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Talk about just in the nick of time. The Roost at 920 Massachusetts St. had its final city and fire department inspections Wednesday — sidewalk sale eve — and opened for breakfast this morning, owner Manda Jolly said.

The restaurant is serving until 2 p.m. today and starts regular hours Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. Today, only the breakfast menu is available, but Jolly said she expects to roll out the lunch menu within days.

The Roost’s artisan cocktail menu got off to a running start. It features five specialty bloody marys and a variety of other libations made with fresh ingredients. “People started ordering off our cocktail menu right after 9 a.m.,” Jolly said. “We were hoping they would.”

The breakfast menu has build-your-own omelets, breakfast “sammys” (sandwiches), “bennys” (eggs benedict) and corned beef hash. The lunch menu features more sammys, salads, soups and mac and cheese four ways — with roasted chicken, pork and beef meatballs, roasted portobello or tomatoes and bacon.

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http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2013/jul/19/258707/

A grab-and-go pastry case includes savory hand pies, biscuits, gluten-free cookies and a to-die-for cherry almond coffee cake (sorry, yours truly took the last piece this morning), so there are options for both breakfast and lunch, Jolly said. There’s also fluffy, hulking, palm-size homemade marshmallows, for snacking or to drop in coffee.

The Roost is located in the spot formerly occupied by Milton’s. Jolly, who worked at Milton’s 12 years, co-owns The Roost with her husband, Sean Jolly, and Lawrence resident Kenny Pingleton.

The restaurant is named after Jolly’s family farm in Western Kansas, and she said her mission for The Roost fits with the attitudes about hard work and dedication she learned there. Jolly said she hopes to provide a good, fun work environment for her staff as well as clean, quality food for diners. “It’s definitely food I think everyone can relate to,” Jolly said.

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Tips welcome!

Try something unusual or know of something interesting going on at a Lawrence restaurant? Send me an email at sshepherd@ljworld.com or contact me on Twitter @saramarieshep. For more local food and restaurant news, click here.