Dim Sum Inn brings big menu to Salinas.

Two words: Dim. Sum.

Monterey County finally has something it desperately needed, from a family it trusts.

To be clear, that something is dim sum, the Cantonese approach to tapas, with tons of treats served on small plates and in steamer baskets.

The same people behind Eagle Restaurant (751-2312) on West Alisal in Oldtown, itself a beloved institution for what one big fan calls "reverentially Americanized Chinese in a place devoid of decor," have debuted a big, clean restaurant with a menu to match.

Dim Sum Inn (998-8396) is now open 10:30am-10pm weekdays and 8am-10pm weekends at 1938 N. Main St. 

On one side of the surprisingly cavernous space, big brand new red vinyl booths linger under a low resolution Chinese mural. With a center room and oversized lobby-like welcome area connecting to another dining space with tables and chairs, it seats 120.

The massive lunch menu includes 30 dim sum ($5.50 each) items, 17 fried rices ($10.99) and 11 "kitchen specials" like chow fun ($10.99) and steamed bok choy ($9.99).

Then there's a whole other dinner menu with 106 numbered items—including four styles of duck ($16.99), six lamb ($15.99), seven seafood ($13.99), 19 chicken ($11.50), eight pork ($11.50)—plus some sweet and sour and egg flower style soups (seven running $8.50-$10.99), mushi pancakes ($11.99) and lettuce cups ($11.99) to boot.

DSI also does barbecue specialties, "chef's selections," rice and noodle dishes and family dinners.

Staff tells me weekends are already busy, with people digging the MSG-free fare.

We were all over the dim sum list, which includes chicken feet, water chestnut cake, egg yolk buns, bean-paste mochi and sticky rice in lotus leaf.

The shrimp dumpling is filling but a little bland, benefiting from the table side Sriracha and soy.

The Shanghai-style pork dumpling proved a little watery inside and out but was a definite highlight.

Dense fried shrimp balls enjoy a zesty combination of seasoning and aioli-like sauce.

The pork-and-shrimp-stuffed eggplant provided a delicious discovery.

And the slightly sweet barbecue pork bun, with a pretzel like breading, presented another reflection of the place itself: sizable, simple, relatively plain and definitely satisfying.

House tea is $1.50 and beer and wine is on the way.