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On a Roll Café MENUS: Breakfast - Lunch & dinner all menus subject to change An Anne & Steve review       Located conveniently in the walkway between the parking lots on McKay Street and bustling North Street in the Central Block building is a small but not too small culinary wonder. Pittsfield has a new creative venture and it’s all about food this time. The chefs at On a Roll café are on their game day and night as they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are going to try each meal and report back with periodic updates but we split the difference on this maiden voyage into their world and went for lunch.
All the burgers which include chicken and black bean mixed veggie as well as beef come with sweet potato fries or potato chips and a pickle. To call them sweet potato fries is an understatement. These are not so much fried as crisped slices of sweet potato heaven definitely not to be missed. We also ordered a side of polenta fries with a light breading. They are unique and a significant addition to the fries vernacular. Let’s not forget the homemade sourdough bulkie roll that the burger and most of the sandwiches come on and the real impetus for the café’s name that is also grilled to perfection. That San Francisco treat is baked right here in Pittsfield.
Just peruse the three menus and you’ll see for yourselves that this is the place to satisfy the finicky and the glutton, the veggie and the meaty, and everyone in between. We even saw many kids laughing and enjoying both the ambiance and the kid-friendly food while their parents relaxed. The prices are so low it would be hard to find a better deal anywhere especially for this high level of quality. Any way you slice it, this is a great place to have lunch and we can’t wait until we come back for breakfast or dinner. The staff is very friendly and welcoming so no matter how big the rush is they keep you happy. When we got there on a recent weekday there was near pandemonium but we still felt taken care of and were seated quickly at a seat of our choice. If they’re full inside there are a couple of extra tables just outside the restaurant front door in the atrium getting you away from the crowd if you want a little privacy and extra space to conduct your business lunch. Highly recommended.
On a Roll Café |
The atmosphere is that of a well kept country retreat. Beautiful touches abound from the array of
dried flowers with country window distress painted mirrors to the wonderful original art hanging on the walls.
The colors here are bright and cheery enough to make a dreary winter afternoon seem like a sunny day in spring.
Anne had the blue cheese bacon burger ("The Beachcomber") and she rarely eats beef yet she kind of drooled
over it a bit and just loved the combination of melted blue cheese on a well done patty that includes onions and mushrooms
sautéed in red wine. "Well" meaning "perfectly" in this case 'cause this well means exactly that, juicy but
cooked through and crispy on the outside.
Steve had the soon-to-be-famous if we have anything to do with it grilled steak salad. Now in this case thankfully
you do not have to say how you want it because it comes as the chef prefers. As in a French kitchen one never asks
the chef to cook their meat a certain way without getting a huge laugh. You don’t need to tell this chef how to cook
your sliced steak. You just simply say "I’ll have the grilled steak salad" and voila! It comes perfect!
The ingredients here need a patent because this is indeed an invention. Island marinated grilled steak,
roasted beets (and plenty of them too!) Fennel (two big hearts fully cooked and intact), shaved red onion,
grilled pineapple and toasted coconut sprinkled on top and around the dish making it also quite possibly a
copyrightable artwork. The picture here is almost gallery worthy. They also have a very wide selection of choices
from salmon to swordfish and pizzas to quesadillas.