Very classy nice restaurant conveniently attached to the W hotel. The staff is very friendly, quick, and gave us our OJ and Coffee on the house. The food is okay breakfast food, the chilaquiles were very good, but a little too soggy. The prices are extremely expensive as well. If you are in a rush and are staying in the W, that is fine, but there is better food in the city, read more

TRACE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Earlier after sfmoma, we decided to come here to have a little brunch. I had their grapefruit and avocado toast with a glass of OJ, which was perfect for a hot day out. Grace ordered their French toast which was really yummy too! It was a bit pricy but we knew it would be the moment we walked into the W. read more

TRACE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Absolutely loved their lunch. With my yelp check in I got a free appetizer, amazing considering that's $16 free! Their $2 drink special was wonderful, highly recommend the lemongrass martini, just sweet enough and not watered down as I thought it would be considering the price. I got the chicken sandwich with jalapeño aoli which was very good but I think it would've been better if the bread had been toasted. My coworker got the steak which was cooked beautifully and the chorizo sauce on it was incredible. read more

TRACE - $2 lunch drink special is phenomenal! This is the metropolitan and lemon grass martini. I prefer the lemongrass, it's sweeter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We had a terrific Christmas Eve brunch at Trace! The room is bright and cheery, the food is quite good, and the service by our waiter Alvin was first-rate (seriously, Alvin is amazing). I had a poached egg dish with a delicious spiced tomato base and it comes with large pieces of sourdough toast. That, plus a 5-greens smoothie did the trick. My wife had the wedge salad (she loved the blue cheese sauce). Overall, a great experience with relaxing decor, tasty food, superior service, and an unhurried vibe. Highly recommend! read more

Very modern decor. The brunch menu is completely - and I repeat, COMPLETELY - overpriced. However, the waitstaff was extra attentive, and everything was delicious. We ordered the Trace breakfast and steak and eggs. Two thumbs up. read more

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I went in with no real sense of the restaurant--I was meeting colleagues--we were in town from Boston and New York--and I was not involved in the selection of the restaurant. Amazing food. Ingredients are fresh and the food is so delicious. The crab lettuce rolls were best dish I had during my visit to SF (which included meals at Zuni cafe and Gary danko). The Brussel sprouts were delicious an the sliced steak was lean, perfectly seasoned and served with the most delightful side of fluffy, buttery, whipped mashed potatoes. The service was efficient and friendly. I will definitely go back on my next trip to SF. read more

TRACE - Lettuce and crab salad cups - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Excellent!! I generally do not eat at my hotel because I like to get out and explore but after a long day I gave Trace a Shot. I had the Scallops and the Chocolate cake which was amazing. My waiter Roger was one of the best I have had in a while, honest opinion and really efficient. I will be back read more

TRACE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Start with the rose champaigne for $16 per glass and roll into the Rose from Provence for $12 per glass. Both paired perfectly with the Brussels Sprouts, Kale Salad, Salmon and Crab over polenta. Absolutely perfect night out with my wife. Shawn was our server and he helped steer us in the right direction. I loved the bread but would love it more if it was warm. Great ambiance but you have to love DJ based music. I loved it... Very ecliptic/diverse. Highly recommend Trace (focused on sustainability and tracing foods roots back to its origins).... read more

TRACE - Shawn!!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've come here a few times for dinner and lunch, and it's time for an overdue review. What can I say, I'm a fan of their food, and a huge fan of their ambiance. Modern, clean, and with a (slightly bougie) Vegas nightclub feel, Trace is a trendy place to take a date. I decided to come here for lunch yesterday and ordered the Veggie sandwich. I sometimes find it hard to find a tasty veggie sandwich or burger done right, but this place pulled it off. The patty was cooked just right - nice, savory and NOT DRY (huge plus). And they stuffed the crap out of it with avocado (another huge plus). I came in exceptionally hungry, and left exceptionally full. Service was on point, staff was attentive (and even had a few jokes to spare), and I even noticed a few people coming here to work (holla, that might be me next time). Overall, Trace has never disappointed me, and I don't anticipate them to when I dine and chill here. read more

