Dim Sum Inn

Recently our editor was singing the praises of dim sum on social media. I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Was there something wrong with me? I asked. She snarked back a simple answer: “Yes.”

Uninitiated? Unindoctrinated? Ignorant? My only experience with dim sum had been from the meager appetizer choices at a few Chinese restaurants. I didn’t get it. But about a minute into my first real dim sum experience I started to.

It was lunch time on a rainy day at Salinas’ new Dim Sum Inn, launched Sept. 28 by the same people behind Eagle Restaurant in Oldtown. I was hungry, grouchy and in the mood for something familiar, like a pastrami on rye, a gyro or a burrito. But a review on this new joint was due, so here I was with my friend exploring this gastronomic phenomenon called dim sum – a 1,000-year-old Cantonese tradition whose name means “to touch the heart.”

Checking out the nicely photographed dim sum list, I realized it’s like Spanish tapas, Chinese style, dumplings being the main medium. Deciding from a list of 30 items was a challenge but we finally narrowed it down to four. Most come in units of three or four so I could see that ample sampling means big-group dining. The bigger the better. That explained the group of 20 seated at the long line of moveable two – and four-top tables.

Another indication big groups are a thing in dim sum world is the size of the spanking new and shiny red vinyl booths, which linger under a low-resolution Chinese mural. Each of the six booths is big enough to seat about eight. The place itself is big too, with room for 120.

After a couple of bites of the stuffed eggplant with shrimp and pork ($5.50) my mood began to change. My tastebuds were happy; I was happy. Then came the rice noodle roll with barbecue pork filling ($5.50). Dim summmmm. Sometimes it just takes one person or experience to push you in a certain direction and adds a new dimension to your life.

Also hitting the spot were the delectable shrimp dumplings ($5.50), coarsely chopped medium-sized shrimp wrapped in a wheat flour dumpling, similar to the wonton noodle in the soup. The delicate texture and neutral taste of the wrapping brings out the briny taste of the shrimp.

Not such high marks for the chicken buns ($5.50), however. They’re cool looking – like big, white, unopened flower tops. I can see why some might like them (they also come with pork), but their slightly sweet taste and almost gooey texture just didn’t do it for me. It also didn’t help to have the unpleasantness of discovering I was chewing on paper after my first few bites. Apparently it’s used to line the bottom of the bun during steaming, which I didn’t know. A rookie mistake I guess, but a warning would have been nice. I may give it a second chance some day. But there are still so many other things I’m dying to try.

Saturday evening we were back. Rainy again and a pretty good flow of customers. A separate menu of standard Chinese fare includes the usual soups ($8.50-$10.99), rice and noodle dishes ($10.99-$11.99) as well as poultry, pork, vegetable, beef, duck, lamb and seafood dishes (from $10.50 to $16.99). There are also five chef’s specials, most notably the seabass ($23.99), salted and peppered or honey sauced, and the wok-seared ribeye steak ($21.99). But dim sum was my focus.

We started with the fried shrimp balls ($5.50), four crisp and tender meatball-sized portions of scrumptious taste and texture that come with a sweet and spicy Thai-style sauce. More dim sum fun came in the form of pork pot stickers ($5.50), slightly browned, firm but tender, with a soy-based sauce. Then came roasted duck ($16.99) served on a bed of steamed broccoli. Each bite of the generously portioned strips of crispy, tender and juicy duck meat dipped in the hoisin sauce made me say yum. When duck is done the way I like it, and this was, it can become an obsession. For an entree, we shared the crispy cubes of seabass in honey sauce ($23.99), tastily and tastefully accompanied by bok choy. It rivaled the duck in level of satisfaction.

After finishing our plates and feeling quite satisfied but not stuffed, there was another thing that caught our eye that looked like a fitting dessert.

It was the egg tart ($5.50), three little pies per order. The crust was moist, pliable and not crumbly, providing a tasty little nest for the custard-like filling. A perfect way to punctuate the end of a not-too-filling but very satisfying meal.

I know big cities like San Francisco and L.A. are prime places to get a super-duper dim sum experience. I’ve been told about the fun little carts that get wheeled around continuously bringing a variety of choices to your table. Dim Sum Inn in Salinas doesn’t do that at the moment, but hopefully builds up the capacity to make it happen.

Nevertheless, the food there bursts with freshness and flavor and our little adventures there turned out to be totally satisfying. Ain’t no way I ain’t going back. But next time I’m going with as big a group as possible to maximize the experience. And I mean soon.

DIM SUM INN 1938 N. Main St., Salinas. 10am-10pm Mon-Fri; 10am-10pm Sat-Sun. 998-8690, www.DimSumInn.com