64987 Thu Dec 09 17:22:58 -0800 2004 24 2 Los Angeles Area 0 349715 I have a Dim Sum crazy friend coming to visit next week. Dim Sum is her passion in life! She sent me a list from that survey book (you know what I mean) and asked me to pick a place. Since I know just about nothing about Dim Sum, Could you please help me by giving me your ratings on these places: ABC Seafood - Los Angeles Empress Harbor- Monterey Park Empress Pavillion - Los Angeles Mission 261 - San Gabriel NBC Seafood - Monterey Park Ocean Seafood - Los Angeles Royal Star Seafood - Santa Monica Sea Empress - Gardena Seafood Paradise - Westminister VIP Harbor Seafood - West LA Thanks so much in advance for making my friend happy and for making me look just a little knowledgeable. Thu Dec 09 17:22:58 -0800 2004 0 Bluskies57 1 349717 The one that is the best is the one that is missing from that list. Sea Harbour in Rosemead. Thu Dec 09 17:28:15 -0800 2004 349715 0 elmomonster 2 349734 i ageee.. sea harbour is the ONLY place i go for dim sum Thu Dec 09 18:30:39 -0800 2004 349717 0 perceptor 1 349720 Of the one's I've been to on your list, I think NBC is the best, closely followed by Empress Harbor. Sea Harbor(in Rosemead and, I believe, Rowland Heights as well) is also excellent, a little different in style. I've never been to Mission 261, which is all the rage lately and a bit more pricey, but I think it is under the same ownership as Sea Harbor. Ocean Star in Monterey Park is also excellent. In my opinion, Empress Pavillion, Ocean Star and Royal Star are not as good. Thu Dec 09 17:45:03 -0800 2004 349715 0 sku 1 349722 Let me rank them by groups. FIRST TIER - Excellent, consistent quality with wide variety of selections Sea Harbour 888 Seafood Ocean Star Mission 261 (a bit expensive - if not, overpriced) SECOND TIER - good, solid food that covers all the basics without fuss NBC Empress Pavillion Harbor Village NYC Seafood THIRD TIER - anything east of chinatown, don't bother unless you live in Santa Monica and have run out of gas or a bus pass VIP Royal Star Thu Dec 09 17:52:14 -0800 2004 349715 0 ipse dixit 2 349725 Nice groupings. To clarify, OCEAN STAR in Monterey Park indeed is First Tier. OCEAN SEAFOOD in Chinatown belongs down on the Third Tier. Sea Empress, in Gardena, has excellent food in general, and is probably top of the Second Tier dim sum-wise. Ditto Seafood Paradise in Westminster. Not sure if either qualifies as "destination dim sum" if your venture originates from anywhere close to the SGV. Thu Dec 09 18:07:57 -0800 2004 349722 0 Eric Archer 2 349726 I think the A, B & C-list type of approach is very smart and this is a great summary. BTW, I am also a fan of 888 Seafood, despite some grumblings on this board. My only comment about Mission 261 is that the food is on par with other places, but the premium one must pay for a *slightly* nicer environment does not justify the $$. Also, the presentation is kinda fancy (and I mean overly so) when I ordered egg rolls. Thu Dec 09 18:09:15 -0800 2004 349722 0 kotatsu 3 349735 I too love 888 but I think their regular menu shines while the dim sum is fine but not as outstanding. Don't care for teh Mission 261. Thu Dec 09 18:31:08 -0800 2004 349726 0 Jerome 4 349744 The sea turtle soup on the 888 dinner menu is one of the most satisfying dishes on a cold, windy brisk SoCal night ... :-) Thu Dec 09 18:56:20 -0800 2004 349735 0 ipse dixit 5 349752 Sea turtle? Is that near the spotted owl on the menu or closer to the california condor? :-) Thu Dec 09 19:26:44 -0800 2004 349744 0 Jerome 6 349755 Right next to the "ants up a tree" dish! :-) Thu Dec 09 19:30:33 -0800 2004 349752 0 ipse dixit 7 349759 Well, I'd certainly trust a Cantonese restaurant to give me everything from snake to dog to pangolin to sea turtle to civet