Went here for Valentine's Day dinner and had a great time! I got the Lemongrass cocktail and it was very refreshing with a nice hint of elderflower. Hubby got the Head of the House cocktail which was also tasty! Very pleased with the cocktails! Between the olive bread and walnut bread, the olive bread was much better - standard good bread. The walnut bread was kinda dry. We had the charcuterie plate which included 2 truffle deviled eggs, nice portions of salami, tasty chicken liver patee, tomato jam, and bread. Everything was yummy! Definitely wish there were more deviled eggs - so good! Next up was the salmon which what a nice crunch top! Waiter was attentive and the atmosphere was nice and pretty. Could hear the nice edm music from the lobby. read more

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A wonderful restaurant! I went with my family and we ordered the corn and Brussels sprouts appetizers to start. The dishes were seasoned well, tasted delicious, and the portions were generous enough. I would highly recommend them both. For dinner, I had the scallops, which were fantastic! They paired the scallops with a subtly spicy lamb sausage - an interesting choice - and the inclusion of baby carrots, zucchini, and peppers was lovely. The flavors were on point, and everything went well with a Riesling. My only critique was that the restaurant was a bit loud, and the sound system seemed to be directly wired to an oldies station. At times conversation could be difficult, but that's my only complaint. All and all, a great pick. I would pay another visit soon. read more

TRACE - Scallops and lamb sausage entrée - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Service: decent. Server was the only for the entire restaurant with some help from the bar staff, which didn't blow our socks off. but the help from other staff made it a bit better. Food: [Appetizers] We ordered (2) of the Brussel Sprouts, they were so delicious! Perfect amount of carmelized sweetness with a little savory from the mustard seed and fried to perfection. The chicken liver mousse was predictable and had to ask for more crostinis to go with it (isn't that always the case? [Entrees] Two orders of the burger with fries and two orders of the steak. Burgers were really yummy and better than I thought for hotel food. My steak was supposed to be medium rare, but came out more medium than rare. Bummer. It came on a splattering of basic polenta and a few sauteed mushrooms. The steak not being cooked to my liking was one thing, but chewy and bland from the mushroom sauce. The polenta was a bit too "watery" for what i'm used to and lacked salt/flavor. Many other restaurants in the City to dine at, but this is decent if you're a traveler. The pricing is a bit high for the quality of the food, so I'll be taking my money elsewhere. read more

Well, if you've ever wondered what the worst charcuterie in the world tastes like, come here and wonder no more. Table agrees that this is the saddest/worst charcuterie anyone's had...by far. Rest of the food wasn't anything memorable. Drinks were delicious hence the second star, however not.2$ sign for sf. Service was better than decent. I can't get over how awful the charcuterie was. Scallops were underdone and only 3 small ones for the price. Another notable disappointment is that all of the vegetables on each of the plates were more bitter than expected. Though we all came hungry, no one picked their plates clean. Overall, disappointed. My husband wanted to note that the burger didn't have any tomato. I know that's not a huge deal but just gives and example of disappointing surprises during the meal. read more

Came here today for lunch with a party of 12. We walked in and it was mellow, which is not surprising for 12:45pm on a Thursday in the middle of the week. We asked for a table, and they immediately began to join 2 long high-top tables to accommodate our large party. We were seated within a few minutes. The server came around to take our drink orders, and soon after, our food orders. The "On the Fly" lunch special is well worth it for $20. You were given the option of fried Brussels sprouts or the Sweet Potato and Lentil soup as a starter. Then you could choose between the Burger or Shanghai noodles as your entree and each guest was given a small salted chocolate cookie and vanilla ice cream sandwich. The service was quick. My burger was cooked perfectly medium, as stated in the menu. I would love to come back to try dinner! read more

TRACE - Fried Brussels Sprouts - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

