Kerhonkson might still be among the sleepy hamlets of the Hudson Valley, but it hasn’t been immune to the trickle of new residents the region has seen since 2020. This slow community growth—as weekenders become residents and tourists become regulars—is a concept that the newly opened bar on Kerhonkson’s Main Street, Flying Goose Tavern, aims to subtly encourage without imposing. The cozy public house focuses on curated selections of beer, wine, and spirits that are equally pleasing to palates and wallets.
“We felt that Kerhonkson needed a neighborhood bar, a comfortable place where you can just come hang out and see people from the community,” says Lisa Binassarie, who co-owns Flying Goose with her brother Roger Jaghoo and business partner Lita Dwight.
That role of community watering hole has, to a large extent, been vacant since Hot Shotz Neighborhood Pub and Grill closed following the passing of owner Danielle Kearney in 2021. Kearny was beloved around town, known for her dedication to community happenings. Flying Goose doesn’t aim to replace the irreplaceable, however, the new bar offers a warm welcome to those who still feel a nostalgia for that laid-back locals vibe.
The bar is located within a strip of historic storefronts on Main Street, a short drive from the town’s main drag (a stretch of Route 209), where echoes of Kerhonkson’s past as a depot town along the O&W rail line (now a rail trail) remain. The building, owned by Dwight, had seen various past lives as the town's post office, a credit union, and a liquor store, but had been empty for some time.
“Roger and I discussed running a bar together—he owned a few bars in the city and relocated to Hurley in 2021; I had experience in restaurants and bought a house in Accord with my wife in 2002,” Binassarie explains. Soon after, she met Dwight, a Kerhonkson resident, through mutual friends and they began to talk about bar concepts that would fit for that building. The timing and location felt right with the recent opening of Mill & Main, a popular restaurant with a provisions shop next door.
“From 2012 to 2014 I ran a popup called Flying Goose Cafe, offering fresh baked goods and coffee,” Dwight explains. “I was trying to get people interested in downtown Kerhonkson, but it was still too early. Now, we have this mix of newcomers looking for a place to hang out, and generations of families who have been here forever and want to meet up to hear what's going on in their neighbors’ lives. So we wanted to create a place where you can really feel the fullness of the community.”
In designing the space, which was bright and airy with a painted-white tin ceiling, they brought in Juliet Feehan and Shawn Brydges of Blackthorn Interiors to give an “always been here” feel to the new bar. He added beadboard to the walls, painted deep hunter green. The same hue was used on the ceiling. The dark tones are contrasted by a soft-edged rounded bar top made of naturally finished white oak, and sectioned, aged mirrors behind the bar that Brydges says were inspired by the look of old Parisian cafes. Bordering the room is a hand-painted mural highlighting the area’s natural beauty while paying homage to Kerhonkson icons like famed former-resident Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates. Dwight says that the name Flying Goose hails from the native Lenape-dialect translation of the name Kerhonkson (the school’s sports team is called the Ganders).
The bar officially opened on February 22 to a crowd that Binassarie describes as excited and grateful, with a starting menu that will evolve over time. “We tried to have something for everyone,” Jaghoo explains, “from a $4 beer—the Montucky Cold Snacks, a light beer from Montana that you can’t really find around here—to a handful of classic cocktails done really well, like a martini the way it was made 100 years ago.” The beer list offers a few New York State options like Coney Island and Southern Tier, and a few popular out-of-state brands. Most run $7.
Wines are available by the bottle and glass but also on tap. “When tap wines first started, you’d get these iffy brands—now a lot of good vineyards are bringing better products on tap,” Jaghoo says. “We have this great Italian Barbera, a French sauvignon blanc, a French orange for all seasons, and we’ll rotate.” Wines go for $10 per glass on tap or $10 to $15 per glass from the bottle.
Food will be offered in the form of various pop-ups and during the first few months guests can enjoy Southeast Asian street fare by Eat Church. Seating expands outdoors during the warmer months, behind the building along the creek. “Our outdoor space has this English garden vision with native plants,” Binassarie says. “It’ll be very much integrated as a part of the landscape—which is the concept of what we’re aiming for overall: a place that fits, and that all can enjoy. As owners we represent a unique mix—part family co-owned, people of color, majority women-owned, Lita and I are both openly gay—so it feels like we represent a little bit of everyone. That’s why our motto is: Everybody is welcome, just be kind. Enjoy yourself.”
The Flying Goose Tavern is open Thursday and Friday from 3 to 9-ish pm, Saturday from 3 to 10pm, and Sunday from 12 to 6pm with hours to expand in the spring and summer.
