Up North BBQ

Hi everyone, sorry it has been a little while since my last post, life has a way of happening when you least expect it and almost two weeks ago my car was hit by a driver that crossed into my lane. Fortunately everyone is fine but my car was beyond repair, so needless to say I’ve been a little busy. As stated in my last post I’m going to review a couple BBQ joints in our area.

The first place is a relative new comer, The Brookside Tavern and BBQ, located in Valley Cottage at 107 North Route 303. This was the home of the Pie Man. The space has always been a little awkward and it seems that hasn’t changed much. It may be the way the dining room is situated or the way the bar is separated from the dining room, it doesn’t have an inviting feel to me. This time that I went it was a little late on a Thursday and only one young couple was eating in the dinning room. I had ordered take-out just to try the food, and it wasn’t ready when I got there so I had a chance to experience the atmosphere. There were two T.V.’s that were on and one had the sound slightly on, then from the kitchen heavy metal music was blaring, and three guys in the bar area were starting to get a little loud and belligerent and music was coming from another unknown source. It was a cacophony to turn the stomach, and made me glad I was doing take-out.

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Once I got the food home I will have to say I was delighted by the smells of the pulled pork and ribs. They were both cooked to perfection with just the right amount of smoke and spice. The sides of baked beans, mashed potatoes and corn souffle, were also the perfect accompaniment. Despite it being about 30 minutes from closing time everything was fresh and delicious. I really think these guys could have an amazing thing going but they need to put a little feng shui into it and decide if they want dining patrons to hear the goings on in the bar. Plenty of pub style restaurants make a go of it without the two clashing but actually working together to enhance the feeling of the entire restaurant.

The second place is across the river in Irvington, it’s called Revenge BBQ and is named after the owners son’s middle name and the fact that happiness is the best revenge. This place is based on Texas style BBQ, reminiscent of the hill country BBQ where black pepper is very prevalent in their dry rubs. They also BBQ different types of meat like turkey and sausage. There’s no doubt that these folks know their BBQ, but while they may be a Texas based joint they are definitely Manhattan based in their pricing. Once again I’ve been mesmerized by the prices of what traditionally has been affordable family eating. For lunch my son ordered a chicken sandwich and a drink and I ordered the turkey, which was three small slices, and two side and a drink. The bill came out to $39! Maybe I’ve been living under a rock but I believe one can get a decent lunch for around $10 per person. Yes, their food was delicious and cooked to perfection but if I didn’t order the sides I would have left there hungry and it still would have been $31. I’d recommend eating at both places but just be aware one is going to put a dent in your wallet and the other might be best for take out.

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A couple other BBQ places you may want to check out are, Bailey’s Smokehouse, 136 E Erie St, Blauvelt and Finks in Suffern, Ny. I like things on both of their menus but I haven’t been to either of them in a long while so I’ll just say they both have loyal followings and are usually busy at dinner every night of the week.

Thank you for stopping by and as always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below. Stay tuned as I will have a little surprise for you in the near future. Hint: Look at the picture below… Until next time Boone Appétit!