The best W restuarant decor that I've seen, it reminds me of the Swarovski curtains at the Cosmo in Vegas. The food was great. Although a bit overpriced for the quality, but great. I would recommend coming here for drinks after dinner, and just skip the meal here. It's hard to get a booth, so try to make reservations in advance. Such a nice and great place for a girl's night out. The service was OK, not that memorable or went out of their way in any way. read more

I went to Trace yesterday for Mother's day dinner with my family. The food was nothing special but there were a few dishes that stood out compared to others. I would go back again but only to order the charcuterie platter and their burger. Everything else we had: the steak, the pork loin, the halibut, and the salmon, were all decent but like I said, nothing special. Not sure if I would go back again. Also, their non-alcoholic drinks, the passion fruit lemonade and strawberry soda were all too sweet and sour. But their decor is really nice! read more

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I was in town for a convention. My client suggested this place since it's across the straight from the convention center. The menu didn't necessarily appeal to me so I ordered a burger. I figured I couldn't go wrong with that. If was just ok. My burger wasn't seasoned very well. The description states it is prepared medium. I asked for it to be cooked well. My burger tasted almost burnt on the outside yet it was pink on the inside. The fries were good. Our server was mix and attentive. I would probably choose another location for lunch. read more

Burger is good, although the place seems to be not that busy / popular as it should. Close to SFMOMA so could be a place to eat before visiting the museum read more

TRACE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Being that Trace is just a hop, skip, and jump from my workplace... it was only a matter of time until I had an opportunity to pop in and nibble on the nosh at the latest iteration of the former XYZ space within the W Hotel. And upon dipping my fork into many 'a bites from Executive Chef Paul Piscopo's farm-to-table eats, I gotta say... I'm pretty fond of what they're doing. This is no knock on the former tenant, but for me, the W used to stand for cutting edge style, fashion, and culture. Whether you were at one of their properties in San Diego, Chicago, or San Francisco, you knew that if you were eating, sleeping, or flirting at one of their outposts, it was one of the hottest hangs in town. But for some reason (complacency, perhaps?), the W seemed to fall behind the rest of the pack when it came to forward thinking concepts... but that's all changed with the turnover project of Trace. To run with the theme of the W's former cutting edge spirit, they're back to their old ways with one of the first locally-sourced, farm-to-table operations in any hotel I can recall. When was the last time you visited a hotel and encountered meats from grass-fed animals that were procured from within 90 miles of the front door? Greens hailing from a farm just a quick 45 minute drive away? Dishes featuring Bellwether Farms Carmody cheese, so close, you can almost hit it with a rock? Often times when you're eating at a hotel, you're stuck ingesting horrible factory-farmed products and Cisco processed franken-food. Bravo to the brass at W for jumping aboard the trendy, yet much-needed and appreciated slow food movement that many other visionaries around San Francisco have been practicing as of late. Doting aside... how does all this backyard fare play out? Well, let me recall some of the flavorful items that found their way ol' Ruggeford H. Joesten's eagerly-awaiting palate. + The spiced eggplant with grilled scallion, coriander and crispy rice: a fantastic little starter with all the smokiness you'd expect from a pureed nightshade like this. + Brentwood corn soup with spiced popcorn, cotija cheese, and cilantro cream: it's the tail end of corn season, but this little bugger still packed quite the punch. Served cold, it's a must try if you're fortunate enough to catch it before it goes away until 2012. + The heirloom tomato "PBLT" with grilled pork belly, romaine, aioli, whole wheat, and of course, bacon: Well, it had both pork belly AND bacon. It shouldn't take too much convincing to let you know it was divine, porky gluttony. + The grilled flatbread with figs, caramelized onions, pork belly, arugula: again, our pal pork belly makes another appearance, and this dish is perfect for sharing as a starter. Not too heavy despite the fatty hunks of swine scattered throughout, and the figs help to offset the salty nature of the rest of the ingredients. Yes... there's even more food! + Prosciutto and Fig grilled cheese sandwich featuring Valley Ford cheddar cheese, whole grain mustard, and crispy sourdough: with the gourmet grilled cheese crazy seeing no end in sight, the stand right in there with some of the bigger names you'd come to expect from the high-end comfort food game. + And finally, for dessert... quite possibly one of my favorite sweet indulgences I've had in some kind. I can't recall the name of this one, but it featured a peanut butter waffle (yes, a peanut butter waffle!) with housemade Concord grape jelly, chocolate chips, and a dollop of crème fraiche on top. Holy cow -- it was like eating the greatest peanut butter and jelly sandwich of my life! Seriously, this might be one of the greatest dessert items in all of San Francisco. So, as you can see... I'm fairly pleased with my first romp with Trace. I see some of these neg reviews from folks who waited a couple extra minutes during one of the busiest times of year in SOMA (Oracle World), and it's a shame, as it's a tad unfair to judge a place at the height of the pandemonium that Larry Ellison brings to downtown. Hopefully they'll have an opportunity to swing by on a less intense evening. read more

