NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The new Meng's Pan-Asian Restaurant opened quietly on Tuesday after two months of renovations in the former China Buffet space.
Meng Wu Wang and Yaling "Joy" Wang were operating both the buffet and the adjacent Sushi House, but it was becoming too much work.
"It was too hard to run two restaurants," Joy Wang said. "We wanted to do something different."
The result is a bright, sleek and contemporary take in grays that echoes the style of the Sushi House. The buffet is gone, opening up the front space for more seating, and two new long bars — one for sushi — offer counter seating. A water wheel bubbles in the large bow window for ambiance and a new sign on the exterior of the plaza facing Main Street directs patrons to the entrance. The expansive menu offers Chinese, Thai, Korean foods; hibachi dishes; sushi; noodles, and bento boxes, along with a full bar.
The Wangs said they've been thinking about how to revamp the space for about three years. One consideration was making sure there was room for the weekly gathering of the local artist community, which some nights has numbered more than 30.
Meng Wu Wang said the restaurant can seat about 120.
"We did a lot of work ourselves but it was not easy," he said.
What he likes best about the new restaurant is how bright and spacious it is. "It was very dark before," he said.
The Wangs worked at other restaurants before opening the China Buffet about 15 years ago. A number of eateries have been located in that space, including the Tally-Ho many years ago and another previous Chinese restaurant. They opened the Sushi House on the Main Street side of the building in 2011.
The Sushi House is now closed and Joy Wang said they still have a few months on the lease, but they're not sure if they'll do anything in there in the meantime.
Right now they're focusing on getting staff used to the new layout and menus, and preparing for a grand opening beginning July 21, which will include half-price sushi between July 21 and 27.
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So happy for Yaling's next stage. Having two businesses running at same time is exhausting. Plan on eating there soon!
North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.
"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."
The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name.
"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."
The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected.
"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...
The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.
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The School Committee will be presented next week with a $20 million spending plan for fiscal 2025 that includes closing Greylock School and a reduction of 26 full-time positions.
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The initiative was sparked by the Police Department's acquisition of bike helmets as part of a Municipal Road Safety Grant, according to Police Chief Mark Bailey.
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President Jamie Birge told the board of trustees on Thursday that the college has been in discussions for the last couple years with a donor who wishes at this point to remain anonymous.
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John Magnarelli served his country in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam from May 4, 1969, to April 10, 1970, as a sergeant. click for more