One more data point for westsiders:
Capital Seafood BH - $7.95
Splits the difference a bit and pretty solid, especially if you factor in gas costs and time spent in traffic.
3 Likes
The price of one serving of har gow: The new benchmark reflecting the cost of living in any city… 
4 Likes
Mad Yelper went down today for the grand opening and found that the restaurant closed early because of a kitchen issue. Not a good way to start, with a one star review.
3 Likes
$7.50/4 in Santa Clarita
2 Likes
A friend went there today as well. Not your typical foodie… but she found the XLB appalling. Don’t bother was her 2 cents.
1 Like
Unfair to post a harsh review criticizing service on Day 1. C’mon, yelpers.
One positive note: published menu prices are lower than the prototype menu. Har Gow is only $8.
Lotus Dim Sum Menu
The PDF initially reads “Menu not available” but it pops up after a couple of seconds.
2 Likes
I live close by, so I’ll wait a few wks b/f trying.
I also would not judge a dim sum place too strongly by the XLB. 
Wonder if they even make them in house.
3 Likes
Fuck Danielle K for leaving a 1 star as the first review. What an asshole.
2 Likes
Agree, as XLB isn’t part of the traditional dim sum repertoire anyways.
2 Likes
Made it down to Lotus this afternoon after a bit of uncertainty. After reading about the mad Yelper’s inability to get answers, I messaged the restaurant as to whether they would be open today. They said they would be open, but given the distance I was traveling to get there, they suggested I call ahead to confirm that they were open. Except that every time I called my call went straight to voice mail. Since I was within about 10 miles of Santa Monica anyway, I decided to take the chance and they were indeed open. I ordered four dishes, but refusing to pay $11 for cheung fun since I never paid that much except for crab or lobster versions.
This is the chicken siu mai, not an especially common dish, but when offered has always been 100 percent chicken. What I got was a chicken and shrimp mixture, akin to the pork and shrimp mixture that is not uncommon at Chinese restaurants. But it’s particularly puzzling to see this combination in a Westside Chinese restaurant, since shrimp is not kosher. This dish was OK.
I’m a sucker for squid ink dim sum, and I had never seen steamed squid ink chicken bao before, so this was a must order. Another dish I rate as OK.
I’m also a sucker for piggy buns. Like most piggy buns, these were filled with bean paste. These were OK. (See a pattern here?)
Last dish was the edamame dumpling, full of soybeans and marinated bean curd strips. This something I never would have even dreamed about, and was by far the best of the bunch.
Not a very diverse crowd when I was there–not too many people looked like me. I certainly wouldn’t come back unless I was in the immediate area, and this dim sum wasn’t worth the $40 tab. Capital Seafood in Beverly Hills is a much better option for dim sum on the Westside.
7 Likes
Huh?
Why on Earth would you expect a Westside dim sum specialist give a shite about a dish being Kosher? And even without the shrimp the chicken isn’t going to be Kosher!
Dim sum is about the least Kosher meal I can think of - anyone who keeps Kosher - on the Westside, Northside, Eastside or Southside, isn’t going to this place, so they can mix their shu mai with whatever non-Kosher stuff they want. Right @kevin ?
Agree - they usually do a pretty good (non-Kosher) job.
This is Santa Monica, not pico/robertson lol what does Kosher have to do with anything. I don’t think Santa Monica is known for their kosher selections.
1 Like
I didn’t respond when I first read this, but it’s really nagging at me. I don’t think you meant to come across as anti semitic, but you did. The Westside equaling dishes to be prepared kosher is just wrong. Personally, I’d be miffed if my chicken dim sum came with shrimp, it has nothing to do with my religion, but my allergy.
1 Like
I think David is right that you usually see westside places have non-pork non-shellfish options. I eat both but my father in law doesn’t and I know he often won’t even go to a place if he sees too many things on the menu he can’t eat. And there are certainly more Jewish people in Santa Monica than, say, Monterey Park.
Says who??? 
While I’m sure that there are more Jewish people in Santa Monica than MP, I would assume that, say, a garden-variety place in Beverly Hills would be likely to be aware of food restrictions in the Jewish population than an eatery in Santa Monica.
I don’t much attention to shellfish, but I had assumed that the non-pork options outside of “ethnic” places were more for “white” people, regardless of religion. My partner’s family are not Jewish and (edit: are) white, and they don’t really eat pork (or shellfish, I guess).
I just took @chandavkl’s comments as a bit curious and not at all as anti-Semitic. But I am not Jewish, so…
1 Like
Well, I AM Jewish and how do I determine if there is a need to have pork or shellfish alternatives on a menu is my eyes.
If on Friday night and Saturday afternoon I’m not seeing my religious tribesman and their entire family wandering around, then there’s no need to be concerned in that area.
Yes, I drive around Friday nights singing “the Jews come out at night, the Jews come out at night 
“
IMHO Jews that are observant and TRULY keeping kosher won’t be eating at those places with FEW exceptions.
My grandmother for example who was completely observant at home would eat out WITH US, non Kosher keeping, and would eat fish.
I would be stunned if the whole non pork options for Jews west of the 405 is a thing.
Personally not offended AT ALL by @chandavkl theory.
4 Likes
I’d add that only 17% of Jewish people in America eat kosher and I would imagine that percentage is even lower in Santa Monica.
Where are you getting this “data” from?
Was this a mistake because it’s the same for both cities. Arcadia is very Chinese and I highly doubt these statistics you provided