TRACE

I had breakfast at TRACE with some friends this morning and had a great experience. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, the service was friendly and super quick and the food was quite tasty too. I enjoyed some yummy orange juice and the buttermilk pancakes that were so light and fluffy. Definitely a quiet place to enjoy some breakfast, but beware that it is pretty pricey!

Had a reservation a month in advance for a business meeting. They called the week before to say they had a buy out. Can not recommend booking with them unless you are making a day of reservation.

The experience was not as pleasant. They had a discrepancy between their Unilocal menu and real menu.
My husband brought a bunch of students there and it was obviously too much for the students to afford.
We talked to the manager afterwards. The lady was rather rude. She turned the issue around and claimed that we could have walked out of the place when we saw the difference.
Sigh.

I went there for lunch with my work colleagues. The ambiance is very sleek, modern and comfortable. The dishes we ordered were beautifully prepped, fresh and bursting with colors, flavors and textures. One of our favs was the Brussels Sprouts appetizer. It was so good we asked for the recipe and our server YaYa got the Chef to come over to share it with us AND brought us some of their magic hot mustard oil. The service was impeccable, and I must say I have not seen this level of attention to detail, helpfulness and genuine customer care in a long time. One of my colleagues is coming back for lunch next week, not only because of the food but also for this incredible customer experience. Thank you!

Had a number of meals during my recent stay at the w San Fran. Like the hotel trace occupies — the Resturant tries to hard to be different — odd and out of the box– the hotels rates a poor 3 star hotel. The Resturant does have some good food– some wait staff are attentive — however most of the female staff are racist rude and arrogant. If your stuck at the hotel and you can’t leave to find a better cheaper more suitable option. Then expect to pay more than it’s worth — eat something odd– fusions you wouldn’t expect or frankly consider.
Breakfast is I have to say sensational. And would rate a good four stars. But lunch and dinner are a disappointment — especially when you get the bill.

W is a small hotel and so is the restaurant. The décor is very beautifully done and the restaurant seems to be very slow.
The food was above average but nothing too exceptional. We still think that LUCE at intercontinental wins over trace.
Their Brussel sprouts are really nice. If I go back, I’ll make sure to order them.
We also shared the duck which was also delicious, tender and flavorful.
Their wine list is great too. They have cheaper wines on the menu ranging from $ 30 per bottle -$ 90. We ordered a $ 50 bottle which was also really nice.

Whether you want to start your day with hearty, healthy breakfast or end the night with delectable dinner featuring local ingredients, TRACE is the perfect destination to explore an enriching culinary experience that fuses the vibrancy of California cuisine with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. For example, TRACE produces its own honey from the roof of W San Francisco after rescuing two wild honey bee colonies in 2011, and features this high quality honey in many of its dishes.
For breakfast, try the chia seed parfait topped with crunchy house made pecan and almond granola and fresh berries, or the scrambled egg whites with melted leeks and beech mushrooms atop a layer of whole grain mustard. Don’t forget to order a side of extra crispy bacon!
For dinner, make sure to order something that features TRACE honey, such as the Roasted Beet Salad with creamy burrata, pistachio, and ecopia farms lettuces drizzled with honey. For main, the juicy Seared Hokkaido Scallops with honey, and served atop barley risotto of roasted baby carrots, cumin, merguez sausage, summer squash, and shishito peppers, will satisfy all your sensory cravings.

I consistently come in for breakfast if I’m staying at the W but I never considered coming for dinner since I generally avoid hotel restaurants. Luckily I was waited upon by Roger. Part beekeeper, part exceptional server, Roger was excellent. Food was solid. Overall, I was impressed.
It’s almost blasphemous to recommend the restaurant at the W in San Francisco, but if you don’t have the time or the patience to find the perfect restaurant in SF or wait for a table at one of those restaurants, Trace is decent alternative.

Came here with my in-​laws when they were visiting from LA.
They are pretty fancy people and this was a pretty good option. The environment was nice, the food wasn’t crazy expensive, and the servers were really attentive. I mean… REALLY attentive like «go-​away and stop coming here so much» attentive.

Trace brunch — 2 entrees and mimosa special via TravelZoo.
Las Vegas style in SF. The interior is a hue of white and lavender accented with stainless steel and black. Very chic.
Not busy for a Sunday so being in a quiet setting was a pleasant surprise.
Service staff was friendly and efficient.
We ordered the poached albacore tuna salad and hangar steak and eggs. Food is tasty. Nice presentation. Portion size was reasonable but prices are on the high end.
Good place to visit especially with the discount coupon because in that case, food and price have a good marriage.

