Zhang's Kitchen
By Barbara Booras
Collegian Correspondent
Amherst residents and UMass students are fortunate enough to have a wide variety of restaurants to cater to a diverse population. Until now, it seemed as though the options for good American Chinese food were lacking. More often than not, you will find Chinese food places serving up greasy, heavy meals with overcooked vegetables, and inevitably end up with a brutal stomachache.
There is a newcomer to the Amherst area who is doing it right. With a healthy and MSG-free menu, Zhang’s kitchen stands out among its competitors.
Zhang’s is a short drive from the University of Massachusetts campus on route 116, near the Moan and Dove. The cozy, 14-table restaurant is quiet on weekdays, but picks up when the weekend hits. Although the restaurant is not traditionally decorated, its open dining area, bright lighting, high ceilings and attractive blue trim make Zhang’s a more comfortable and casual place for friends to grab a bite to eat.
A standout of Zhang’s drink selection is their classic hot Chinese tea that accompanies a variety of entrees quite nicely. Each meal starts off with a bowl of crispy, fried noodle strips with a tasty, sweet dipping sauce.
For starters, Zhang’s Kitchen offers a variety of traditional and vegetarian soups alongside other takeout classics such as scallion pancakes, egg and spring rolls. Two great options are the wonton and vegetable soups. Reasonably priced at $3.75, the light and flavorful vegetable soups packed with fresh, tender veggies is a good appetizer pick. For the dirt-cheap price of $1.75, the wonton soup packed with meaty dumplings and garnished artistically with scallions is certainly a bargain.
If you stop in, don’t forget to try the General Tso’s chicken dinner special. The dinner specials are served with pork fried rice (which can be substituted for white or brown) and one egg roll. The attentive wait staff is efficient and happy to cater to any special requests, like chopsticks or chili sauce.
The massive portions of high quality offerings make Zhang’s Kitchen an ideal spot for the college student on a budget. The generous dinner specials round out at about $7.50, and with what is included, you will definitely have leftovers for breakfast – who doesn’t love a good scallion pancake in the a.m.?
For any vegetarian Chinese food lovers, the sautéed mixed vegetables dinner special includes a nice variety of veggies ranging from broccoli and carrots to bamboo shoots and Chinese mushrooms. Sautéed in a sweet and salty Asian sauce with a mountain of rice, this dish will leave any health nut satisfied and stuffed.
Zhang’s take on General Tso’s chicken is more or less traditional. For those that love spicy food, this dish is for you. The chili-spiced chicken has the perfect balance of sweetness with just the right amount of heat.
Zhang’s Kitchen’s owner, Benny Zhang, worked in another Chinese restaurant in Hartford, Conn., for eight years before branching out with his own new business venture. He and his wife Tina have been running Zhang’s Kitchen for the past four months now. Benny works in the kitchen as head chef, while Tina mans the front of the house answering phones, waiting on diners and keeping the place organized.
It is obvious that take-out and delivery is Zhang’s bread and butter, as the phones are constantly ringing in the dining room. When Benny was asked what they sell the most of, he immediately replied with both “the garlic chicken and General Tso’s.” Some other popular items he mentioned were the scallion pancakes and wontons from the appetizer section on the menu. According to the couple, the restaurant is most busy at lunch and take-out is swamped around dinnertime.
The delivery drivers at Zhang’s are both local college students serving mostly their fellow peers with a hankering for some late night Chinese. If you decide on delivery from Zhang’s Kitchen, there is a small minimum order of $10, but they do accept Master Card, Visa and even OCMP.
Zhang’s 102 delicious menu items are available to all, Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Sundays from noon until 10 p.m. You can also find their menu online at Campuslive.com.
The next time you and your friends are thinking of a place for Chinese here in Amherst, choose the place where you will get more bang for your buck. Give Benny of Zhang’s Kitchen a call and you will be in for a delicious meal.
Barbara Booras can be reached at bbooras@student.umass.edu.