Trace = fresh and delicious Ingredients from traceable sources. Trace = a fine menu with MANY vegetarian-friendly options. Trace = cool decor accents that come from sustainable sources. (example: Candle holders repurposed from wine bottles. Cool, huh?!) Trace = privado seating if you want it. Public seating if you don't. Trace = a far improvement from XYZ's high prices, flashy lights, and low substance Trace = my latest choice when I'm in the mood for great food (on a date or with friends) in a chic and sexy environment. read more

I have to say I'm very surprised at Trace's low average at the time of this review. I suspect that it's due in large part to the fact that the highly anticipated restaurant in the W opened during one of the craziest times of the year for this neighborhood - a huge Oracle convention thing that took over the streets for a week. I'm confident that based on their excellent waitstaff service alone that soon the average will creep up. As for my own personal experience, I very much enjoyed myself at a lunch with my coworkers a couple of weeks ago. I made a reservation earlier but the place was pretty empty when we walked in at 12:30 on a Monday... I was surprised, especially after so many people griping about how long they'd had to wait in the past! The hostess was lovely but no one compared to our waitress (kicking myself for not remember her name), who was charming, funny, helpful and efficient all the way. She alone gets five stars! As for the food, there were hits and misses I'd say. We used our handy dandy Yelp check-ins to get two free shared dishes, which were the charcuterie board and a pork belly flatbread pizza, both of which were incredible! I think these were definitely the high points of the meal. For my entree, I got the pork belly BLT which was just fine (the pork belly was heavenly), but I wasn't too impressed with the potato chip side or the bread that was used. My dining companions weren't huge fans of the rabbit club or ahi tuna either... neither were terrible but just maybe not too special. However, I highly recommend saving room for dessert. Our lovely waitress was nice enough to send over two complimentary desserts for our group and I practically had to ask my coworkers to restrain me to my chair so that I wouldn't lunge for all of this light almond panna cotta they sent out. One major tip: turn down the AC! We were all shivering like crazy eating our meals, even though it was sunny and fairly mild outside. I had to order a cup of hot tea just to be able to get through the meal! It didn't help that the ambiance of the place is pretty sterile and cold too, with lots of sharp lines and white furniture. For a place that serves some pretty soulful farm-to-table cuisine, the atmosphere could be a bit warmer to match! read more

Great place for a trendy brunch. The food is always good and consistent (especially the chilaquiles), and the atmosphere is really nice and chill. I'm glad they renovated it from the "server-room" aesthetic they had going previously (it looked like a server room before). I don't love their coffee, though, but I do love that they give you a whole pot just for your table. And they also have a VIP discount for frequent customers who live in the neighbs. Oh, and the music is great. :) read more

