Santa Barbara is arguably home to some of the best seafood, but that didn’t stop me from traveling down the coast to Santa Monica to get a taste of the food it has to offer. For mine and my boyfriend’s anniversary, we made a dinner reservation at The Lobster, a fine dining seafood establishment right off the beautiful Santa Monica pier and Pacific Ocean.

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Our reservation was at 6 p.m., and I’m glad we made a reservation because when we got there, almost all the tables were full and even the bar area was bustling with people. As the hostess led us to our table, the first thing I noticed was the incredible view. The restaurant had a huge window that overlooked the pier and beach which made it feel like you were dining right outside, but without any of the wind. Even though it was a bit gloomy that day, the view still added a very nice element to our dining experience.

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I got the shellfish and black chitarra pasta while my boyfriend opted for the butter poached American lobster. The housemade pasta came with clams, mussels, wild Mexican shrimp, dungeness crab, calamari, tomatoes, basil and chili flakes. The pasta itself was very subtle in flavor, which was good because it made the seafood the real star of the dish. All the shellfish was extremely fresh and flavorful, making this a really solid entree. It was enough to fill me up, but not so much that I was too full for a nice walk on the pier afterwards.

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The lobster was plated on top of lobster mashed potatoes with swiss chard and beech mushrooms and surrounded by a decadent lobster americaine sauce. The Lobster is definitely not stingy with their portions, as we were served a decent-sized lobster tail and claw. The lobster meat was perfectly buttered and tasted amazing, especially with the sauce. The mashed potatoes were absolutely delicious, as they were creamy and flavorful, and the mushrooms and chard provided perfect bursts of additional flavor tucked under the lobster meat.

 

All in all, The Lobster gave me and boyfriend the perfect dining experience for our anniversary. Although it’s a bit pricey for college students, the amazing food, beautiful view and exceptional service made our experience worth every penny. I’d love to come back and try their other menu items — especially for happy hour.

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Winnie Lam
Winnie Lam serves as the 2020-2021 On The Menu Editor. She has an unhealthy obsession with Trader Joe's and she loves all things matcha.