RICE Restaurant

From the hotel website

RICE - W San Diego's Signature Restaurant

It's so nice to be at RICE, where gourmets indulge in global cuisine, and a dash of jazz completes the pizzazz. In the comfort of our plush private booths separated by billowy gauze, unfurl our gastronomical atlas of a menu and take a savoir faire traipse around the celestial ball!

Experience eclectically diverse flavors morning, noon and night: Embark on your day's sojourn with an Irish oatmeal brulee or PB & J Francais. At high noon, go around the world in three courses by exploring tempura fried calamari, Caesar salad with Spanish white anchovies and black Moroccan olive oil and a Cuban sandwich. It's time to sup when you proclaim the grilled white Mexican prawns as the very first culinary Wonder of the World, then come full circle with the day's local snapper.

The truth is, Rice plays exclusive matchmaker to attractively fresh and exciting home-grown, seasonal ingredients from local farms. A strawberry compote finds love with a crispy duck breast and confit. A wild local whipper snapper settles down with baby artichokes, green olives, cipolini onions and fingerling potatoes. Hand-selected and inventively paired in marriages of explosive and enlightening flavors, Rice's blissful adventures are full of intrigue and spice, blessed by the go-global-with-local spirit of grande dame Julia Child.

Every Wednesday, channel your inner Chet Baker-meets-Thelonious Monk-meets-Sigur Ros with mesmerizing jazz that complements the warm, candlelit ambiance and enhances the dining experience. Be our guest and sashay your way through the room along our unique serpentine banquette seating besotted with rich textures of brown and red – especially flanked with a bold array of oversized mirrors.

Narcissism? No, just a reflection of everything that's beautiful and perfect.

Discover Rice at ricesandiego.

Rice Reservations: You may also call (619) 398-3082
Cuisine: Contemporary
Atmosphere: All Day Dining
Setting: Available Outdoor Seating
Chef: Alex Facio
Smoking Permitted: No
hours: 6:30 AM - 11:00 PM, Daily

My dinner experience here was horrible. The wait staff didn't know anything about wine, in our party of six, everyone's food was either cold, over-cooked, dry, too salty, too sweet, or all of the above. My steak was well-done (a filet well done!!!!!!), and the panna cotta was rubbery, and you had a sneaking suspicion half the things they served were out of a box/can. We were one of six tables in the restaurant and the food took forever to be served. As you can guess, I was hesitant to go back for breakfast weeks later, but friends of mine were staying at the W, so I obliged. The chilaquilles were decent, but they couldn't make it spicy enough even after we requested extra spicy. The peanut butter french toast thing was the sugariest thing I've had in my entire life. After three of us each took one bite, we had to push it aside. We were on the patio on a beautiful day and for the two hours that we lounged there, we had countless refills on coffee, but every cup was lukewarm at best, and they said they had no way of producing a hot cup of coffee for us - a "fresh" brew was just as cold as the last.

* Pros: Food had good presentation, nice bar/lounge scene, good-looking people, decent mixed drinks.
* Cons: Food was poor, expensive, service was sub-standard for the price and expected caliber.

The Scene
Brown and sage accents in the modern, red-walled dining room reflect off rich, leather booths with throw pillows along the window. Trendy diners in relaxed jeans and stylish shirts sip from the largely coastal Pacific wine list over quite conversation and light techno tunes from the lobby in the background. As the night goes on, the space crowds with downtown hipsters and the music gets louder.

The Food
Although the name might sound Pan-Asian, the menu encompasses all regions of the world that use rice as an ingredient. The seared ahi tuna with sesame represents Asian-fusion flavors, and other delightful standouts include tender pork loin in an almond sauce with no hint of aftertaste and rich sea scallops in cream sauce. With a background in pastry, chef AJ Voytko also dabbles with creative desserts like sweet potato crème brule and comfort-food standbys like peanut-butter-chocolate cake.

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Insider Tips
On the Menu

For a bit of everything, opt for the $65 five-course tasting menu. On slow nights, the chef may offer couples two different courses.
Parking

Rice will partially validate for the hotel's parking, which will usually cut down the cost to around $8.
When to Go

Weekly specials include a Happy Hour for Downtown residents on Wednesdays and jazz night on Mondays.
Know Before You Go

The W is a good ways outside the heart of the Gaslamp. Bring $5 bucks for a cab if you plan to go out after dinner.

Rice - W San Diego writes...
set in the W fashion... the look: A sleek minimalist room with its soaring ceilings and polished concrete floors sets the tone for what will be an experience of sight, sound, and savor. Design accents abound with the modern feel of a gallery with touches of softness to disarm the guests and allow them to submit to the scene... the fare: An interpretation of "contemporary world cuisine" sets the cuisine of Rice apart form the rest. Expect a diverse range of flavors-eclectic in nature yet with a thread of cohesiveness creating a sensory experience unparallel in any one type of fare. Borrowing from flavors around the world, the food is layered with clean bright flavors with unexpected combinations yielding exceptional results...

Dining Style: Casual Elegant

Cuisine: Global, International

Neighborhood: Downtown

Cross Street: State Street

Price: $31 to $50

Menu: View menu on restaurant's website

Website: www.ricesandiego.com

Phone: (619) 398-3082

Hours of Operation:
6:30am - 11:00pm

Payment Options:
AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Additional information:

Dress Code: Business Casual

Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes

Offers: Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Wheelchair Access, Wine

Entertainment: Urban Eclectic DJ

Public Transit: Trolley - Broadway & Kettner

Parking: Valet

Parking Details: Plenty of pre-pay parking lots, limited street parking and valet parking for hotel and restaurant guests. $8.00 valet parking with Validation from Rice.

Banquet Facilities: 5000 sq. ft. of space available. Please call for details.

Banquet Contact: Melinda Sauls (619) 398-3090