I can't say that I was overwhelmed by Trace - not that I need to find myself in an 'overwhelmed' state every time I dine. BUT, I do expect that a restaurant in the W should provide more than they did. We went for brunch with friends on a Saturday. The place wasn't particularly busy when we went, but for some reason the service was pretty slow. The menu was good - they seemed to offer something for everyone on there. At our table we ordered the market omelette, trace breakfast, poached eggs and huckleberry pancakes. While the food tasted good and was prepared well, we all noticed that the food was not hot, only lukewarm...as if it has been sitting for some time. Which it probably had because for whatever reason, things were just so slow that morning. Drinks came out slow, and only after we asked a few times first. We noticed other diners had been waiting a while for their food too... Time to step up the game Trace - your food is good, but your service needs to match. read more

A dine about town success! Roger took care of us, and we were very impressed with the service, the food, the drink, and I for one enjoyed the modern styling/ club like design while still being able to hear each other talk. Definitely seems like a great place to go to for dinner before a night on the town! read more

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You know a restaurant is hurting when upon entering, the perky hostess asks, "Are you staying with us here at the hotel?" and she is surprised that you answer "No, we are actually from here." Trace has that "hotel restaurant" feeling that is hard to shake. Über modern, white leather seats and white silestone tables with chilewich place mats make for a sterile environment that screams hotel dining in the year 2000. The wooden menu holders are supposed to underscore the homey mantra of "farmed, foraged, crafted, and shared," but in reality they are just incongruous elements in the stark dining room. Unimaginative, the menu does not feature anything diners in The City have not already seen. Pickled beet salad was good, but nothing new. Sweet and tender, seared scallops on a bed of celery root puree was not innovative either. The overpowering scent of lilies wafting halfway across the dining room made it hard to appreciate the food and wine, and salt and pepper were conspicuously missing from the table. Service was ham-handed at best: the waiter carried water and wine glasses in his hand, not on a tray; dishes arrived at an irregular pace, and used plates were not cleared immediately. Despite a few bargains (for example, 2009 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon for $60), the wine list is over-priced, listing a Veuve Clicquot (orange label) for $120. While low on value, the list is high on diversity, featuring at least 15 wines by glass with four on tap. The food at Trace was good, but not great, leaving the dining room nearly empty at 7:00 on a Saturday night. With the myriad of great choices available in The City, Trace is a good option if you are an out-of-towner staying in the hotel, but not if you live in San Francisco. read more

Make way for....well, nobody. The place was empty when we walked in at 12:05pm for a client lunch. The servers were attentive, friendly and accommodating for our hard stop at 1pm. The menu is pricey - but hey it's the W, I get it. I ordered the Albacore Tuna Quinoa salad w/fennel and looked at the price $22, OUCH - for a SALAD. The others I was with all ordered the Chicken Sandwich w/jalapeno aioli and kettle chips for $16, much more reasonable (although still pricey for a sandwich). The plates came out pretty quickly and I was immediately disappointed. Maybe it's the survival of the fittest instincts or my own savagery - but when a $22 salad comes out with what looks like the proper proportions for a high cholesterol ridden overweight 75 year old desperately trying to lose weight...I nearly flipped over the table. I'm not a small rodent who might nibble. I like to EAT. Anyways - for a $22 salad, I was offended by the small size of it. As I was eating it I noticed that the wasabi dressing was smeared on the bottom of my plate and it took me eating almost my entire salad to notice. Since that was the only thing that had flavor on my plate, I was rather annoyed. Who puts dressing on the bottom of a salad plate? Also - you know when you occasionally go to an iffy place, a diner, or a take a risk restaurant when you are traveling sometimes? And then you order something, take a bite and your teeth grind on something that shouldn't be there? (WORST feeling in the world if you ask me) Well that happened when I took a bite of the fish in my salad. I got over it pretty quick though - because it was just a fish bone. But still. For $22, I expected that fish to be nothing short of delicious and prepared as such. Bottom line: Don't go unless you have to. read more

