Many dim sum lovers have come to fear that the dormancy of the scene is not temporary and has only hardened into a kind of permanent state: a new normal for this beloved meal of small buns, dumplings and tea. The losses, sadly, keep mounting. One of the best, Gourmet Inspirations in Wheaton, survived the COVID-19 lockdown only to close early last year, a casualty of rising costs, labor shortages and the owners’ fatigue. Eight months later, the grande dame of the scene, Hollywood East Cafe in Wheaton, closed, too, after 29 years.
That makes the arrival of Corner Bites, a tight-quartered dim sum spot just north of Rockville Town Center, cause for rejoicing.
Open since August, Corner Bites already stands atop the scene it just joined, and only its relative inexperience keeps me from saying that it might just be the D.C. area’s best spot for dim sum in more than a generation…