Came for a Sunday brunch with a coupon. Waiter was on point and even allowed us to swap mimosas (which we were supposed to get) to bloody mary and boy were they good — nice and spicy. We both ordered the chilaquiles — you’re thinking tortilla chips with eggs, cheese, and some sauce — oh but this had a lot of love — may be the best chilaquiles I’ve had since Mr. Cream in Puerto Vallarta :) but totally different — it was almost like a casserole made a la minute — if you like chilaquiles and mexican flavors get it because it also had a delicious tomatillo sauce too.
I loved it and we will be back.

Aw i can see myself here for a girls group lunch or a date. Fabulous setting. Kind and courteous service!
French toast was savory. Looks small at first but enough food for a lunch.
Tuna salad was fantastic and you can taste the fresh!
Love. It is like a hidden gem. Surprised not more people know about it.
Would be even better if price was a little better or continue to offer promos. Everyone loves a good promo!
Cannot wait to share with friends

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.

If you’re wondering if you should get the Travelzoo brunch certificate, definitely do it. The brunch here was solid.
* French toast: Very savory (not on the sweet side) — you could have told me it was a quiche and I would have believed it. But it was delicious.
* Eggs chilaquilles: Good. It’s a bit on the decadent side (which is hard to discern from reading its description alone) — basically an eggs and nachos dish with hot sauce and guacamole.
* Oysters: A bit on the expensive side (4 for $ 14) but it was very good! There is some jalapeño that added just enough «bite» to it.
Service was very good (the restaurant was relatively empty when we came in at 12:30pm)
Protip: The gratuity will already be included in your bill if you’re using Travelzoo. So look at the bill when you get it.

Came here on a Monday evening after a meeting at the Moscone center. We didn’t make reservations but surprisingly didn’t need any. The restaurant was almost empty, with the exception of a small group that came in after we were seated. That’s usually not a good sign, but I have to say, this was an outstanding dinner!
Our waiter/​bee keeper Roger was awesome! Super attentive & informative.
Here’s what we ordered:
Appetizers:
–Chicken liver mousse
–Shigoku Oysters
–Roasted beet salad
Entrées:
–Broiled King salmon
–Seared Hokkaido scallops
I’m not a fan of pâté but the chicken-​liver was quite tasty. The standout appetizer was definitely the oysters! They came prepared with a red wine mignonette, horseradish crème fraiche… delicious. Anytime I order oysters, I can count on ruining the taste by adding too much horseradish so I loved that they were served with the perfect amount.
The greens on the salad were very fresh & crisp & the burrata went perfectly with the beets. Roger added the honey to the salad table side.
We shared the entrées. Both were great but the scallops were my favorite. They were served on top of roasted sunchoke, swiss chard & rosemary aigre-​doux. Loved the sweet kick! The salmon not only looked good but tasted great.
Prices were reasonable for the portion size. Unfortunately we had no room for dessert.
I will definitely come back, not only for the good food but also for the excellent service.

Gorgeous layout! Located right next to the Bar inside Whotel but without the loud noise. Good list of wine choices and the servers are more than happy to give you some sample taste. Must order the liver pâté mousse! Brussels sprouts is freaking awesome… sweet and tangy. Three of us shared the salmon with mandarin orange and chicken with snap peas/​gnocchi entrees, very fulfilling. Almost forgot about the scrumptious bread (olive, sour dough or nut/​wheat) an amazing dinn experience!

We came here during restaurant week and we weren’t disappointed. Great space, tall ceilings, plenty of sunlight. The beet salad with burrata, pistachio, and honey was my favorite. Perfect texture for the beet, very creamy burrata with just the right amount of honey. I also really liked the pork should dish. Very tender meat but the best part of the dish is the slightly browned gnocchi.
If you are trying to decide on a red wine by the glass, get the meritage marsennay from burgundy (2006). I like it better than the Location E from Spain (E is the license plate initial for Spain, quite ingenious marketing for non-​appellation specific wine.