High noon in SoMa is near impossible to find a seat and get a quick lunch before facing up to a Ridiculous Meeting Schedule Day Part 2. Trace is just that shelter in the maelstorm. They offer an amazing $20 prix fixe three-course lunch menu in a beautifully lit dining room with soothingly kind wait staff. Lunch here is like a mid-day spa retreat for the mind and body. The Lunch on the Fly menu offers a rotating selection of two entrees and two salads pairings. I had a beautifully prepared beet salad, chicken thighs on a spiced bed of farro, and the standard dessert, an ice cream sandwich. My dining companion had a lovely peach salad, pork skewers, the ice cream sandwich. The portions are generous, and I was congratulated several times about having finished my salad and entree. (What the ? Do I look like a frail convalescent?) I'll be back when the burger is on the On the Fly menu, and to do research on the happy hours offerings! read more

Delicious food, excellent service, nice décor. It's located near the SFMOMA in the W Hotel so it's in a great location. There was a good selection on the menu and we ordered a variety of appetizers in addition to our entrees and desserts. There were people at only half of the tables so our servers were very attentive, but I think they would have been even if the restaurant was full. The interior is not dark and fairly quiet--we liked it but we know others like background noise. There are large windows with a nice view of Yerba Buena as well as an interesting view inside of the second floor. Portions were actually generous compared to other high-end restaurants where we've dined but things are a la carte so be prepared. The bill ended up being several hundred dollars for the two of us. It was a splurge for us, but since it was for a special occasion, we enjoyed the experience. read more

We came here for brunch and found it pretty lackluster. Overall their dishes aren't too greasy or heavy so they have that nice healthy aspect to them. No fresh squeezed juices although the waitress claimed they were freshly pasteurized and still tasted good...whatever that means. Highlights were the steak and eggs and poached eggs. The steak was flavorful and cut into easy to eat pieces. As for poached eggs, they were atop prosciutto and the pair worked well. All the dishes had yummy yukon gold potatoes that were crispy and savory. Misses were the omelette. The eggs were overcooked and the fillings were pretty scant and meager. Tasted like styrofoam with hints of egg. The blood mary pizza was basically a raw pizza but the bread was stiff and the crushed tomatoes just tasted like something from the can. Our waitress was a major bitch, though. She had little patience to explain the menu to us and how the travelzoo deal worked. And then she'd talked really loudly with fake energy but you could tell lacked any genuine sincerity. My parents may have a slight language barrier but they're definitely not stupid and definitely didn't deserve that treatment! read more

PROS - Ambiance is on-point: hip, trendy, and conducive to conversation - Attentive waiters, didn't need to ask for water refills - Yummy bread selection to start (sourdough, green olive and nut) - The odd menu items are conversation starters in themselves - Visually appealing culinary presentation CONS - Quail appetizer was tiny (no surprise here) and like a less delectable version of chicken read more

Went there this morning to use a coupon (2 entrees + 2 drinks for $25). The meal was good, given the coupon, but probably would not go back on my own. We ordered the blueberry ricotta pancakes and steak and eggs. Both were pretty tasty. The pancakes were fluffy, just how I like them. We also had a bloody mary and a fresh orange carrot juice. The meal came with coconut water. Restaurant has a nice hotel feel to it. It's nice and I think great for a business meal. However, service was very slow. Our server didn't check up on us and it took awhile to get the check. read more

Dropped in after a movie, as we wanted to get a couple drinks and maybe an appetizer of some sort. One drink each, and a shared brussel sprout flatbread... $56 Now I suppose if someone else is picking up the tab, and you really like loud suit-wearing drinkers, and you're on crutches and staying in the hotel... then this place might be 5 stars. But even when adjusting for the "gonna get bad service because it's a hotel bar" and "gonna be overpriced because it's a hotel bar", I still can't justify giving it 3 stars. It's a 2 and a half, rounded down. read more

French Toast was good, not so fancy but soft, just the way I like it. Nothing special with the scramble egg. The Server was friendly and fast. read more

TRACE - French Toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Pretty decent happy hour specials. Nothing amazing. I hadn't been here in awhile; I feel like the seats used to be black but now everything is white. Despite looking pretty modern and new, having decent cocktails and small bites, and being at a decent location, nothing really draws me for return visits, other than being told that is where we're meeting for drinks. read more