cat (in non-SARS season) to frog ovary fats (hamayou in Mandarin) - But ants on a tree, Mayi Shang Shu, NEVER. HAs to be a Sichuan place. Too gloppy chez les Cantonais, or the Chiu-chow/Teochewetc. ;-) Thu Dec 09 19:34:52 -0800 2004 349755 0 Jerome 2 349754 You mean **west** of Chinatown, right? Thu Dec 09 19:28:48 -0800 2004 349722 0 Peter 2 349811 Great List! NBC is the most consistant choice. Fri Dec 10 01:10:55 -0800 2004 349722 0 russkar 1 349731 Either Sea Harbour--Rosemead or Rowland Heights is clearly at the top of the list. Thu Dec 09 18:25:41 -0800 2004 349715 0 Chandavkl 1 349758 Yup, Sea Harbour gets my vote. On Rosemead just south of Valley. YUM! Thu Dec 09 19:33:08 -0800 2004 349715 0 WIldSwede 1 349760 Can you also add, which of these are the "cart" service, versus dim sum menu? or am i to assume that they are all carts? not being a dim sum afficionado, can't say that i know what is "standard." Thu Dec 09 19:37:46 -0800 2004 349715 0 Sunshine Girl 2 349763 Sea Harbour is not the "cart type" you write on a paper how many of which you would like (and compare numbers of the items to a handy-dandy picture menu). Although on Saturday I saw that some of the waiters were walking around with trays offering the items to people sitting at tables - although I did not notice a lot of this. Empress Pavillion is "cart type". Thu Dec 09 19:48:54 -0800 2004 349760 0 WildSwede 2 349882 Mission 261 is also not 'cart' service. On the one hand it meant that the food was piping hot when it came out but on the other hand, it felt like something was missing becuase there wasn't the craziness of the carts in the aisles and flagging down the ladies. Fri Dec 10 12:49:04 -0800 2004 349760 0 Macy U. 1 349771 Sea Harbour leaves me indifferent. Higher prices and general fanciness, but the taste is not much different from the others. IMHO NBC Seafood (Atlantic near Garvey in Monterey Park) is slightly better than the others. Thu Dec 09 20:14:22 -0800 2004 349715 0 joe 1 349796 Of the places on your list, I would pick NBC. Empress Pavilion isn't bad either. As for places not on your list which other Chowhounds have mentioned, I'm not a big fan of Sea Harbor, nor 888, both of which my family seems to like. Thu Dec 09 23:10:52 -0800 2004 349715 0 JC 1 349800 Uh, Royal Star has been on dim sum hiatus for several months now... While it is perhaps "third tier", for those of us who like dim sum and find the location convenient, RS wasn't a bad choice at all. Sadly, towards the end of the summer/early sept. I was greeted by a hand-drawn sign that said (no dim sum today). Further questioning revealed there would be no dim sum tomorrow and possibly any other day...the owner, it seems, was re-thinking his options. All those smiling families I'd so often see there on weekends weren't buying enough har gow, it would seem. A follow-up trip about a month ago provided a glimmer of hope, since the sign now read "no more dim sum this year". The greeters are no help at all and just smile and shrug at questions. So perhaps we'll see the return of Royal Star dim sum in a few weeks, or maybe during Chinese New Year...or perhaps not. Fri Dec 10 00:08:00 -0800 2004 349715 0 gj 1 349820 New Capital in Rosemead is my choice for dim sum. Fri Dec 10 01:59:21 -0800 2004 349715 0 shs 1 349961 To that list I would add Full House in Arcadia, which has excellent old-school dim sum at a very reasonable price. It seems to be a top choice of the SGV senior-citizen set, and they're not wrong. Fri Dec 10 17:30:18 -0800 2004 349715 0 condiment 1 349962 To that list I would add Full House in Arcadia, which has excellent old-school dim sum at a very reasonable price. It seems to be a top choice of the SGV senior-citizen set, and they're not wrong. Fri Dec 10 17:31:34 -0800 2004 349715 0 condiment