise between eastern and western NC type sauces. Her sandwich also contained a nice coating of a different, and better, cole slaw piled on top which nicely complemented  the pork. Her side dish of cole slaw was superfluous. Her FFs appeared to be hand cut and were nicely done - crispy outside and  mealy inside. 

We shared a generous slice of peanut butter/chocolate/  cake with pecans on top - decadently delicious; and took half of it home.

The new place is much airier, brighter and comfortable than the old one in Newburgh (not that Newburgh didn't have it's own grundgy charm) - no booths, but comfortable chairs at well spaced tables and service also available at a bar

Our waitress was efficient friendly and even voluble in answering our questions and talking about the restaurant and BBQ in general. 

Barnstormer is worth a 50 mile detour for what is, in our opinion, probably the best BBQ in the Hudson Valley - Big W, in Wingdale, being right up there also. 

Cheers, John  

John--we have a place here in Checotah Ok with the same name---good que too!--AND---they have a RUNWAY in the back where you FLY in!!

The Barnstormer in Ft Montgomery is crammed into a tiny lot in a very hilly part of the Hudson Valley - no landing strip - in fact, i think you'd have trouble trying to land a helicopter within miles of the place. but it does have lots of old pictures of old barnstorming type planes and , with no obvious connection, lots of old auto license plates on the walls. And good "Q".

Cheers, John  

Hi John. Thanks for the report, sounds like a great place.

Just wondering: We used to go hiking once a year in Black Rock Forest (about 5 miles north of Ft Montgomery) and we'd always stop at a place called Richies II in Fort Montgomery for a beer and a burger after the hike. Is that place still there? It was on the southbound side of 9W right in "town".

I haven't been thru that way in maybe 8 years, but the thought of good BBQ at the end of a hike might be an incentive for me to get back. 

Thanks Seafarer!  We'll be sure to stop here on one of our day trips soon.  Sounds great and your report is making me crave pulled pork at 10 am!  Sue

I've got to admit this trip to Barnstormer is the first time I've been to Ft Montgomery in about 10 years, and as Barnstormer turned out to be on the north edge of the village we never got any further south, so can't answer about RichiesII.

It's good to hear from aleswench  again, where have you been?

Barnstormer, while in a sort of out of the way place, would be a good destination for a Roadfood meet and greet - the dining area is nicely set up to accommodate a small group separate from the rest of the customers. Anyone interested in getting together there some Saturday or Sunday in May, get in touch with me and we'll see what we can get together. 

BTW: Storm King Art Center, a several hundred acre  contemporary sculpture  exhibition. is only about 10 or 12 miles from Ft Montgomery and is well worth a visit anytime you are in the area. 

Cheers, John 

Hello John
                 Have you tried Brothers on Rt. 32 in New Windsor? My wife and I had lunch
there a couple of weeks ago. Imho the brisket was as good as Bailey's Smokehouse in Blauvelt. Next time you are in the Newburgh area you should give it a try.

                                                                 Tony