Pittsfield — Berkshire County residents won’t have long to wait before the town sees a new steakhouse, courtesy of Jose Reyes, entrepreneur of RJ’s Restaurant in Pittsfield and Picante’s restaurants in Connecticut. Rare 297 on North is slated to open at the end of May in the space that formerly housed Berkshire Palate; however, be prepared to not draw any comparisons between the two establishments, Reyes said. The décor and ambiance of the space is being remodeled to have more of an upscale vibe, he said.
“I think Pittsfield needs a nice steak place,” Reyes said. “And my goal is to bring it a steakhouse.” The restaurant will also encompass a raw bar and possibly feature a sushi chef, he said.
Reyes told The Berkshire Edge his lease at 297 North Street, Pittsfield, began in March and that he is currently waiting for the restaurant’s alcohol license to be approved. Once that approval comes through, he will post the menu of his newest endeavor.
For years, Reyes was drawn to the North Street location but missed out on making it his own when Berkshire Palate signed the lease before he had the opportunity. Now, his time has come. “I loved the place,” Reyes said. “The location was great. The ambiance that was there was fantastic, really nice.”
Being situated in a hotel, Hotel on North, customers are built in, he said. He met with the hotel owners after hearing the restaurant was shutting down.
Besides its main dining room, Rare 297 will have a private room at the side to accommodate 35 to 40 people. A downstairs space can seat 250 guests, and an upstairs banquet hall can serve 125 guests, giving Rare 297 the ability for large events such as weddings and quinceanera celebrations, paying homage to Reyes’s Latino roots.
Reyes sold RJ’s Restaurant Chatham—with its closing set for April 25—to well known restaurateurs Moises Ortiz and Carlos Gomez of the former Mexican Radio and Destinos restaurants. Their focus has now turned to other establishments, including Pico de Gallo on the Hudson in Stuyvesant, N.Y., and La Mision in Hudson, N.Y., with plans to open the new eatery May 5 in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. “They have a passion for what they do,” Reyes said of Ortiz and Gomez.
While RJ’s Restaurant Chatham began as a Mexican restaurant under another name, it transitioned into an Italian menu. RJ’s Restaurant in Pittsfield opened in September 2021, with a menu featuring steaks, pasta, and seafood, as well as daily specials that number more than the regular options at some other local establishments.
“We have a good reputation at RJ’s,” Reyes said. “I want to keep that reputation or maybe a better reputation at the new restaurant. This (RJ’s) was my high school; that’s (Rare 297) going to be my college.”
