I should also report on my other find during our recent Monterey area visit, Dim Sum Inn in Salinas. I was certainly stunned to find a dim sum restaurant in Salinas, but after the initial excitement wore off, I figured they were reheating dim sum peddled by Sysco or one of the other food supply companies. However, when I got there I discovered that they made their own stuff. How did I know? Well, for one, they had several varieties that I had seldom, if ever seen. Chicken shen jen bao, which I only encountered at Imperial Seafood in Concord and Old Sichuan in Manhattan Chinatown. Chicken cheung fun, which I’ve only seen once, I don’t know where. Chicken siu mai, also a rarely seen item. Chicken taro dumpling and onion bun, which I have never seen anywhere. And these oversized, oddly colored baked bbq pork buns, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Also it took a good 20 minutes for these items to come out of the kitchen. Not to say this was the best dim sum I’ve eaten, but given that I wouldn’t expect to find any of this stuff within a 75 mile radius this was a real treat. The one downside is that everything is $5.50 an order, which is more expensive than the fanciest dim sum in Los Angeles. But I’m certainly not complaining. 1938 N. Main St., Salinas.
