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!
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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