Since moving to San Francisco 3 months ago, it seems like I’ve had more visitors here in those 3 months than I had living in Las Vegas for 7 years! LOL, probably not true, however, it seems like every week and weekend, someone new is in town and ready for dinner. Last night was no different. An old colleague of mine came to town on business and wanted to have some dinner. We settled for the W because of the great reputation of the hotel.
This place is dramatic! Vaulted ceilings and bunched up white lace hung from the ceiling down to the floor. It looked like the Tree of Life on Avatar. I felt like I needed to chant. Lots of white tables and chairs and décor made this place fancy. The service was no different. She was calm, collected and gave a lot of suggestions for drinks and food. Heads up, if you check into Unilocal and order two entrée plates, you’ll receive a coupon for a share plate for free. Great deal! Here’s what I had for dinner:
–My cocktail was the Metropolitan for $ 15. Michter’s Rye Whiskey, muddled raspberries, pink grapefruit, fresh lime, basil and peychaud’s bitters. This was a great drink! The whiskey was masked with a refreshing combination of citrus and herbs. I loved it! Highly recommend!
–Our share plate was the Crispy Fried Quail for $ 16 (free with coupon). 3 pieces of quail on a bed of sour cherry reduction, topped with nicoise olive leaves, shaved celery and hazelnut. The quail was fantastic! Nicely breaded and fried, the cherry sauce wasn’t too sour, really complimented the dish well. Loved the refreshing texture you got from the celery as well.
–For dinner, our server suggested the Winter Dungeness Crab meal, a new dish to the menu, for $ 30. Crab meat mixed with root vegetables matignon, shaved black truffle on top, meyer lemon, parsley over a bed of creamy white polenta. For starters, I didn’t taste polenta. There were some here and there, but for the most part it was a soup on the bottom. Not a lot of crab meat. It seemed that way because they shred it all over the plate, however, you got a lot more parsnips, carrots and brussel sprouts. It was just OK. I do like that they incorporated butter into the dish for the sake of the crab. Points for that.
What a beautiful restaurant. Minus some minor details, I really liked it! I love that they offer just as many seafood dishes as they do meat dishes. I’m definitely coming back on another night. You should check them out!

3.5 stars. An upscale lunch at the stylishly chic and modern W hotel, who wouldn’t enjoy that? I really liked the modern simple and clean design of this dining area. The atmosphere gave off a relaxing feel. I really like those white drapes around the table booths, they remind me of those around a princess’ bed.
On to the food — We got the brussel sprouts, chicken liver mousse, mushroom flatbread, and almost the entire table got their hanger steak $ 22 (medium rare). The food was tasty and the steak was cooked perfectly, but they didn’t really blew me away. For the price, I think they have delivered what was expected and the presentation of the food was great! If you plan to get dessert, I would recommend getting their chocolate cake or pumpkin cheesecake. They both looked and tasted good. I wouldn’t recommend getting their ice cream sandwich because my friend said it was just like oreo cookie stacked with ice cream in the middle, not very special. The food presentation is great but the taste points can be improved. The service was a bit slow since we waited for our server to get the check, but the service was friendly nonetheless.

Who works over two full-​time jobs without pay or a yearly raise?
Mom’s that’s who.
So, for a belated Mother’s Day gift (since I was out of the country), I decided to take my mother here for a nice brunch.
It’s conveniently located near the SF MOMA, and within walking distance to the Powell Street Bart station.
My mother ordered their vegetarian omelet while I had their steak and eggs.
I also ordered a chai almond milk and a kale and greens juice.
Mom: «With the price you’re spending on this meal, you could have bought me a ticket to the Motown Musical at the Orpheum Theatre.»
This is my mother on a good day, in a good mood.
Me: «I thought this would be a nice treat; brunch downtown.»
Mom: «That’s the problem with you and thinking.»
Anyways, back to the food, I was disappointed with the portion of the steak. It looked like one steak kebab, and that was all. And the chai almond milk was a joke. It was 90% ice, and after two sips at $ 9, I found it to be an incredible waste of money.
Maybe mother was right after all.
The service was slow, since the waitress was taking care of all the tables, and the kale juice thing was awful. It was extremely bitter, and again, this was also filled with ice cubes, so it was like paying another $ 9 for a cup of ice.
My mother didn’t really like her omelet since the house potatoes were semi-​raw and not crispy. I tried to give her my crispy potatoes, but by then she was over Trace’s food, and just wanted to leave.
Mom: «See smarty pants, paying more for brunch doesn’t always mean it’s going to be better.»
At nearly $ 80 for two people, mother is right once again.