Berkshire Palate Expands with 413 Bistro & Pittsfield Location
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The owners of farm-to-table eatery Berkshire Palate are opening a location in Pittsfield and 413 Bistro in North Adams.
The Pittsfield location will occupy the spacious venue in Hotel on North and 413 Bistro will be in the previously shuttered restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn on Main Street in North Adams.
Berkshire Palate is a family-owned and run operation with a seasonal, rotating menu of food that is sourced locally and prepared on-site.
"We use a little over 20 local farms and food purveyors, we have a very seasonal menu and craft food, like honest to goodness craft food," owner Paul Brassard said. "There are very few things we buy that have been put together for us, we don't buy any frozen food, nothing like that."
The 413 Bistro will be the first to open around mid-July and the owners are "diligently working on a date" for the opening of Berkshire Palate in Pittsfield.
In May, the North Adams Licensing Board approved the transfer of the liquor license from NAH Bar LLC to 413 Bistro LLC. The Richmond Grill in the hotel has been closed for at least a year.
Brassard opened the eatery with his three sons — chef Zachary, kitchen and dining manager Aaron, and partner Nolan — in 2018 at its original location on Main Street in Williamstown. In the initial business plan, Brassard said they had planned to open a second location in three years.
At first, the Brassards thought the Pittsfield location would be such a big project that it would be the second restaurant, but they were reportedly given an offer they couldn’t refuse from the owners of the Holiday Inn and thought it would be a great opportunity.
"A lot of our customers already are Mass MoCA people, and they can literally walk there now," he said. "We've got a big porch on the front that can seat 40 to 50 people and you can literally see MoCA from the porch."
They then decided to move Berkshire Palate from the Williamstown location — which is still open at the moment — to Pittsfield and open 413 Bistro.
Though the North Adams location will go by a different name, it will employ mostly the same crew members and the offerings will be "essentially what they have been doing for the last 2 1/2 years."
The restaurateurs are excited to offer a full bar at the new eateries with a range of cocktails. Originally, Berkshire Palate offered craft beer and wine because of a lack of space for a full bar. Even then, customers could choose from 40 different brews with over 30 of them being from Massachusetts or Vermont.
They will try to keep with the eatery’s theme of locally sourced goods in the bar menu.
"Even our coffee is from Tunnel City, so it gets roasted, probably a mile and a half from where we are right now," Brassard added. "And you know, maple syrup, just everything, but especially produce."
Brassard said when the Williamstown location closes, they will direct customers to 413 Bistro because it will open before the new Berkshire Palate.
When queried about the most popular dish, he mentioned seared scallops, a crispy duck breast that is currently on the menu, sliders, and a roasted veggie salad.
"I think that's where, you know, people just appreciate the fresh ingredients," Brassard said about the vegetable dish. "It is a salad, but it's roasted vegetable salad, and sometimes people add protein to it."
Information on Berkshire Palate can be found on its website, Facebook, and Instagram.