Great spot for travelers or an after work crowd. Not cheap but high quality food and drink. Friendly wait staff. Comfortable atmosphere that's easy to get comfortable in. Wonderful lighting and upbeat music that wasn't too loud Well stocked bar and a wide range of custom cocktails. Not cheap but fit the neighborhood and atmosphere Easy access and great location. Great spot to get some friends together with lots of places to go before or after Gender neutral bathrooms read more

TRACE - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super meat-markety and expensive. I was bummed by the food - even though I thought it sounded really awesome (lamb gnocchi). And unfortunately it didn't really agree with me (eek). The drinks were fine, but had actually too much alcohol (learn to mix in the right ratio Mr. Bartender). And I was surrounded by drunk people no matter which side of the bar I switched too. Oh well. Not the end of the world, but not sure I'll be back any time soon. read more

It was only a matter of time before I was going to give this place a shot. Honestly, I had an overall good experience but I just didn't get that special wow factor. The ambiance is perfect --- trendy and hip the way I like it. Depending on where you sit you can be isolated from the world or you can enjoy people watching if you sit near at the window. The lighting give me the feeling of upscale-ish dining in an underground party like environment. Their service was great. Typical service you would get at a high end type restaurant. You ask for a knife and you get a knife brought to you on a silver platter. My water was just about refilled after every two sips. I ordered the pan roasted duck breast. Great presentation. I was hoping it was going to taste so good that I would quack but it was just mediocre. The California asparagus accompanied my duck and it was decent at best --- a bit bland. Like I said, no wow factor. I'll stick to the bar/lounge area of the W and will venture off by foot next time I'm back in the Bay Area. read more

Dined here for lunch while attending a conference at the Moscone Center across the street. The location was extremely conveinent, nice upscale atmosphere inside The W Hotel. I had the filet medalons and they were a little too rare but the sauce they paired it with made up for it. The service wasn't the best, but it wasn't terrible either, so all in all I would definitely come back again. read more

I had breakfast at Trace for the first time today. I must say I was disappointed. To start with I had requested a window table on Open Table and the hostess mentioned that when we checked in but stated they were very busy that morning and everyone wanted window tables. Maybe so, but everyone didn't have reservations. They had plenty of table available and rarely fill up for breakfast so I think the fact that I had a reservation should have resulted in their saving a table for me by the window. As for the food itself, I ordered the Trace which was eggs, toast, bacon, and potatoes. My wife had an omelette with mushrooms and gruyere cheese and peppers. I had expected the Trace would be similar to the Plow at Plow and it looked the same on paper but that was it. The eggs were fine but the bacon was thin and dry with no taste of applewood. Not that it claimed to be applewood but I expect that for a $15 plate. The toast was uninspiring and served overcooked AND cold. Not sure how you accomplish that. My wife ordered a decaf coffee and I ordered a regular coffee and we were served from the same pot so I had to call the waiter on it. He apologized and brought another pot of regular for me. I must say the coffee was delicious though. The omelette was also uninspiring and the potatoes were pretty but land I've eaten at W in SF when the restaurant was called XYZ and I much preferred the food and interior. The new interior is pretentious and looks like all the furniture was sourced by K&D. Overall I much preferred XYZ and i really can't understand why W invested so much time and money in this mediocre remodel. read more

Our dining party started with the Chantrelle Mushroom Flatbread (mornay, bacon, brussels sprouts, agrumato), which was beyond delightful. I could honestly sit and eat three of those, call it a night, be quite happy. A few gourmet cocktails from the bar and we were in seventh heaven. I had the pork, my one friend had the chicken, and my third friend had the steak entrees, all were 4/5 overall. Nothing quite measured up to the appetizer and drinks, but it was a beautiful setting, a nice night, and we were quite happy with the quality, the service, and the reasonable price for high-end cuisine. read more